Property Tax in Lee County, Alabama
In Lee County, Alabama, the typical homeowner pays $1,183 a year in property taxes on a home worth a median of $238,700. The figures on this page are the Census Bureau's published medians (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023), shown exactly as released.
What the Lee County numbers mean
The median is the midpoint of the county's actual bills: half of Lee County homeowners pay more than $1,183 a year and half pay less. The exact bill for any one home depends on its assessed value, exemptions, and which school, municipal and special districts cover it.
Set against the median home value of $238,700, the median bill works out to a derived effective rate of 0.50%. That rate is an estimate computed from the two medians — no county publishes a rate calculated this way — but it adjusts for home prices, which makes comparisons between counties more meaningful.
Lee County by the numbers
| Measure | Lee County | Alabama | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid | $1,183 | $738 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $238,700 | $195,100 | $303,400 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.50% | 0.38% | 0.98% |
| Median tax per month | $99 | $62 | $247 |
*Estimate derived from Census medians (tax ÷ value), not an official rate.
Lee County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Alabama: #3 of 67 counties
- Median home value rank in Alabama: #5 of 67
- Population rank in Alabama: #8 of 67 (177,663 residents)
- Population density rank: #4 of 67 (292 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Alabama: #50 of 67 (607 sq mi, 1.2% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $99; per $1,000 of home value: $0.50
How Lee County compares
Of the 67 Alabama counties with published data, 2 have a higher median property tax bill than Lee County's $1,183, putting the county at #3 in the state. Its bill is about 60% higher than the state median of $738 and about 60% lower than the national median of $2,969.
Rates and values pull in opposite directions: an expensive housing market can produce big bills at ordinary rates. Here the derived rate is 0.50%, versus 0.98% derived nationally, and the median home value ranks #5 within Alabama.
Some extra context for Lee County: the median bill works out to about $99 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $496 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 177,663 people — the #8 most populous county in Alabama, spread over 607 square miles, a density of about 292 people per square mile. Its median home value, $238,700, ranks #5 among the state's 67 counties with data.
Nationally, Lee County's median bill of $1,183 ranks #2126 of 3133 counties with published data — inside the top 68% of counties by tax paid. The county accounts for about 3.5% of Alabama's population, its median home value is about 22% above the state median, and at the derived rate the median home would hand over roughly 4.96% of its value in tax across a decade. Within the state, the distance from Lee County to the most expensive county, Shelby County ($1,343), is $160 a year.
Counties nearest Lee County in the Alabama ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, AL | $1,343 | $298,700 | 0.45% |
| Jefferson County, AL | $1,340 | $224,900 | 0.60% |
| Madison County, AL | $1,081 | $267,800 | 0.40% |
| Baldwin County, AL | $881 | $287,000 | 0.31% |
Lee County and its population peers
Counties of a similar size can tax very differently. The table below shows the counties closest to Lee County in population across the United States, with their median bills and home values. Within the group of 9, Lee County ($1,183) ranks #8 of 9 by median tax paid.
| County | Population | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guadalupe County, TX | 178,368 | $4,270 | $285,900 | 1.49% |
| Shawnee County, KS | 178,315 | $2,500 | $170,400 | 1.47% |
| Kanawha County, WV | 178,198 | $922 | $135,000 | 0.68% |
| Kootenai County, ID | 177,736 | $2,203 | $467,400 | 0.47% |
| Muskegon County, MI | 175,378 | $2,280 | $180,900 | 1.26% |
| Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 174,983 | $6,326 | $359,000 | 1.76% |
| Comal County, TX | 174,552 | $4,827 | $398,800 | 1.21% |
| Carroll County, MD | 174,318 | $3,837 | $406,400 | 0.94% |
The closest population match is Kootenai County, Idaho (177,736 residents), where the median real estate tax paid is $2,203 on a median home value of $467,400 — $1,020 less than Lee County pays.
Inside Alabama itself, the counties closest to Lee County in population are Montgomery County (227,197 residents, median tax $598 on a median value of $160,100); Shelby County (226,955 residents, median tax $1,343 on a median value of $298,700); Morgan County (123,742 residents, median tax $674 on a median value of $193,000); Calhoun County (116,141 residents, median tax $610 on a median value of $149,500). Same state, same broad tax framework — yet the median bills still differ, because assessed values and the mix of county, municipal and school-district rates are set locally.
How the tax is worked out
Think of the final bill as three ingredients: the assessed value of the property, the exemptions subtracted from it, and the combined rate of every district the property sits in. Lee County's medians imply a derived rate of 0.50%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $1,984 a year, or around $165 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Illustrative bills in Lee County at the derived rate
The derived rate of 0.50% is only an estimate built from medians, but applying it to different home values gives a sense of scale for Lee County — and a quick way to compare with the state derived rate of 0.38% and the US figure of 0.98%:
| Home value | Illustrative tax / year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $744 | $62 |
| $250,000 | $1,240 | $103 |
| $350,000 | $1,736 | $145 |
| $500,000 | $2,480 | $207 |
| $750,000 | $3,720 | $310 |
Illustration only: real bills are computed from the assessed value, exemptions, and the combined rates of the property's actual taxing districts.
Checking your assessment in Lee County
Believe your assessment is too high? The practical order of attack is: obtain your record card and audit it line by line; collect comparable recent sales in Lee County; ask the assessor's office to correct anything plainly wrong; and, if the value still seems off, lodge a formal appeal ahead of the deadline printed on your assessment notice. Windows are short — often 30 to 90 days — and late appeals are usually rejected outright, however strong the case.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Lee County, Alabama?
The median real estate tax paid in Lee County, Alabama is $1,183 per year, on a median home value of $238,700 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Lee County, Alabama?
On a derived basis, 0.50%: the county's median tax bill of $1,183 divided by its median home value of $238,700. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Lee County compare with the rest of Alabama?
Lee County ranks #3 of 67 Alabama counties with published data by median taxes paid. Its median bill of $1,183 is about 60% higher than the Alabama median of $738.
How are property taxes calculated in Lee County, Alabama?
Three steps produce the bill: an assessment of market value by the local assessor, a reduction for exemptions you qualify for (a homestead exemption is the common one), and multiplication by the combined rates of the county, municipality, school district and any special districts covering the property. The median result in Lee County is $1,183 of tax on a $238,700 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Lee County, Alabama?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Lee County assessor's office and check it for errors, then compare your assessed value with recent sales of similar homes. If it still looks too high, file a formal appeal with the local review board named on your assessment notice before the deadline printed on the notice — windows are short, often 30 to 90 days.