Watts Bar Lake Property Tax by County

How Tennessee Property Tax Works

Tennessee assesses residential property at 25% of appraised fair market value. Tax rates are stated per $100 of assessed value. The calculation: appraised value × 25% ÷ 100 × county rate = annual tax bill. On a $500,000 lakefront home in any TN county, the assessed value is $125,000 regardless of county. Multiply $125,000 by the county rate divided by 100 to get the annual bill. Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, salaries, Social Security, pension income, or retirement account withdrawals — the Hall Tax on investment income was fully repealed in 2021. Property tax is the primary state-level recurring tax for Watts Bar Lake homeowners, making accurate county-level rate data essential before budgeting.

Roane County — $1.4523 per $100 (Confirmed 2024–2025)

Roane County holds the largest share of Watts Bar Lake residential real estate and is confirmed from the county's official Assessor of Property page at roanecountytn.gov. The 2024–2025 rate is $1.4523 per $100 of assessed value for properties outside city limits. On a $500,000 lakefront home: $125,000 ÷ 100 × $1.4523 = $1,815/year. Roane County is on a four-year reappraisal cycle; its most recent reappraisal took place in 2025, and the county announced that reappraisal is in progress. Monitor rates with the Roane County Trustee at 865-376-5656 if closing is more than a few months away. The county seat is Kingston; the assessor's office is at 200 East Race Street, Kingston, TN 37763.

Cities within Roane County add municipal rates above the county base. Harriman, Rockwood, Kingston, and Oliver Springs each have separate city rates that stack on top of the $1.4523 county rate. If you are buying within any incorporated city in Roane County, request the specific combined city plus county rate applicable to that parcel from the Roane County Trustee before finalizing your tax estimate.

Rhea County — $1.3486 per $100 (FY 2024–2025, One of TN's Lowest)

Rhea County set a rate of $1.3486 per $100 of taxable property for fiscal year 2024–2025, confirmed from the Rhea County Commission vote reported by Chattanoogan.com in August 2025. At the time of the vote, county officials noted this was one of the lowest property tax rates in Tennessee — ranking sixth lowest among all 95 Tennessee counties. On a $500,000 home: $125,000 ÷ 100 × $1.3486 = $1,686/year. The county seat is Dayton (about 20 miles south of the dam). Rhea County Trustee: 423-775-7810. Assessor: 423-775-7840. Rhea Medical Center, the nearest hospital, is approximately 20 minutes from most lake properties in this county.

Spring City, the community nearest Watts Bar Dam, sits in Rhea County and carries the $1.3486 county rate plus any applicable municipal levy for properties within city limits. Spring City has historically been the commercial and service hub for the south end of the lake closest to the dam. Buyers specifically interested in the dam-end communities with easy access to Spring City amenities and the Rhea County rate should focus their search accordingly.

Loudon County — $1.5183 per $100 (Outside Lenoir City, July 2024)

Loudon County's Board of County Commissioners adopted a property tax resolution effective July 1, 2024, setting the rate at $1.5183 per $100 for properties outside the city limits of Lenoir City, and $1.3883 per $100 for properties inside Lenoir City. On a $500,000 home outside Lenoir City: $125,000 ÷ 100 × $1.5183 = $1,898/year. The Loudon County portion of Watts Bar Lake is on the lake's northeastern end near the Fort Loudoun Dam, where the lake meets the Fort Loudoun reservoir. Loudon County also contains most of Tellico Lake, which has its own separate USLakeLife research. Loudon County Trustee: 865-458-6128. The county assessor is at 100 Main Street, Loudon, TN 37774.

Meigs County — Rate Unknown, Must Verify Directly

Meigs County presents a genuine data gap that every buyer must address before closing on a Meigs County property. The county's official Assessor of Property website at meigscounty.org/directory-pages/assessor-of-property/tax-rate shows tax rates only through 2021, with the last published rate at $1.6885 per $100. Subsequent years are not shown. The Tennessee Trustee portal shows a different figure. There is no publicly available, clearly dated confirmation of the Meigs County rate currently in effect as of June 2026.

Before closing on any Meigs County property, contact the Meigs County Trustee directly to confirm the current rate: Meigs County Trustee, 17214 Tennessee Highway 58, Suite 101, Decatur, TN 37322; phone 423-334-5294. The assessor's office is at the same address; phone 423-334-5850. Using the last published 2021 rate of $1.6885 as a planning estimate is the conservative approach since any subsequent rate changes following reappraisal may have moved it in either direction. Do not close on a Meigs County lakefront property without confirming this directly from the trustee.

Quick Reference: $500K Home Annual Tax by County

Based on $500,000 appraised value, TN 25% assessment = $125,000 assessed, per current confirmed rates:

• Rhea County $1.3486 — $1,686/yr (sixth lowest rate in TN; confirmed Aug 2025)
• Roane County $1.4523 — $1,815/yr (confirmed from official county assessor site)
• Loudon County $1.5183 — $1,898/yr (outside Lenoir City; county commission resolution July 2024)
• Meigs County $1.6885 est. — $2,111/yr est. ⚠ Last published 2021 — verify with Meigs County Trustee 423-334-5294 before closing

All figures are county base rates only. Municipal rates within incorporated cities add to these totals. Verify the specific parcel's county and any applicable city rate with the county trustee for any specific property before finalizing your carrying cost estimate.