Florida Homestead Exemption: Lake County and Neighboring Counties (2026)
If you own your home in Florida and live in it as your permanent residence, the homestead exemption is the single biggest property-tax break available to you. It lowers your taxable value, caps how fast that value can rise, and the savings can follow you to your next Florida home. This guide covers the 2026 rules and links to the official source for each one. Want to see your number? Try the homestead savings calculator, which uses Lake County’s 2026 tax rates.
How much it’s worth in 2026
Florida’s homestead exemption has two parts (Fla. Stat. 196.031):
- The first $25,000 of assessed value is exempt from all property taxes, including school taxes.
- A second exemption applies to assessed value above $50,000 and counts against non-school taxes only. It is adjusted for inflation each January 1. For 2026 it is $26,411, so the total can reach $51,411.
A home assessed at $300,000 gets the full amount; a home assessed at $60,000 gets $25,000 plus $10,000 of the second exemption.
Who qualifies
You must hold legal or equitable title on January 1 and make the home your permanent residence (or that of people legally or naturally dependent on you), and your deed must be recorded. You can have only one homestead.
The deadline: March 1
Apply with your county property appraiser by March 1 of the year you want the exemption. If you miss it, Florida allows a late application within 25 days after the property appraiser mails the TRIM (proposed tax) notice in August, if you can show extenuating circumstances (Fla. Stat. 196.011). Don’t count on it: file on time.
Save Our Homes: the cap that grows your savings
Once your home has a homestead exemption, its assessed value can rise by no more than 3% a year or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less (Fla. Stat. 193.155). The cap for 2026 is 2.7% (2025 was 2.9%), per the Florida Department of Revenue. Non-homestead property is capped at 10% a year for non-school taxes, so a homestead’s taxes usually rise much more slowly than a rental’s.
The cap resets when the home sells. A buyer’s taxes are based on the new assessed value, so don’t assume your taxes will match the seller’s. Our calculators estimate taxes from the purchase price.
Portability: take your savings with you
If you sell one Florida homestead and buy another, you can usually transfer the Save Our Homes benefit (the difference between your old home’s market value and its capped assessed value) to the new one, up to $500,000. You must establish the new homestead within three years of January 1 of the year you last had the exemption, and you apply when you file for the new homestead (Fla. Stat. 193.155(8)). Moving to a less expensive home transfers a proportional amount.
Other exemptions you may qualify for
- Seniors 65+ with limited income: counties and cities may adopt an extra exemption of up to $50,000 (non-school taxes). The 2026 household income limit is $38,686 (Fla. Stat. 196.075; DOR).
- Widows, widowers, blind or totally and permanently disabled residents: $5,000 (Fla. Stat. 196.202).
- Veterans: $5,000 for a service-connected disability of 10% or more, a full exemption for 100% total and permanent service-connected disability, and a discount for combat-disabled veterans 65 and older. See the DOR veterans guide.
- First responders and certain surviving spouses: see the DOR exemptions page.
Renting out a homestead
Renting out “all or substantially all” of your homestead generally ends the exemption. A rental that begins after January 1 doesn’t affect that year, but renting for more than 30 days a year in two consecutive years counts as abandoning it (Fla. Stat. 196.061). Claiming a homestead you aren’t entitled to can mean up to 10 years of back taxes, a 50% penalty each year and 15% interest (Fla. Stat. 196.161). Thinking of moving and keeping your home as a rental? Talk to us first.
On the November 3, 2026 ballot
Florida voters will decide Amendment 3, which would raise the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 and lower the non-homestead assessment cap from 10% to 5%. It needs 60% of the vote. It is a proposal, not law; this guide will be updated after the election.
Where to file: Lake and neighboring counties
| County | Property appraiser | Phone | File online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake | Lake County Property Appraiser | 352-253-2150 | taxpayer.justappraised.com/lakecountyfl · exemptions |
| Sumter | Sumter County Property Appraiser | 352-569-6800 | app.sumterpa.com/homestead |
| Marion | Marion County Property Appraiser | 352-368-8300 | pa.marion.fl.us/HXeFile.aspx |
| Volusia | Volusia County Property Appraiser | 386-736-5901 | vcpa.vcgov.org/exemption/homestead-online |
| Seminole | Seminole County Property Appraiser | 407-665-7512 | scpafl.org/homestead |
| Orange | Orange County Property Appraiser | see website | ocpaweb.ocpafl.org |
| Polk | Polk County Property Appraiser | 863-534-4777 | exemptions.polkflpa.gov |
Senior exemption in Lake County: Lake County and Minneola offer up to $50,000; Clermont, Lady Lake, Mount Dora and Tavares offer $25,000 (Lake County Property Appraiser). Seminole, Volusia and Polk also offer it in some or all jurisdictions; check your county appraiser’s site for local amounts.
Facts checked October 15, 2026 against the Florida Statutes, the Florida Department of Revenue and each county property appraiser’s website. This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice; your property appraiser makes the final determination.