Your Notice. Your Bill.
Your Voice.

Your 2026 Assessment Change Notice updates your property's appraised value to current market value as of January 1, 2026. It is not a tax bill. The dollar amount you owe will not be known until the County Commission and your city council adopt their tax rates this summer.

A reappraisal is the process by which the Wilson County Assessor of Property updates the appraised market value of every parcel of real property in the county. Tennessee law requires it on a regular cycle so that values reflect current market conditions and the tax burden is shared fairly among property owners.

It is a valuation update. It is not, by itself, a tax increase. The reappraisal sets every parcel's value to fair market value as of January 1 of the reappraisal year. Between cycles, your appraisal generally does not change unless your property is remodeled, damaged, or changes use.

Wilson County had been on a five-year reappraisal cycle. The values you have been paying tax on were set in 2021. The local real estate market has moved significantly in the five years since.

A reappraisal does not push values up. It catches the appraisal up to where the market already is. That does not make a 50, 60, or 70 percent jump on paper any easier to look at — but it does explain why the change is so large after five years with no update.

Most of the confusion over what is happening to your tax bill comes from collapsing three separate decisions into one. They are made by different people in different rooms at different times. Untangling them is the key to understanding the system.

Tennessee has a law commonly called Truth in Taxation. After every county-wide reappraisal, it requires the County and the cities within it to recalculate something called the certified tax rate.

The certified tax rate is the rate that would generate roughly the same total property tax revenue as the prior year, given the new appraised values. So if total appraised value across the county rises by 50 percent, the certified rate falls by roughly the same proportion to keep total revenue flat.

This is a guardrail, not a guarantee. Truth in Taxation prevents reappraisal from being an automatic countywide tax increase. It does not guarantee your individual bill stays the same.

Residents of Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, and Watertown pay both county property tax and city property tax. The county and the city each set their own rate independently, on their own timelines.

If you live inside city limits, you should pay attention to both the County Commission's rate vote (tentatively June 15) and your city council's rate vote, which typically happens later in the summer.

Most people stop paying attention after their assessment notice arrives. Do not stop here. The June 15 meeting is when the actual tax rate gets set.

At Wilson County's tentatively scheduled June 15 meeting, the County Mayor presents the proposed budget and the Commission votes on the tax rate, all in the same session. That schedule is tight. It compresses the public's window to absorb the proposal and make their voices heard. Residents who want to weigh in need to be ready before they walk into the room.

Wilson County Commission typically meets the third Monday of each month at the Wilson County Courthouse, 228 East Main Street, Lebanon. Meetings are open to the public. To find out who your district's commissioner is, visit wilsoncountytn.gov/222/County-Commission.

Once the County Commission has voted, the city councils for Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, and Watertown will go through their own budget processes and adopt their own tax rates. These typically wrap up by the end of summer.

By mid-October, the Wilson County Trustee will mail tax bills with the actual dollar amounts. Bills are due starting the first Monday in October and can be paid without interest through the last day of February of the following year. Payments can be made at the Trustee's Office, at any Wilson Bank and Trust branch, at any Pinnacle Bank branch, or online at citisenportal.com/Search/WilsonCountyTrustee.

In March 2026, the Wilson County Commission voted to move from a five-year reappraisal cycle to a three-year cycle, beginning July 1. The next full reappraisal under the new schedule would happen in 2029.

The argument for shorter cycles is that smaller, more frequent value adjustments are easier on owners than one large jump every five or six years. Whether residents agree with the change is a fair conversation to keep having with your commissioners.

If the value on your notice does not reflect what your property would actually sell for, or if it is out of line with comparable nearby homes, you have the right to appeal. The process has three steps. Most appeals can be resolved at step one.

When: May 4 through May 29. How: Call (615) 444-8661 or visit 228 East Main Street, Room 4, Lebanon. Many issues are resolved on the phone or at the front desk.

How was this value determined? What comparable sales were used? Are the recorded improvements accurate? If the answer reveals an error, staff can usually correct it on the spot.

Ask the Assessor's staff to document your call in their system. Ask if they have a reference or case number for the conversation. If your concerns will not be resolved on the phone, ask specifically how to formally request a Board of Equalization hearing.

When: By state law, the County Board of Equalization convenes the first business day in June and remains in session as needed to hear appeals. About ten days before, the Assessor publishes a public notice in the local newspaper with the meeting dates, time, and location.

How to request a hearing: Appointments are normally requested by phone or in person at the Assessor's office during the last week of May or the first week of June. If you have already started the process at step one, the Assessor's staff will help you schedule.

What to expect: You request an appointment, present your case, and the board issues a decision usually before the end of June. You can represent yourself. You do not need a lawyer. You can also send a family member, an attorney, or an authorized agent in your place.

When: The deadline is August 1 of the tax year, or 45 days after notice of the County Board's decision is sent — whichever is later. The decision letter from the County Board will include directions on how to file.

Tennessee and Wilson County run several programs that can reduce or freeze your property tax bill. Most residents do not know about them. They are administered through the Wilson County Trustee's Office at 228 East Main Street, Room 102, Lebanon. If you or a neighbor might qualify, this is the most useful section of this entire guide.

Wilson County has adopted the Property Tax Freeze Program for residents 65 and older. If you qualify and apply, your property tax on your principal residence is frozen at the base year amount. As long as you continue to qualify, that amount generally does not change going forward — even if the rate goes up or there is another reappraisal in the future.

Apply through the Wilson County Trustee's Office at (615) 444-0894. You must reapply each year. Bring proof of age (driver's license or birth certificate), proof of income (Social Security statement, pension records, tax returns), and proof of residency.

Wilson County also participates in Tennessee's state-administered Property Tax Relief Program. There are three categories of eligibility, each with its own rules.

Applications are filed each year through the Trustee's office after you receive your tax bill in October. The deadline is typically about 35 days after the delinquency date — usually early April.

The Property Tax Freeze and the state Tax Relief Program are separate but compatible. You can be on both. Approval for Tax Relief as a low-income elderly recipient counts as evidence of age and income for the Tax Freeze, but you still need to file a separate application for the freeze. Ask the Trustee's office to walk you through both.

Your servicer will adjust your monthly mortgage payment in the fall when the new bill is calculated. You can call your servicer in late summer to plan ahead. You still have the right to appeal the value, regardless of how the bill is paid.

Once your bill arrives in October, you can pay at the Trustee's Office (228 East Main Street, Room 102, Lebanon), at any Wilson Bank and Trust branch, at any Pinnacle Bank branch, or online at citisenportal.com/Search/WilsonCountyTrustee. Bills can be paid without interest from mid-October through the last day of February.

If you are struggling to pay your bill, contact the Wilson County Trustee's Office directly at (615) 444-0894. They can discuss payment options and help you understand the timeline of interest accrual after February. Do not let a bill go unpaid without first asking what your options are.

Property taxes are generally passed through to renters as part of rent over time. If your landlord raises rent in response to a higher tax bill, the law generally allows that — though when and how depends on your lease. If you are on a long-term lease, check the terms. If you are month-to-month, expect any increase to come with the legally required notice period.

If you have a question that this guide does not answer, or if you would like help finding the right person to call, reach out. I will do my best to find you an answer, and where I cannot, I will help you find someone who can.