Fayette County homeowners pay a median of $1,140 a year in property tax on a median home value of $340,800. Its effective tax rate (property taxes paid as a share of home values, per the Tax Foundation) is 0.33%, the 87th highest of 95 Tennessee counties. The Fayette County Assessor of Property appraises every home in Fayette County at market value as of January 1, and your assessed value is 25% of that. If you disagree, the Fayette County Board of Equalization, a local citizen board, hears your appeal.
Closed for 2026As of October 21, 2026, county boards of equalization have finished their 2026 sessions; the only appeals still possible are State Board appeals filed within 45 days of a late county board decision; direct State Board appeals within 45 days after your tax bill if your value changed but no change notice was sent; or reasonable-cause appeals up to March 1, 2027. The next window opens when 2027 change notices go out (by about May 20, 2027) and county boards convene June 1, 2027 (May 1 in Shelby County).
There is no single statewide date. Each county board of equalization starts its session on June 1 (May 1 in Shelby County) and accepts appeals until a cutoff it sets, usually in June; the board sits for 6 to 30 days depending on county size, and some counties extend it, especially in reappraisal years. Your county's last day is in the assessor's newspaper notice and often on your change notice, so call the assessor of property early. If you miss the county board, the value becomes final and you generally cannot go further. Example: in Davidson County (Nashville) for 2026, the informal review period closed April 17, 2026, and the deadline to schedule a formal appeal to the Metropolitan Board of Equalization was 4:00 p.m. Friday, June 26, 2026 (by calling 615-862-6059). In Shelby County (Memphis), the assessor says appeals to the county board typically close the last day of June. In Hamilton County, appeals are accepted through the first week of June. Knox County's board met in July in its 2026 reappraisal year.
Phone: 901-465-5226
Email: [email protected]
Address: PO Box 446, Somerville, TN 38068
Assessor of Property: Mark Ward
The assessor of property can show you your property record and how your value was set, fix factual errors, offer an informal review, and schedule your county board hearing.
The assessor mails an assessment change notice when your value or classification changes, at least 10 days before the county board begins meeting, so usually by about May 20 (Tenn. Code Ann. 67-5-508). In a reappraisal year every owner gets one. If your value did not change, you may get no notice, but you can still appeal. At least 10 days before the board convenes, the assessor must also publish a newspaper notice giving the date the county board meets and the last day it will accept appeals.
Look up your home on the Fayette County Assessor of Property website and check square footage, bathrooms, condition and features. Mistakes are the easiest wins. Use our record card checklist.
Call or visit the Fayette County Assessor of Property to file or schedule an appeal with the Fayette County Board of Equalization. The board meets starting June 1 (May 1 in Shelby County) and stops taking appeals on a date the county sets, usually in June, so check the assessor's newspaper notice or your change notice and act by late May.
Sales of comparable homes near the January 1 assessment date, with adjustments for size, age, condition, location and features; A recent appraisal (if you use one at the State Board, the appraiser may need to testify); Your purchase price and closing statement if you bought recently; Photos and repair estimates showing damage or needed repairs (not routine upkeep).
You, as the one appealing, carry the burden of proof at both levels. At the State Board you must show by a preponderance of the evidence what the correct value should be. Saying the value is too high, or that it went up in a reappraisal, is not enough without evidence of a more correct value.
Next step: State Board of Equalization (hearing before an Administrative Judge). By August 1 of the tax year or within 45 days after the county board's decision notice was sent, whichever is later. If your value or classification changed and the change notice was mailed less than 10 days before the county board adjourned, you may appeal directly to the State Board within 45 days after the notice was sent; if no change notice was sent at all, within 45 days after the tax bill date. With reasonable cause, a late appeal can be accepted up to March 1 of the next year. File online through the State Board of Equalization's filing system. The filing fee is set by rule and may not exceed $10 per filing. Your case goes to an Administrative Judge (Administrative Procedures Division, Secretary of State); you get a Notice of Hearing at least 60 days before the hearing, usually held virtually. The judge rules within 90 days; the order becomes final about 30 days later unless someone asks the State Board (or Assessment Appeals Commission) to review it. Evidence you gave the county board is not carried over automatically. You must pay at least the undisputed part of your taxes before the March 1 delinquency date, or the appeal can be dismissed. After that, you can go to chancery court within 60 days of the final order.
The official appeal form is County form: County Board of Equalization appeal form (each county's own; get it from your assessor of property).
Open Form County formEnter the market value on your assessment notice and what you think the home would really sell for. We estimate the yearly saving if the board agrees with you.
Some states cap how fast the taxable value of a home can rise (California, Florida, Michigan and Texas homesteads, for example). If your taxable value is already held below market value by a cap, a lower market value may not lower this year's bill.
Fill in your details and download a written appeal statement as a PDF or Word file. Most boards also require their own appeal form: file the form and attach this letter and your evidence to it.
Tax Appeal Map is a free information site, not a law firm or appraiser. The letter is a template, not legal advice.
There is no single statewide date. Each county board of equalization starts its session on June 1 (May 1 in Shelby County) and accepts appeals until a cutoff it sets, usually in June; the board sits for 6 to 30 days depending on county size, and some counties extend it, especially in reappraisal years. Your county's last day is in the assessor's newspaper notice and often on your change notice, so call the assessor of property early. If you miss the county board, the value becomes final and you generally cannot go further. Example: in Davidson County (Nashville) for 2026, the informal review period closed April 17, 2026, and the deadline to schedule a formal appeal to the Metropolitan Board of Equalization was 4:00 p.m. Friday, June 26, 2026 (by calling 615-862-6059). In Shelby County (Memphis), the assessor says appeals to the county board typically close the last day of June. In Hamilton County, appeals are accepted through the first week of June. Knox County's board met in July in its 2026 reappraisal year.
Contact the Fayette County Assessor of Property; it takes appeals and schedules hearings for the Fayette County Board of Equalization, which meets starting June 1 each year (May 1 in Shelby County).
Phone 901-465-5226. Website: fayettetn.us.
No fee was found on official county or state pages for county board appeals.
Contact details change; call or check the office website before you visit.