Highlands County property taxes
Highlands County — Sebring, Avon Park and Lake Placid along the Lake Wales Ridge in south-central Florida — ranks in the lower third of Florida's counties on average total millage. The county splits between two water management districts: most parcels pay the Southwest Florida district, while about one in ten pays the South Florida district's slightly higher levies.
The 2025 numbers
Highlands County's average total millage on the 2025 certified roll is 14.5216 mills — about $14.52 for every $1,000 of taxable value — the 48th-highest countywide average of Florida's 67 counties (how all 67 compare in the 2025 data study). It splits like this:
| Levy group | Mills | What it funds |
|---|---|---|
| School district | 5.352 | School board operating and debt levies — the portion the additional homestead exemption does not reduce |
| Non-school | 9.1696 | County commission, municipal, water management, independent and special districts |
| Average total | 14.5216 | Taxable-value-weighted countywide average, Florida DOR "Millage and Taxes Levied Report," 2025 roll |
A countywide average is a planning number, not your bill: the parcel's own districts set its millage (the city table below shows the spread), and non-ad-valorem assessments (fire, solid waste, CDD) come on top. On the 2025 tax roll they came to about $34.2 million here — $303 per parcel, against $597 statewide (see the 2025 non-ad valorem study).
2025 rate decisions. The county commission set its 2025 operating rate at 7.6000 mills (2024: 7.6000), above its rolled-back rate of 7.3046, so under Florida law it was a tax increase. The 2025 millage study lists all 4 county, city and district operating rates in Highlands County on the state's report, and the vote each one took.
Sebring, Avon Park and Highlands County tax rates (2025)
Actual 2025 rates by city, from the Highlands County 2025 final millage rates, as filed with the Florida Department of Revenue.
| Area | City millage | Total millage | Tax per $100,000 taxable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sebring | 6.3500 | 19.4851 | $1,949 |
| Avon Park | 6.0000 | 19.1351 | $1,914 |
| Lake Placid | 3.6500 | 16.7851 | $1,679 |
| Unincorporated Highlands | none | 13.1351 to 13.1821 | $1,314 to $1,318 |
Totals in this table run from 13.1351 mills (Unincorporated Highlands) to 19.4851 mills (Sebring): on $100,000 of taxable value, location alone moves the bill by about $635 a year.
Every Highlands parcel pays the county's 7.6000 mills and 5.3520 for the school board (3.1040 required plus 2.2480 local), plus one water management district: the Southwest Florida district's 0.1831, which covers the three cities and most of the county, or the South Florida district's 0.0948 plus 0.1353 — 0.2301 in all — on about 11,400 parcels. That is the whole gap inside the unincorporated range; the filing shows no fire or law-enforcement MSTU millage.
Trash pickup. In Highlands County, homes outside city limits get garbage service this way: county contract or franchise hauler (Florida Waste Solutions). Cities run their own service. Check the official page, or compare every county in the trash pickup study. Look up a home’s pickup day by address.
Fire and trash fees. On Highlands County's 2025 tax roll, fire assessments came to about $126 per parcel (statewide: $129) and solid-waste assessments came to about $100 per parcel (statewide: $172). The 2025 fire and trash fee study compares all 67 counties.
Amendment 3 here. The state's Revenue Estimating Conference puts the cut to Highlands County's local governments at $27 million a year once Amendment 3 is fully in effect ($15 million in its first year), out of about $11.83 billion statewide. A homestead assessed at $300,000 would save about $1,821 a year here from 2028, at the county's average non-school rate. The Amendment 3 by county study shows what it would cut for every city and county government.
What that means in dollars
Engine-computed examples at Highlands County's average millage, using the school/non-school split above:
| Scenario | Estimated annual tax |
|---|---|
| $300,000 assessed value, homestead (both exemptions) | ≈ $3,751.26 |
| $500,000 assessed value, homestead (both exemptions) | ≈ $6,655.58 |
| $300,000 assessed value, no homestead (investment or second home) | ≈ $4,356.48 |
Homestead rows apply only the $25,000 exemption (§196.031(1)(a)) and the additional exemption up to $26,411 on non-school levies (§196.031(1)(b), 2026 CPI-indexed). Other programs stack on top; the buyer estimator models all eleven.
