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 29th-highest countywide average of Florida's 67 counties. 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 |
This is a countywide average — a planning number, not your bill. Actual millage depends on the taxing districts covering the parcel (city, MSTU, special districts), and real bills add non-ad-valorem assessments (fire, solid waste, CDD) that no millage math captures.
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 |
The homestead rows apply the first $25,000 exemption (§196.031(1)(a), all levies) and the additional exemption up to $26,411 (§196.031(1)(b), non-school levies only, 2026 CPI-indexed) — nothing else. Widow/widower, disability, veteran, senior and other programs stack on top: the buyer estimator models all eleven.
Buying in Lake County? The listing's bill is not your bill
Florida assessed values reset to market at sale (§193.155) — the seller's Save Our Homes cap dies at closing, and your first full bill is computed from what you paid, not what they paid. Non-homestead property carries its own 10 percent assessment cap (§193.1554), which also does not transfer. Run the buyer estimator with Lake County pre-selected, and if you're moving a Florida homestead, the portability calculator computes what you can carry with you.
At closing, local custom in Lake County puts the owner's title-insurance premium on the seller's side (custom, not law — the contract controls). The title calculator and seller net sheet both carry the county custom.
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
- 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
Look up an actual Lake County record
The property-tax lookup resolves any Lake County address to its parcel — values, homestead status, last sale, an estimated annual tax at the county average — plus the county's official links for the certified record and the current bill:
- 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 29th-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) maintains the certified value record behind that bill, and the property-tax lookup tool on this site resolves a specific Lake County address to both the record and the current bill in one search.
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, matching most of Florida's 67 counties. This is a custom, not a law, so the purchase contract always controls who actually pays.
Data verified as of August 2026.