Taylor County covers 1,043 square miles of land, and the 2020 Census counted 20.9 people per square mile. Perry is the county's only incorporated city, so nearly everything outside it falls under county rules. The Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimate puts the county at 21,210 residents, down 2.7% since 2020.
Buyers come here for acreage: pine plantations, pasture, homesites on a few acres and hunting land close to the Big Bend Wildlife Management Area. Buying land takes different homework than buying a house in town. Before you buy, confirm the land-use designation, road access, well and septic feasibility, and any agricultural tax classification.
This guide covers the unincorporated inland county. Coastal communities such as Keaton Beach, Dekle Beach and Steinhatchee have their own guides. Gulf of America Realty compiled it from county, state and federal sources checked in September 2026. It is general information, not legal or survey advice.
Communities outside Perry
Rural Taylor County is organized around churches, community centers and county roads rather than town limits. Places named in Taylor County Supervisor of Elections polling locations and state records include:
- Salem, where Salem Baptist Church on Fish Creek Road serves as a polling place (ZIP 32356)
- Shady Grove, home to the Shady Grove Community Center on Alton Wentworth Road, with a Greenville mailing address
- Athena, where the National Hurricane Center recorded a 97-mph gust during Hurricane Helene
- Boyd, around Boyd Methodist Church on Boyd Road
- Hampton Springs, site of the 1908 resort hotel that burned in 1954, marked as a Florida Heritage Site
- Foley, home to the closed Georgia-Pacific cellulose mill and Perry-Foley Airport
Land use and how many homes a tract allows
Taylor County's Comprehensive Plan sets out where development goes and aims to keep land available for agriculture. Each land-use district has a maximum density, according to the county Planning & Zoning department:
- Agriculture 1: 1 home per 20 acres
- Agriculture 2: 1 home per 10 acres
- Agriculture/Rural Residential: 1 home per 5 acres
- Conservation: 1 home per 40 acres
- Mixed Use Rural Residential: 1 home per 2 acres
- Mixed Use Urban Development: 1 home per half acre
Agricultural classification and timber
Florida law (section 193.461, Florida Statutes) has county property appraisers assess land used for bona fide agriculture, including timber, at its agricultural use value instead of market value. This is often called greenbelt. It is a classification, not an exemption, and it depends on actual commercial use. Applications are due by March 1. Before closing, ask the Taylor County Property Appraiser whether the current classification will carry over to you or needs a new application, and budget for the market-value tax if it won't.
For timber, the Florida Forest Service (part of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) issues burn authorizations and offers help from county foresters. Ask the seller for harvest records, any timber deed or cutting rights still in effect, and a stand's age. The National Hurricane Center's Idalia report notes wind damage to trees and crops across the Big Bend.
Wells and septic systems
Taylor County is in the Suwannee River Water Management District. The district requires a permit for all water well construction and issues those permits to licensed well contractors. Its online Water Well Depth Search shows permits and completion reports for existing wells, which is a useful way to see how deep neighbors had to drill.
Septic rules can confuse buyers. Since July 1, 2021, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has been responsible for Florida's septic (OSTDS) rules. DEP took over direct permitting in 16 Panhandle counties in January 2025 and in Marion County in July 2025, but Taylor County isn't among them. As of September 2026, permits and inspections still go through the Florida Department of Health in Taylor County in Perry. Aerobic treatment units and other advanced systems also need operating permits.
Power and internet
Tri-County Electric Cooperative serves parts of Madison, Taylor and Jefferson counties, and Duke Energy Florida serves other parts of Taylor County. For new service on raw land, the co-op schedules a site visit before it builds the connection, so include that time in any building plan. City natural gas doesn't reach rural tracts.
Tri-County's partner Conexon Connect has built a fiber-to-the-home network of nearly 2,400 miles designed to cover all of the co-op's service territory in Jefferson, Madison, Taylor and Dixie counties. Check availability by address. Countywide, the ACS estimates that 81.2% of households have a broadband subscription.
Road access, commutes and schools
Many rural tracts are reached by private roads, logging roads or easements. A title search and a survey should confirm legal access, not just a road you can drive on, and you should ask the county whether a road is publicly maintained before assuming it will be graded after storms. The average commute countywide is 21.3 minutes, according to the ACS.
Every public middle and high school student in the county attends Taylor County Middle School or Taylor County High School, both in Perry. The only public school outside Perry is Steinhatchee School (PK–5) in Steinhatchee, according to NCES data, so expect bus rides or drives into town.
