Marietta, GA real estate: buy or sell with a local AXEN agent
A Marietta mailing address does not mean the house is in the City of Marietta. Big parts of 30062, 30066 and 30068 get Marietta mail but sit in unincorporated Cobb County. Inside the real city line you get a second tax bill, a different school system, and the city itself as your power and water company.
Marietta neighborhoods buyers ask about
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Buying a home in Marietta: what to know
The rules that apply everywhere in Georgia are on the Georgia page. These are the Marietta details that trip people up.
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City limits means two bills, not one. Cobb County puts it plainly: property in Marietta and the other Cobb cities gets two bills, one from the county and one from the city. Check the address on the city's own city-limits map before you assume either way.
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Marietta City Schools is a separate district and its tax rides on the city bill. The City of Marietta tax division bills for the city, the downtown development authority, a community improvement district and Marietta City Schools. Outside the city line, the school tax is Cobb County Schools and rides on the county bill instead.
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Cobb's exemptions beat the state's, and the city has its own on top. Cobb gives a basic homestead in the county general and county school categories, plus a school tax exemption for owners 62 or older with no income limit. The city adds a regular homestead, a disability exemption, a school tax exemption at 62 and a floating exemption. Cobb says it straight: residents of a city have to apply for the city exemptions directly with the city tax office.
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Inside the city, the city is your power and water company. Marietta Power and Water serves city addresses, with separate deposits for power and water and a service charge on the first bill. They want at least 24 business hours notice to connect or disconnect. Outside the line it is a different power company and Cobb County Water.
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Near the Chattahoochee there is a state corridor to clear. The Metropolitan River Protection Act puts a 2,000-foot corridor along the river with a 50-foot undisturbed buffer and a 150-foot impervious setback. Work in that corridor needs a river development certificate reviewed by the regional commission. That mostly hits south and east Cobb, not the city core.
Selling a home in Marietta
Close the Marietta Power and Water account yourself.
The city wants at least 24 business hours notice for a routine disconnect. Do not leave it for closing day.
If you rented it out, the city wants an inspection first.
Marietta's code requires the operator of a rental dwelling to pay for an inspection by a city-licensed rental housing inspector and to turn in a certificate of compliance. Handle it before you list, not during the deal.
On septic, pull the file early.
Cobb County Water System does not keep records of private septic tanks. The public health department does, and it recommends pumping every three to five years. Records come through an open records request.
Marietta real estate questions
I have a Marietta address. Am I in the city or the county?
Plenty of Marietta-addressed homes are really unincorporated Cobb. It matters because city homes get two bills, one from Cobb County and one from the City of Marietta, and the city bill also carries the Marietta City Schools tax. Check the exact parcel on the city's city-limits map.
What homestead exemptions can I get here?
Cobb gives a basic homestead in the county general and county school categories, plus a school tax exemption at 62 with no income limit. If you are inside city limits you also have to file with the City of Marietta for its own regular homestead, disability exemption and school tax exemption.
Can I change the outside of a historic Marietta home?
Two Marietta districts are locally designated: Kennesaw Avenue and Church-Cherokee Streets. In those you need a Certificate of Appropriateness before any work that changes how the outside looks, including new building and demolition. Whitlock Avenue and some others are National Register only.
The lot sits near the Chattahoochee. What can I build?
The state's river protection act puts a 2,000-foot corridor along the river with a 50-foot undisturbed buffer and a 150-foot impervious setback. Work in that corridor needs a river development certificate reviewed by the regional commission.
Who sends my power bill in Marietta?
Inside city limits, the city does. Marietta Power and Water handles both, with its own deposits and a service charge on the first bill. Outside the city line it is a different power company and Cobb County Water, which is one more reason the city line matters here.
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