Decatur County Tax Commissioner (Mark Harrell) and Board of Tax Assessors: the homestead route with the board’s own recorded veteran exemptions

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The Decatur County Tax Commissioner - Mark Harrell, 112 W. Water St., first floor of the County Courthouse, Bainbridge, GA 39817 (229-248-3021, fax 229-248-2110, departments open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays, decaturcountytax.com) - and the Board of Tax Assessors (Chief Tax Appraiser Amy Rathel, 229-248-3008, across the first-floor hallway) take the exemption applications, and the board's monthly Errors and Releases carry the county's own veteran record - "Disabled Veteran's homestead added" rows for named parcels, one 84C row corrected to "The exemption amount should be $102,744", and the retroactive refunds the board approves; property taxes are due December 20 and mobile home taxes April 1.

Also called: Tax Commissioner, Mark Harrell, homestead exemption, disabled veteran, 84C, $102,744, 48-5-48, 48-5-52.1, 229-248-3021, 112 W. Water St., Amy Rathel, Errors and Releases, decaturcountytax.com, Bainbridge, April 1, December 20, Bainbridge, Attapulgus, Brinson, Climax.

For: Veteran or service member, survivor.

Where it applies

Written for the jurisdictions listed here.

Decatur County, GACounty

The exemptions are Georgia's: O.C.G.A. 48-5-48 for the qualifying disabled veteran and 48-5-52.1 for the unremarried surviving spouse of a service member killed in a war or armed conflict - the State entries carry the statutes, the qualification list and the yearly indexed amount. What Decatur's offices add is the route and the board's own recorded exemptions. Where and who. Tax Commissioner Mark Harrell, 112 W. Water St., Bainbridge, GA 39817, in the main hallway of the County Courthouse's first floor; office phone (229) 248-3021, fax (229) 248-2110; "The Motor Vehicle and Property Tax departments are open at 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday." The Tax Commissioner's own site, decaturcountytax.com, describes the office's work - "The Tax Commissioner is responsible for preparing the annual tax digest and the billing and collection of ad valorem taxes" - and prints the county's tax calendar: "Property taxes are due by December 20 of each year. Mobile home taxes are due by April 1 of each year." The Departments & Agencies page seats the Tax Assessor's Office across the first floor: "Amy Rathel, Chief Tax Appraiser - 229-248-3008", and notes both offices "are responsible for assessing and collecting taxes on all real property in Decatur County and for creating the Tax Digest." The board's own exemptions. The Board of Tax Assessors' monthly Errors and Releases, approved in the Board of Commissioners' minutes, carry the veteran rows by name and parcel: the January 13, 2026 minutes record "Hinton Steven R ... Disabled Veteran's homestead added", "Mitchell Jessie & Janet ... Disabled Veteran's homestead 5 added", "Sapp David ... Disabled Veteran's homestead 5 added" and "Taunton Patricia L & Pierce L JR ... Disabled Veteran's homestead 5 added ... The exemption amount should be $102,744" - the county's own recorded figure for the 84C exemption on that parcel - and mobile-home owner James Lancer Smith's "applied for disabled Veteran's exemption. Refund $750.39"; the October 14, 2025 and October 28, 2025 minutes carry further "Disabled Veteran's homestead added" rows (Heard Darren, Johnson Nancy G, King Willie & Rosalyn E, Michaud Scott, Moore Guy R & Penny H); the May 13, 2025 minutes record "Veterans Homestead, retroactive to 2024. Refund $390.38"; and the July 28, 2026 minutes record a "Retroactive Disabled Veteran (Homestead exemption to reimburse on the 2025 bill. Refund $1,987.94 to CoreLogic." A veteran files with the Tax Assessor's office before April 1 and reads the amounts on the State entries.

Thresholds

Thresholds for Decatur County Tax Commissioner (Mark Harrell) and Board of Tax Assessors: the homestead route with the board’s own recorded veteran exemptions
Gate	Rule
Qualifying disabled veteran or surviving spouse who owns and occupies the home	The exemption follows O.C.G.A. 48-5-48 and 48-5-52.1; the county offices take the application and the board approves the veteran homesteads monthly. The rating filter never hides this entry.

Sources

Updated

Last updated 2026-11-03.

What changed then:

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Disclaimer

VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.