If you own a home in Kingsport, TN, your property tax bill has two parts: a city tax and a county tax to either Sullivan or Hawkins County. For 2025, the city rate is $1.6773 per $100 of assessed value on the Sullivan County side and $2.4878 per $100 on the Hawkins County side.1City of Kingsport. Agenda Action Form – Consideration of an Ordinance Setting Property Tax Rate City taxes are due November 30, with penalties starting the next day. County taxes are billed and collected separately.
How Your Bill Is Calculated
Tennessee doesn’t tax you on the full appraised value of your home. Residential and farm property is assessed at 25 percent of appraised value; commercial and industrial property is assessed at 40 percent.2Justia Law. Tennessee Code 67-5-801 – Classification and Rate of Assessment Once you have that assessed value, divide it by 100 and multiply by the tax rate.
Take a home appraised at $200,000. Its assessed value is $50,000. On the Sullivan County side of Kingsport, the city portion of the bill works out to $838.65. On the Hawkins County side, the same home owes $1,243.90 in city taxes alone.
City Plus County: The Real Total
County taxes stack on top of the city rate. Sullivan County levied $1.6129 per $100 for 2025, which brings the combined rate on the Sullivan County side of Kingsport to about $3.29 per $100.3Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury. County Assessment Summary Hawkins County’s rate is higher, so the combined burden on that side is steeper.
Back to the $200,000 home: a Sullivan County side owner pays roughly $1,645 all-in, while a Hawkins County side owner can exceed $2,500 once the county levy is added. The city rate is only half the picture, so budget for both bills.
When City Taxes Are Due and What Late Costs
Kingsport city property taxes are due by November 30. Miss it and the penalties start piling on immediately: 2 percent added on December 1, another 2 percent on January 1, then 1 percent on the first of every month after that until you pay.4Kingsport, TN. Kingsport Property Taxes Have Been Billed for 2025 On a $1,000 bill, that’s an extra $50 by March 1.
County taxes run on a separate clock. Unpaid county taxes accrue interest at 1.5 percent per month starting March 1.5Justia Law. Tennessee Code 67-5-2010 – Interest – Delinquent Taxes Two bills, two penalty schedules, so falling behind on either one costs you.
How to Pay
- Online through the city’s payment portal at kingsporttn.gov. Credit and debit card payments carry a 2.75 percent processing fee. Electronic checks may also be available.
- In person at the Customer Service Center on the first floor of City Hall, 415 Broad Street.6Kingsport, TN. Property Tax
- By mail to the Kingsport Customer Service Center, 415 Broad Street, Kingsport, TN 37660. A night deposit box outside City Hall handles after-hours drops.4Kingsport, TN. Kingsport Property Taxes Have Been Billed for 2025
Confirm the payment posted in the online portal and keep the receipt or confirmation number.
Ways to Lower What You Owe
Elderly and Disabled Homeowners
Homeowners 65 or older, and those with a total and permanent disability, can get state-reimbursed relief if combined household income from all sources falls under the annual ceiling. For the 2026 tax year, the income ceiling is $38,470, adjusted each year for the Social Security cost-of-living increase.7Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury. Property Tax Relief The relief applies to the first $32,700 of your home’s market value for tax year 2026. The home must be your primary residence and you must hold legal title. Apply through your county trustee’s office.
Disabled Veterans
Veterans with a permanent and total service-connected disability, as determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, qualify with no income limit.8Tennessee Department of Veterans Services. Property Tax Relief for Disabled Veterans Surviving spouses of qualifying veterans are also eligible. The relief is calculated on up to $175,000 of market value, and the home must be the applicant’s primary residence.
Property Tax Freeze for Seniors
Tennessee’s tax freeze locks the tax amount for homeowners 65 and older whose income is under a locally set cap. Once you qualify, your bill stays at that year’s amount even if rates or assessments climb.9Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury. Property Tax Freeze A 2023 law created a local-option income limit starting at $60,000, adjusted yearly by the Social Security cost-of-living figure. You have to reapply every year with the county trustee or city collecting official to keep the freeze in place.
Appealing Your Assessment
If your appraised value looks too high, file with the county board of equalization where the property sits. Some assessors offer an informal review first, but that review doesn’t preserve your appeal rights; the formal filing does.10Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury. Appealing to the State Board of Equalization Contact the Sullivan or Hawkins County assessor’s office for meeting dates and the current filing deadline.
If the county board rules against you, you can appeal to the Tennessee State Board of Equalization by August 1 of the tax year or within 45 days of the local board’s decision, whichever is later. An administrative judge hears the case and issues a decision within 90 days. Most disputes get resolved at the county level when the homeowner shows up with solid comparable-sales data.
If You Don’t Pay
Penalties and interest come first, but a property that stays delinquent long enough can be sold at a court-ordered tax sale. Even after the sale, you have a right to redeem the property by paying all delinquent taxes, penalties, interest, court costs, and 12 percent annual interest on what the buyer paid. How long you have depends on how long the taxes were unpaid:11Justia Law. Tennessee Code 67-5-2701 – Procedure for Redemption of Property Sold at Delinquent Tax Sale
- Five years or less delinquent: one year from the court order confirming the sale
- More than five but less than eight years: 180 days
- Eight years or more: 90 days
- Vacant or abandoned property: 30 days no matter how long taxes were owed
Redemption requires a formal court motion, and the numbers get expensive fast. Staying current on both bills is cheaper every time.
Federal Deduction on Your Return
If you itemize, property taxes go on Schedule A. For 2026, the combined deduction for state and local taxes, including property, income, and sales taxes, is capped at $40,000 for most filers and $20,000 if married filing separately.12Internal Revenue Service. Deductible Taxes The cap applies to all state and local taxes combined, not property taxes on their own, and higher-income filers may face further limits.
The deduction covers your primary residence and other real estate you own, starting from the purchase date. If you paid a prior owner’s delinquent taxes as part of buying the property, that amount is treated as part of your purchase price and can’t be deducted. Service fees and local improvement assessments for things like sidewalks aren’t deductible either. Whether itemizing beats the standard deduction is worth running the numbers on each year, especially given how the Kingsport city and county bills stack.