Roswell homeowners won't get a property tax bill when the rest of Fulton County does on Aug. 15, and city officials have not announced when theirs will arrive.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram on Wednesday, Aug. 5, authorized the county to begin collecting 2026 property taxes despite an incomplete tax digest. But the order explicitly excludes Roswell, Alpharetta and Milton because those cities collect their own taxes.

For the roughly 84 percent of a Roswell homeowner's tax bill that goes to Fulton County government and Fulton County Schools, there is no billing timeline. The county's Aug. 15 mailing date and Oct. 15 payment deadline apply only to areas covered by the court order.

What the order means for Roswell

Under Judge Ingram's order, interim bills for covered areas will use 2025 millage rates paired with 2026 assessed property values. Once the full 2026 Tax Digest is certified by the Georgia Department of Revenue, those taxpayers may be rebilled. Anyone who overpaid will receive a refund with interest, according to Appen Media.

Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said taxpayers whose bills turn out to be correct will receive only one bill. If an adjustment is needed, a second bill will follow that could be higher or lower, CBS News Atlanta reported.

"Without that money, we couldn't run county government, school systems couldn't pay their teachers, things of that nature," Pitts said.

Why the digest stalled

The Fulton County Board of Assessors had not finished processing a backlog of 292 unprocessed land packages representing about 1,000 parcels. The county's Chief Information Officer cited staffing constraints, noting only one employee had been using the Esri geographic information system that supports the work.

Commissioner Bob Ellis, in a July 24 Appen Media report on the delay, called the failure unacceptable: "You had one job and it didn't get done. That's a failure that impacts us and all of our jurisdictions."

School funding at stake

The delay hits Fulton County Schools hard. Local property tax revenue accounts for more than 60 percent of the district's operating budget. Roswell residents pay roughly 55 percent of their total property tax bill to the school district, about 29 percent to Fulton County government and 16 percent to the City of Roswell, according to city data.

Fulton County Schools said in a statement that the court order moves the district closer to receiving property tax revenue but acknowledged uncertainty about whether bills will need adjustment once the 2026 digest is finalized.

As we reported July 24, the digest delay raised the prospect of two tax bills for Roswell property owners. That scenario is now confirmed for areas under the court order, and Roswell homeowners face the same uncertainty once their billing begins.

What's next

The Fulton County Schools Board of Education will discuss the tax situation at its work session on Tuesday, Aug. 11. No Roswell city official has made a public statement on when local billing will proceed. The court order expires once the Georgia revenue commissioner approves the 2026 digest.