Buying in Highlands County? The listing's bill is not your bill
At sale the assessment resets to market (§193.155), so your first Highlands County bill tracks your price, not the seller's (the reset question below has the county's gap in dollars). Run the buyer estimator with Highlands County pre-selected; moving a Florida homestead? The portability calculator computes what carries over.
USDA income limits in Highlands County
USDA's guaranteed home loan caps household income by county. In Highlands County the limit is $122,800 for households of 1 to 4 and $162,100 for 5 to 8, counting everyone who will live in the home after small deductions (USDA's income worksheet, October 2026). That is the $122,800 level most Florida counties share. The home also has to be in an eligible area: the USDA eligibility lookup checks an address and runs the income check. Other counties: all 67 USDA limits.
Key Highlands County property tax dates
Set by state law, so identical statewide:
- Pay early, pay less: the 2026 bill is 4 percent off through November, stepping down each month until it is due by March 31 (the exact dates).
- Homestead exemption: live there on January 1 and file with the Highlands County Property Appraiser by March 1 (what it saves).
- Value appeals: 25 days from the mailing date on your August TRIM notice (make a reminder for your deadline).
Add the 2026 tax discount dates to your calendar Add the 2027 homestead dates
Nearby counties
- Charlotte County property taxes — 15.4683 mills average
- DeSoto County property taxes — 15.9319 mills average
- Glades County property taxes — 18.3732 mills average
- Hardee County property taxes — 14.1244 mills average
- Okeechobee County property taxes — 14.4357 mills average
- Osceola County property taxes — 14.9738 mills average
- Polk County property taxes — 15.4378 mills average
Related reading
Your TRIM notice, explained · Amendment 3, explained · Homestead exemption calculator · Pay early, keep 4 percent
Buying here? Estimate your closing costs
Title insurance calculator · Documentary stamp (deed tax) calculator · Full closing cost worksheet · Seller net sheet
Look up an actual Highlands County record
Search any Highlands County address in the property-tax lookup, or go straight to the county's own offices:
- Property Appraiser: www.hcpao.org
- Tax Collector: hctaxcollector.com
Estimates on this page are planning figures from official DOR millage data — never a bill, never tax advice. The county's TRIM notice and tax bill control.
Quick answers
How much is property tax in Highlands County?
Highlands County's average total millage is about 14.52 mills — the 48th-highest of Florida's 67 counties. On a $300,000 assessed home that computes to roughly $3,751 a year with the homestead exemption, or about $4,356 without it. Highlands County — Sebring, Avon Park and Lake Placid along the Lake Wales Ridge in south-central Florida — ranks in the lower third of Florida's counties on average total millage. The county splits between two water management districts: most parcels pay the Southwest Florida district, while about one in ten pays the South Florida district's slightly higher levies.
Where do I pay my Highlands County property tax bill?
Highlands County property tax bills are issued and collected by the county Tax Collector (hctaxcollector.com). The county Property Appraiser (www.hcpao.org) keeps the certified value record behind it; the property-tax lookup here finds both for any Highlands County address.
Will buying a home reset my property taxes in Highlands County?
Yes — Florida assessed values reset to market value at sale (Fla. Stat. §193.155), so the seller's Save Our Homes cap ends at closing and your first full Highlands County bill is computed from what you paid, not what the seller paid. The gap is visible in this county's own numbers: the same $300,000 home computes to about $4,356 without homestead protections versus $3,751 with them. Non-homestead property carries its own separate 10 percent assessment cap (Fla. Stat. §193.1554), which also does not transfer.
Who pays for title insurance in Highlands County?
In Highlands County, local custom puts the owner's title-insurance premium on the seller's side of the closing statement, as in most Florida counties. It is custom, not law; the contract controls.
What is the USDA income limit in Highlands County?
For a USDA guaranteed loan in Highlands County, household income must be under $122,800 for 1 to 4 people or $162,100 for 5 to 8, counting everyone who will live in the home after small deductions. The home must also be in a USDA eligible area; the USDA eligibility lookup checks both.
What is the property tax rate in Sebring?
Sebring's 2025 total property tax rate is 19.4851 mills, per Highlands County's 2025 final millage filing — about $1,949 for every $100,000 of taxable value. It includes the city's own 6.3500 mills; unincorporated Highlands totals 13.1351 in most of the county.
Data verified as of October 2026.