GA HB833

Grants Cherokee County school district homestead owners an exemption from educational ad valorem taxes equal to the difference between the current year assessed value and an adjusted base year assessed value, effectively freezing the taxable value at a base year level with limited annual increases tied to inflation.

Limits the homestead exemption to no more than five contiguous acres of property and excludes taxes levied to pay bonded indebtedness from the exemption.

Allows unremarried surviving spouses to continue receiving the exemption as long as they occupy the home as a residence, and automatically renews the exemption annually without requiring new applications.

Requires a two-thirds majority vote in both legislative chambers and approval by Cherokee County school district voters in a referendum scheduled for November 2025.

Applies to taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, with the 2025 assessed value serving as the base year for those receiving existing homestead exemptions.