2026 Property Tax Ballot Results: What Passed and What Failed

Voters in seven states decided 12 property tax measures on Nov. 3, 2026, and approved seven of them. Florida passed the largest homestead exemption in its history. Wyoming and Oklahoma turned down broad cuts. Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana approved narrower changes, and California voters backed two measures aimed at the cost of buying a home.

All figures below are unofficial counts reported in the days after the election. Each state certifies its results later, and California was still counting mail ballots when this was written.

The Scorecard

• Florida Amendment 3 (homestead exemption up to $250,000): passed, nearly 62%; it needed 60%
• Florida Amendment 2 (farm equipment exemption): failed, 58%; it needed 60%
• Wyoming Proposition 1 (50% exemption for primary homes): failed, about 43% yes
• Oklahoma State Question 847 (lower assessment caps): failed, about 54% no
• Tennessee Amendment 2 (no state property tax): passed, about 67%
• North Carolina amendment (limits on local levy growth): passed, about 60%
• Georgia Amendment 1 (conservation-use acreage): passed, about 54%
• Louisiana Amendments 1, 6 and 9 (veterans' spouses and seniors): passed
• Louisiana Amendments 2 and 10 (millage flexibility, blighted-property exemption): failed

Florida: A $250,000 Homestead Exemption Is Coming

Amendment 3 cleared Florida's 60% requirement with nearly 62% of the vote and 99% of ballots counted, WUSF reported. It takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. The main pieces, as described in the Legislature's bill analysis before the vote:

• The first $150,000 of a primary home's assessed value becomes exempt from city, county and special district taxes in 2027. The exemption rises to $250,000 in 2028 and is indexed to inflation from 2029.
• School district taxes are not covered. Homeowners will still get a school tax bill.
• People who become permanent Florida residents after Dec. 31, 2026 start with the existing $50,000 exemption and receive the larger one from their fifth year of homestead status.
• For second homes, rentals and commercial property, the yearly cap on assessment increases drops from 10% to 5% for non-school taxes.

State economists projected that local governments would collect about $4.95 billion less in the first budget year, rising to roughly $11.86 billion a year once the exemption is fully phased in. The amendment names no replacement revenue, so counties and cities will spend 2027 deciding what to cut, which fees to raise or whether to adjust tax rates on the value that remains taxable. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who campaigned for the measure, said it did not go far enough. Senate President Ben Albritton had opposed it, warning of the effect on rural counties.

The residency rule is the detail relocating buyers should note. Two identical houses on the same street can carry very different tax bills for the next several years, depending on when each owner became a Florida resident. The tax figure on a listing reflects the seller's exemptions, not the buyer's.

Florida's Amendment 2, which would have exempted farm equipment and certain other tangible property, drew 58% and fell short of the threshold.

Wyoming and Oklahoma Said No

Wyoming's Proposition 1 was the only citizen initiative in the group and the most aggressive: it would have exempted half the assessed value of every qualifying primary home. It lost, 105,200 to 80,031, with all 23 counties reporting. Under Wyoming law the measure needed a majority of everyone who voted in the election, so ballots left blank on the question counted against it. Groups representing schools, hospitals, community colleges and Realtors opposed it, arguing the lost revenue would have to be replaced somehow. Wyoming's existing 25% exemption for owner-occupied homes, adopted in 2025, stays in place.

In Oklahoma, State Question 847 would have lowered the yearly cap on assessment increases from 3% to 1.75% for homesteads and farmland and from 5% to 4% for other property. About 54% of voters opposed it, according to Radio Oklahoma, and the current caps remain.

Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia Said Yes

Tennessee voters approved Amendment 2 with about 67% of the vote. It bars the state from levying a property tax. Tennessee does not have one now, and city and county property taxes are untouched, so no bill changes. What changes is that lawmakers could not create a state property tax without another constitutional amendment.

North Carolina voters approved, with about 60%, an amendment requiring the General Assembly to pass laws limiting how much local governments can increase property tax levies. The amendment does not set the limit. That number, and any exceptions, will come from legislation still to be written, so homeowners there will not know the real effect until lawmakers act.

Georgia voters narrowly approved Amendment 1, about 54% to 46%, doubling the amount of land one owner can enroll in conservation-use valuation from 2,000 to 4,000 acres. It matters to large rural landowners, not to typical homeowners.

Louisiana: Relief for Seniors and Veterans' Families

Louisiana voters considered five property tax amendments among 10 on the ballot and approved three, according to WVUE:

• Amendment 9, passed: raises the income limit for the senior assessment freeze from under $100,000 to under $150,000. The freeze holds a home's assessed value steady for owners 65 and older and certain veterans and surviving spouses.
• Amendment 6, passed with about 65%: lets parishes and cities, with local approval, offer an extra exemption to homeowners 65 and older.
• Amendment 1, passed with about 75%: lets the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran move the veteran's property tax exemption once to a new primary home.
• Amendment 2, failed: would have changed how local bodies handle millage rates after a reassessment.
• Amendment 10, failed narrowly: would have allowed an optional exemption for rehabilitating blighted buildings.

California: Two Votes on the Cost of Buying

California's housing measures were not about property tax, but they may matter more to buyers than anything else decided that night.

Proposition 1 authorizes $11.25 billion in state bonds for housing programs. It was called on election night with about 60% in favor. Most of the money goes to building and preserving affordable rental housing; about $1.1 billion supports homeownership for low- and moderate-income households. The Legislative Analyst's Office estimated repayment at $500 million to $600 million a year for about 25 years.

Proposition 37 passed by a comfortable margin, National Mortgage News reported. It directs the California Housing Finance Agency to issue up to $25 billion in revenue bonds to fund second mortgages for buyers. A buyer who puts down at least 3% could borrow up to 17% of the purchase price from the program, reaching the 20% down payment that avoids mortgage insurance. Buyers must have lived in California for a year and earn no more than twice the area median income. They do not have to be first-time buyers. The home must be new construction or a converted non-residential building sold for the first time. The agency still has to build the program before any loans are made.

What the Results Have in Common

Three patterns stand out.

1. Targeted relief passed easily. Measures for seniors and veterans' families in Louisiana won by wide margins. So did Tennessee's ban on a tax nobody pays.
2. Broad cuts were a harder sell. Wyoming's 50% exemption and Oklahoma's tighter caps both lost after opponents focused on school and local budgets. Florida's passed, but with less than two points to spare, and even its supporters expect a fight over local spending.
3. Primary homes get the benefit. Florida's new exemption applies only to a permanent residence. Second homes and rentals get a lower assessment cap instead, and renters may feel the effect indirectly if local governments turn to fees.

What Buyers and Owners Should Do With This

Anyone comparing states for a move or a second home should run the numbers for their own situation, as a new resident, at today's prices. A homestead exemption helps only the home the owner actually lives in. An assessment cap protects long-time owners more than new buyers, because a sale usually resets the value. And a lower property tax bill often comes with higher sales taxes, fees or insurance costs, which is why the comparison of the most tax-friendly states for retirees looks at all four major taxes together.

Nevada had no property tax question on its 2026 ballot. The state already limits how fast tax bills can rise through a statutory cap, explained in the guide to how Nevada's property tax cap works. The pre-election rundown of what each measure proposed has the full background, and more tax and housing coverage is published at Homes For Sale In Mesquite Nevada.