Putnam County property taxes
Putnam County — Palatka, Crescent City, Interlachen, Pomona Park and Welaka along the St. Johns River — ranks in the top fifth of Florida's counties on average total millage. Its county commission rate is 8.7418 mills, and unincorporated parcels plus Pomona Park and Welaka add a 1.1000-mill fire levy.
The 2025 numbers
Putnam County's average total millage on the 2025 certified roll is 17.7142 mills — about $17.71 for every $1,000 of taxable value — the 11th-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 | 6.865 | School board operating and debt levies — the portion the additional homestead exemption does not reduce |
| Non-school | 10.8492 | County commission, municipal, water management, independent and special districts |
| Average total | 17.7142 | 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 $13.6 million here — $139 per parcel, against $597 statewide (see the 2025 non-ad valorem study).
2025 rate decisions. The county commission set its 2025 operating rate at 8.7418 mills (2024: 8.8441), exactly its rolled-back rate, so it was not a tax increase under Florida law. The 2025 millage study lists all 6 county, city and district operating rates in Putnam County on the state's report, and the vote each one took.
Palatka, Crescent City and Putnam County tax rates (2025)
Actual 2025 rates by city, from the Putnam County 2025 final millage rates, as filed with the Florida Department of Revenue.
| Area | City millage (+ fire levy) | Total millage | Tax per $100,000 taxable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palatka | 6.2397 | 22.0258 | $2,203 |
| Crescent City | 8.7164 | 24.5025 | $2,450 |
| Interlachen | 6.9018 | 22.6879 | $2,269 |
| Pomona Park | 6.5000 + 1.1000 fire | 23.3861 | $2,339 |
| Welaka | 5.5000 + 1.1000 fire | 22.3861 | $2,239 |
| Unincorporated Putnam | 1.1000 fire | 16.8861 to 16.9880 | $1,689 to $1,699 |
Totals in this table run from 16.8861 mills (Unincorporated Putnam) to 24.5025 mills (Crescent City): on $100,000 of taxable value, location alone moves the bill by about $762 a year.
Every Putnam parcel pays the county commission's 8.7418 mills and 6.8650 for the school board (3.0410 required, 0.7480 discretionary, 1.5000 capital outlay and 1.5760 debt service), plus one water management district: the St. Johns River district's 0.1793, or the Suwannee River district's 0.2812 in the county's one Suwannee tax area — the whole gap inside the unincorporated range. The 1.1000-mill fire levy applies everywhere but Palatka, Crescent City and Interlachen. The filing also lists 2025 solid-waste fees billed apart from millage: $312 a year in the county ($121 landfill plus $191 collection) and $121 in Palatka and in Crescent City.
Trash pickup. In Putnam County, homes outside city limits get garbage service this way: county contract or franchise hauler (Waste Pro). Cities run their own service. Check the official page, or compare every county in the trash pickup study.
Fire and trash fees. On Putnam County's 2025 tax roll, there were no fire assessments and solid-waste assessments came to about $130 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 Putnam County's local governments at $16 million a year once Amendment 3 is fully in effect ($11 million in its first year), out of about $11.83 billion statewide. A homestead assessed at $300,000 would save about $2,154 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 Putnam County's average millage, using the school/non-school split above:
| Scenario | Estimated annual tax |
|---|---|
| $300,000 assessed value, homestead (both exemptions) | ≈ $4,584.87 |
| $500,000 assessed value, homestead (both exemptions) | ≈ $8,127.71 |
| $300,000 assessed value, no homestead (investment or second home) | ≈ $5,314.26 |
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 Putnam County? The listing's bill is not your bill
At sale the assessment resets to market (§193.155), so your first Putnam 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 Putnam County pre-selected; moving a Florida homestead? The portability calculator computes what carries over.
USDA income limits in Putnam County
USDA's guaranteed home loan caps household income by county. In Putnam 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 Putnam 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 Putnam 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
- Alachua County property taxes — 20.8894 mills average
- Bradford County property taxes — 16.5732 mills average
- Clay County property taxes — 15.3466 mills average
- Flagler County property taxes — 17.1551 mills average
- Marion County property taxes — 15.8838 mills average
- St. Johns County property taxes — 13.9738 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 Putnam County record
Search any Putnam County address in the property-tax lookup, or go straight to the county's own offices:
- Property Appraiser: pa.putnam-fl.com
- Tax Collector: putnamtax.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 Putnam County?
Putnam County's average total millage is about 17.71 mills — the 11th-highest of Florida's 67 counties. On a $300,000 assessed home that computes to roughly $4,585 a year with the homestead exemption, or about $5,314 without it. Putnam County — Palatka, Crescent City, Interlachen, Pomona Park and Welaka along the St. Johns River — ranks in the top fifth of Florida's counties on average total millage. Its county commission rate is 8.7418 mills, and unincorporated parcels plus Pomona Park and Welaka add a 1.1000-mill fire levy.
Where do I pay my Putnam County property tax bill?
Putnam County property tax bills are issued and collected by the county Tax Collector (putnamtax.com). The county Property Appraiser (pa.putnam-fl.com) keeps the certified value record behind it; the property-tax lookup here finds both for any Putnam County address.
Will buying a home reset my property taxes in Putnam 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 Putnam 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 $5,314 without homestead protections versus $4,585 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 Putnam County?
In Putnam 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 Putnam County?
For a USDA guaranteed loan in Putnam 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 Palatka?
Palatka's 2025 total property tax rate is 22.0258 mills, per Putnam County's 2025 final millage filing — about $2,203 for every $100,000 of taxable value. It includes the city's own 6.2397 mills; unincorporated Putnam totals 16.8861.
Data verified as of October 2026.