Lake County property taxes
Lake County — Clermont, Leesburg, Mount Dora and the Lake County share of The Villages — sits on the northwest edge of the Orlando metro and averages near the state's median total millage. Much of its newer housing is in master-planned and community-development-district neighborhoods, whose assessments arrive as separate non-ad-valorem line items that the millage average never captures — so a Lake County bill can run above what the countywide rate alone would suggest.
The 2025 numbers
Lake County's average total millage on the 2025 certified roll is 15.6324 mills — about $15.63 for every $1,000 of taxable value — the 28th-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 | 6.085 | School board operating and debt levies — the portion the additional homestead exemption does not reduce |
| Non-school | 9.5474 | County commission, municipal, water management, independent and special districts |
| Average total | 15.6324 | 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 $141.8 million here — $655 per parcel, against $597 statewide (see the 2025 non-ad valorem study).
2025 rate decisions. The county commission set its 2025 operating rate at 5.0254 mills (2024: 5.0364), above its rolled-back rate of 4.7597, so under Florida law it was a tax increase. The 2025 millage study lists all 16 county, city and district operating rates in Lake County on the state's report, and the vote each one took.
Clermont, Leesburg and every Lake County city rate (2025)
Actual 2025 rates by city, from the Lake County 2025 final millage rates, as filed with the Florida Department of Revenue.
| Area | City millage | Total millage | Tax per $100,000 taxable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clermont | 4.5900 | 16.6766 to 17.1351 | $1,668 to $1,714 |
| Leesburg | 3.4752 | 15.9477 | $1,595 |
| Eustis | 7.3898 | 19.8623 | $1,986 |
| Tavares | 6.6850 + 0.1467 debt | 19.3042 | $1,930 |
| Mount Dora | 6.3000 | 18.7725 | $1,877 |
| Minneola | 5.5000 | 17.5866 | $1,759 |
| Groveland | 5.7000 | 17.7866 | $1,779 |
| Lady Lake | 3.6510 | 16.1235 to 16.6035 | $1,612 to $1,660 |
| Fruitland Park | 3.9134 | 16.3859 to 16.8659 | $1,639 to $1,687 |
| Mascotte | 4.6381 | 17.2047 | $1,720 |
| Umatilla | 7.2377 | 19.7102 | $1,971 |
| Montverde | 2.8300 | 15.3966 | $1,540 |
| Astatula | 6.9000 | 19.8525 | $1,985 |
| Howey-in-the-Hills | 6.9900 | 19.9425 | $1,994 |
| Unincorporated Lake | 0.4957 stormwater + 0.4800 fire | 12.9682 to 13.5208 | $1,297 to $1,352 |
Totals in this table run from 12.9682 mills (Unincorporated Lake) to 19.9425 mills (Howey-in-the-Hills): on $100,000 of taxable value, location alone moves the bill by about $697 a year.
North Lake parcels pay the North Lake Hospital District's 0.3859 mills; south Lake cities such as Clermont, Minneola and Groveland sit outside it, which offsets part of their city rate. Unincorporated areas and the small towns without their own fire department (Astatula, Howey-in-the-Hills, Mascotte, Montverde and parts of Lady Lake and Fruitland Park) pay the county's 0.4800-mill fire MSTU, and only unincorporated parcels pay the 0.4957 stormwater MSTU. Clermont's upper figure is its Wellness Way area. Howey-in-the-Hills and Eustis have the highest totals; Montverde and Leesburg the lowest of the cities.
Fire fees sized by the home
The fire assessment in unincorporated Lake County isn't based on value but on the home's size, per single-family home on the 2025 bill:
| Home size | Fire fee a year |
|---|---|
| 800 sq ft or less | $370 |
| Over 800 sq ft | $415 |
The smaller tier dropped from $415 to $370 for the 2025 bill (News 6 report), and the same two rates hold for 2026. Homes in Lake’s cities and the F001 district, which has its own fire service, aren’t covered here, and solid waste is a separate charge. The property-tax lookup adds it from the living area on the state's tax roll; the county measures the whole building, so the real charge can run a little higher.
Trash pickup. In Lake County, homes outside city limits get garbage service this way: county contract or franchise hauler. Cities run their own service. Check the official page, or compare every county in the trash pickup study.
Fire and trash fees. On Lake County's 2025 tax roll, fire assessments came to about $298 per parcel (statewide: $129) and solid-waste assessments came to about $156 per parcel (statewide: $172). The 2025 fire and trash fee study compares all 67 counties. It also lists the yearly charge on a single-family home in Unincorporated Lake.
Amendment 3 here. The state's Revenue Estimating Conference puts the cut to Lake County's local governments at $241 million a year once Amendment 3 is fully in effect ($99 million in its first year), out of about $11.83 billion statewide. A homestead assessed at $300,000 would save about $1,896 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 Lake County's average millage, using the school/non-school split above:
| Scenario | Estimated annual tax |
|---|---|
| $300,000 assessed value, homestead (both exemptions) | ≈ $4,046.75 |
| $500,000 assessed value, homestead (both exemptions) | ≈ $7,173.23 |
| $300,000 assessed value, no homestead (investment or second home) | ≈ $4,689.72 |
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 Lake County? The listing's bill is not your bill
At sale the assessment resets to market (§193.155), so your first Lake 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 Lake County pre-selected; moving a Florida homestead? The portability calculator computes what carries over.
USDA income limits in Lake County
USDA's guaranteed home loan caps household income by county. In Lake County the limit is $132,100 for households of 1 to 4 and $174,400 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 Lake 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 Lake 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
- Marion County property taxes — 15.8838 mills average
- Orange County property taxes — 17.41 mills average
- Osceola County property taxes — 14.9738 mills average
- Polk County property taxes — 15.4378 mills average
- Seminole County property taxes — 15.348 mills average
- Sumter County property taxes — 11.2052 mills average
- Volusia County property taxes — 17.4169 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 Lake County record
Search any Lake County address in the property-tax lookup, or go straight to the county's own offices:
- Property Appraiser: www.lakecopropappr.com
- Tax Collector: www.laketax.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 Lake County?
Lake County's average total millage is about 15.63 mills — the 28th-highest of Florida's 67 counties. On a $300,000 assessed home that computes to roughly $4,047 a year with the homestead exemption, or about $4,690 without it. Lake County — Clermont, Leesburg, Mount Dora and the Lake County share of The Villages — sits on the northwest edge of the Orlando metro and averages near the state's median total millage. Much of its newer housing is in master-planned and community-development-district neighborhoods, whose assessments arrive as separate non-ad-valorem line items that the millage average never captures — so a Lake County bill can run above what the countywide rate alone would suggest.
Where do I pay my Lake County property tax bill?
Lake County property tax bills are issued and collected by the county Tax Collector (www.laketax.com). The county Property Appraiser (www.lakecopropappr.com) keeps the certified value record behind it; the property-tax lookup here finds both for any Lake County address.
Will buying a home reset my property taxes in Lake 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 Lake 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 $4,690 without homestead protections versus $4,047 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 Lake County?
In Lake 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 Lake County?
For a USDA guaranteed loan in Lake County, household income must be under $132,100 for 1 to 4 people or $174,400 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 Clermont?
Clermont's 2025 total property tax rate is 16.6766 mills (17.1351 in its Wellness Way mill groups), per Lake County's 2025 final millage filing — about $1,668 for every $100,000 of taxable value. It includes the city's own 4.5900 mills; Leesburg totals 15.9477.
Data verified as of October 2026.