Taxes on Personal Property

Personal property in the State of Georgia is generally defined as any movable property; that is, property that is not permanently affixed to and part of real estate. Personal property typically consists of inventory and fixtures used in conducting business, boats, aircraft, farm machinery, motor vehicles, and mobile homes.

Levied Taxes

Only with the exception of motor vehicles, taxes are levied on any personal property that is in the confines of Athens-Clarke County as of January 1, regardless of the current location or condition of the property. In a nutshell, this means that if a business was open on January 1 and closes on April 1, taxes for the entire year are still due for the personal property.

Remember, boats are part of this class of property and the same rules apply. If you owned the boat on January 1, you are responsible for the taxes for the entire year. The State of Georgia does not prorate taxation for partial year ownership.

Tax FIFA

If taxes on personal property remain unpaid for more that 90 days a tax FIFA is recorded in the owner of record's name on the General Execution Docket. This docket is regularly monitored by the Credit Bureau and any recording within it is public record. The Credit Bureau usually posts these tax liens to the owner of record's credit report.