Hillsborough County property taxes
Hillsborough County — Tampa, Plant City, Temple Terrace and the unincorporated county — carries one of the higher countywide average millages among Florida's large metros. One nice local touch: the county's systems can serve an official parcel record card as a PDF, so the lookup tool links you to the county's own document rather than a re-rendering of it.
The 2025 numbers
Hillsborough County's average total millage on the 2025 certified roll is 18.8553 mills — about $18.86 for every $1,000 of taxable value — the 5th-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 | 6.34 | School board operating and debt levies — the portion the additional homestead exemption does not reduce |
| Non-school | 12.5153 | County commission, municipal, water management, independent and special districts |
| Average total | 18.8553 | 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 $464.2 million here — $865 per parcel, against $597 statewide (see the 2025 non-ad valorem study).
2025 rate decisions. The county commission set its 2025 operating rate at 5.4608 mills (2024: 5.6026), above its rolled-back rate of 5.3531, so under Florida law it was a tax increase. The 2025 millage study lists all 7 county, city and district operating rates in Hillsborough County on the state's report, and the vote each one took.
Tampa property tax rate and the rest of Hillsborough (2025)
Actual 2025 rates by city, from the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser, Final 2025 millage.
| Area | City (or county MSTU) millage | Total millage | Tax per $100,000 taxable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa | 6.2076 | 19.8428 | $1,984 |
| Temple Terrace | 6.4550 | 19.5319 | $1,953 |
| Plant City | 5.7157 | 18.2926 | $1,829 |
| Unincorporated Hillsborough | 4.6163 (county MSTU) | 18.2515 | $1,825 |
Totals in this table run from 18.2515 mills (Unincorporated Hillsborough) to 19.8428 mills (Tampa): on $100,000 of taxable value, location alone moves the bill by about $159 a year.
Every Hillsborough parcel pays the same countywide 5.5212 mills and school levy of 6.3400 mills; the difference is the city layer. Tampa also pays the county's 0.5583-mill library levy, which Temple Terrace and Plant City do not, and Plant City is outside the transit authority's 0.5000 mills — so Plant City has the lowest total of the three cities. Unincorporated parcels pay the county MSTU in place of a city tax and come in lowest overall, at 18.2515.
Trash pickup. In Hillsborough County, homes outside city limits get garbage service this way: county contract or franchise hauler (FCC Environmental, Republic Services and WM). 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 Hillsborough County's 2025 tax roll, there were no fire assessments and solid-waste assessments came to about $308 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 Hillsborough County's local governments at $942 million a year once Amendment 3 is fully in effect ($342 million in its first year), out of about $11.83 billion statewide. A homestead assessed at $300,000 would save about $2,485 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 Hillsborough County's average millage, using the school/non-school split above:
| Scenario | Estimated annual tax |
|---|---|
| $300,000 assessed value, homestead (both exemptions) | ≈ $4,854.67 |
| $500,000 assessed value, homestead (both exemptions) | ≈ $8,625.73 |
| $300,000 assessed value, no homestead (investment or second home) | ≈ $5,656.59 |
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 Hillsborough County? The listing's bill is not your bill
At sale the assessment resets to market (§193.155), so your first Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County pre-selected; moving a Florida homestead? The portability calculator computes what carries over.
USDA income limits in Hillsborough County
USDA's guaranteed home loan caps household income by county. In Hillsborough County the limit is $131,900 for households of 1 to 4 and $174,150 for 5 to 8, counting everyone who will live in the home after small deductions (USDA's income worksheet, October 2026). That is above the $122,800 most Florida counties share, because the area's incomes run higher. 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 Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough 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
- Hardee County property taxes — 14.1244 mills average
- Manatee County property taxes — 14.5524 mills average
- Pasco County property taxes — 17.2168 mills average
- Pinellas County property taxes — 18.4941 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 Hillsborough County record
Search any Hillsborough County address in the property-tax lookup, or go straight to the county's own offices:
- Property Appraiser: www.hcpafl.org
- Tax Collector: www.hillstaxfl.gov
- Official county tax estimator: www.hcpafl.org
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 Hillsborough County?
Hillsborough County's average total millage is about 18.86 mills — the 5th-highest of Florida's 67 counties. On a $300,000 assessed home that computes to roughly $4,855 a year with the homestead exemption, or about $5,657 without it. Hillsborough County — Tampa, Plant City, Temple Terrace and the unincorporated county — carries one of the higher countywide average millages among Florida's large metros. One nice local touch: the county's systems can serve an official parcel record card as a PDF, so the lookup tool links you to the county's own document rather than a re-rendering of it.
Where do I pay my Hillsborough County property tax bill?
Hillsborough County property tax bills are issued and collected by the county Tax Collector (www.hillstaxfl.gov). The county Property Appraiser (www.hcpafl.org) keeps the certified value record behind it; the property-tax lookup here finds both for any Hillsborough County address.
Will buying a home reset my property taxes in Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough 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 $5,657 without homestead protections versus $4,855 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 Hillsborough County?
In Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough County?
For a USDA guaranteed loan in Hillsborough County, household income must be under $131,900 for 1 to 4 people or $174,150 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 Tampa?
Tampa's 2025 total property tax rate is 19.8428 mills, the highest of Hillsborough County's four tax districts, per the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's final 2025 millage table — about $1,984 for every $100,000 of taxable value. It includes the City of Tampa's 6.2076 mills; unincorporated Hillsborough totals 18.2515.
Data verified as of October 2026.