Walton County property taxes
Walton County — DeFuniak Springs and Freeport inland, and Santa Rosa Beach, Miramar Beach, Inlet Beach and the 30A communities on the Gulf — has the second-lowest average total millage of Florida's 67 counties. Its county operating rate is 3.5190 mills, and most south Walton parcels add a 1.0000-mill fire levy.
The 2025 numbers
Walton County's average total millage on the 2025 certified roll is 9.1512 mills — about $9.15 for every $1,000 of taxable value — the 66th-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 | 4.261 | School board operating and debt levies — the portion the additional homestead exemption does not reduce |
| Non-school | 4.8902 | County commission, municipal, water management, independent and special districts |
| Average total | 9.1512 | 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 $6.2 million here — $65 per parcel, against $597 statewide (see the 2025 non-ad valorem study).
2025 rate decisions. The county commission set its 2025 operating rate at 3.5190 mills (2024: 3.6000), above its rolled-back rate of 3.3941, so under Florida law it was a tax increase. The 2025 millage study lists all 5 county, city and district operating rates in Walton County on the state's report, and the vote each one took.
Santa Rosa Beach, DeFuniak Springs and Walton County tax rates (2025)
Actual 2025 rates by city, from the Walton County 2025 final millage rates, as filed with the Florida Department of Revenue.
| Area | City millage (or fire levy) | Total millage | Tax per $100,000 taxable |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeFuniak Springs | 5.5000 | 13.7417 | $1,374 |
| Freeport | 4.7302 | 12.5309 | $1,253 |
| Paxton | none | 8.2417 | $824 |
| Santa Rosa Beach, 30A and south Walton | 1.0000 fire | 9.0357 | $904 |
| Unincorporated north Walton | none | 8.2417 | $824 |
Totals in this table run from 8.2417 mills (Paxton) to 13.7417 mills (DeFuniak Springs): on $100,000 of taxable value, location alone moves the bill by about $550 a year.
Every Walton parcel pays the county's 3.5190 mills, 4.2610 for the school board (1.6200 required plus 2.6410 local) and the Northwest Florida Water Management District's 0.0207 — 7.8007 in all. Mosquito control, printed on the filing as 0.44 (0.24 in south Walton), adds 0.4410 or 0.2350 by the filed totals; Freeport's tax area carries none. The 1.0000-mill fire levy falls on the filing's SW Fire tax area, about 48,600 parcels; 568 parcels in its SW Mosquito area skip it and total 8.0357. Paxton levies no city millage.
Trash pickup. In Walton County, homes outside city limits get garbage service this way: county contract or franchise hauler (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 Walton County's 2025 tax roll, fire assessments came to about $19 per parcel (statewide: $129) and there were no solid-waste assessments. The 2025 fire and trash fee study compares all 67 counties.
Amendment 3 here. The state's Revenue Estimating Conference puts the cut to Walton County's local governments at $52 million a year once Amendment 3 is fully in effect ($14 million in its first year), out of about $11.83 billion statewide. A homestead assessed at $300,000 would save about $971 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 Walton County's average millage, using the school/non-school split above:
| Scenario | Estimated annual tax |
|---|---|
| $300,000 assessed value, homestead (both exemptions) | ≈ $2,387.42 |
| $500,000 assessed value, homestead (both exemptions) | ≈ $4,217.66 |
| $300,000 assessed value, no homestead (investment or second home) | ≈ $2,745.36 |
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 Walton County? The listing's bill is not your bill
At sale the assessment resets to market (§193.155), so your first Walton 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 Walton County pre-selected; moving a Florida homestead? The portability calculator computes what carries over.
USDA income limits in Walton County
USDA's guaranteed home loan caps household income by county. In Walton 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 Walton 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 Walton 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
- Bay County property taxes — 12.6966 mills average
- Holmes County property taxes — 15.4115 mills average
- Okaloosa County property taxes — 12.2773 mills average
- Washington County property taxes — 14.964 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 Walton County record
Search any Walton County address in the property-tax lookup, or go straight to the county's own offices:
- Property Appraiser: www.waltonpa.com
- Tax Collector: www.waltontaxcollector.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 Walton County?
Walton County's average total millage is about 9.15 mills — the 66th-highest of Florida's 67 counties. On a $300,000 assessed home that computes to roughly $2,387 a year with the homestead exemption, or about $2,745 without it. Walton County — DeFuniak Springs and Freeport inland, and Santa Rosa Beach, Miramar Beach, Inlet Beach and the 30A communities on the Gulf — has the second-lowest average total millage of Florida's 67 counties. Its county operating rate is 3.5190 mills, and most south Walton parcels add a 1.0000-mill fire levy.
Where do I pay my Walton County property tax bill?
Walton County property tax bills are issued and collected by the county Tax Collector (www.waltontaxcollector.com). The county Property Appraiser (www.waltonpa.com) keeps the certified value record behind it; the property-tax lookup here finds both for any Walton County address.
Will buying a home reset my property taxes in Walton 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 Walton 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 $2,745 without homestead protections versus $2,387 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 Walton County?
In Walton 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 Walton County?
For a USDA guaranteed loan in Walton 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 Santa Rosa Beach?
The 2025 total property tax rate for Santa Rosa Beach and the rest of the south Walton fire tax area is 9.0357 mills, per Walton County's 2025 final millage filing — about $904 for every $100,000 of taxable value. DeFuniak Springs, the county seat, totals 13.7417 with its own 5.5000 city mills.
Data verified as of October 2026.