Hunting and public land
The FWC manages the five-unit Big Bend Wildlife Management Area along the Taylor and Dixie coast, where seasons are set for deer, turkey, waterfowl, wild hog and more. Inland to the west are the Aucilla Wildlife Management Area, between the Aucilla and Wacissa rivers, and the Middle Aucilla WMA, more than 2,000 acres managed with the Suwannee River Water Management District. Econfina River State Park adds 14.8 miles of trails and a boat ramp.
Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, needs a hunter safety course to buy a Florida hunting license, though FWC offers a supervised mentoring deferral. WMA seasons, quotas and permits change each year, so check FWC's current brochures.
Hurricanes and flooding
Three hurricanes have hit Taylor County since 2023, according to National Hurricane Center reports. Idalia (Category 3) made landfall near Keaton Beach on August 30, 2023. Debby (Category 1) came ashore just west of Steinhatchee on August 5, 2024. Helene (Category 4) made landfall about 10 nautical miles southwest of Perry on September 26, 2024. On the coast, Helene's storm surge reached 12 to 16 feet above ground. Inland, its eastern eyewall damaged most structures and brought down numerous trees and power lines across Taylor and neighboring counties, according to county emergency managers.
For land, check FEMA flood zones and wetlands before planning a homesite, look for storm-damaged timber, and ask how long power and road access took to return after Helene. Sales tax countywide is 7% (6% state plus 1% county surtax).
Before you buy in Rural Taylor County
- Confirm the parcel's land-use designation and allowed density with Taylor County Planning & Zoning before counting homesites.
- Get a survey and title work that prove legal access, and ask whether the road is county-maintained.
- Check the Suwannee River Water Management District's well records for depths on nearby wells.
- Talk to the Florida Department of Health in Taylor County about septic feasibility before closing on a homesite.
- Ask the Property Appraiser whether any agricultural classification will carry over, and budget for market-value taxes if not.
- Ask for timber harvest records and any timber deed, lease or cutting rights still in effect.
- Confirm the electric provider, the cost and timeline for new service, and Conexon Connect fiber availability.
- Check FEMA flood zones and wetlands, and look for storm-damaged trees from Idalia or Helene.
Buying a home in Florida: the basics
The same state rules apply in every town on this site. These are the ones buyers ask about most, with the laws behind them.
- Homestead exemption
- A home that is the owner's permanent residence on January 1 can qualify for a $25,000 exemption from all property taxes plus a second, inflation-indexed exemption of about $25,000 that does not apply to school taxes; apply to the county property appraiser by March 1. A larger exemption is on the November 3, 2026 ballot (CS/HJR 1F) and would start in 2027 if voters approve it.
- Save Our Homes cap
- Once a homestead exemption is granted, the home's assessed value can rise no more than 3% a year or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. The cap resets after a sale, but up to $500,000 of the built-up savings can be carried to a new Florida homestead set up within three years.
- Property tax bills
- A sale resets the assessment to market value the following January, so the seller's current tax bill is not a guide to the buyer's. Bills go out in November, earn a 4% discount if paid that month (stepping down to 1% in February), and become delinquent April 1.
- No state income tax
- Florida's constitution bars a state tax on the personal income of residents. Property, sales and other taxes still apply.
- Documentary stamp tax
- The state charges 70 cents per $100 of the sale price on the deed, which the seller customarily pays in most of Florida. A financed purchase adds 35 cents per $100 of the loan plus a 0.2% intangible tax on the mortgage, usually paid by the buyer.
- Flood disclosure
- Sellers of residential property must give buyers a written flood disclosure at or before signing the contract. Since October 2025 it covers any flood damage the seller knows of during their ownership, any flood insurance claim, and any flood assistance received, such as FEMA aid.
- Flood insurance
- Standard homeowners policies do not cover flood. Citizens Property Insurance already requires separate flood coverage for homes in FEMA high-risk flood zones and homes with a replacement cost of $400,000 or more, and extends the requirement to most of its remaining homeowner policies on January 1, 2027.
- Insurance inspections
- Florida insurers must offer premium discounts for wind-resistant features, which are documented on the state's uniform mitigation verification inspection form (OIR-B1-1802). Many insurers also ask for a four-point inspection on older homes; that is insurer practice, not state law.
- Septic systems
- Septic systems are regulated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, with permits still handled through county health department offices. State law does not require a septic inspection when a home sells, though a buyer can order one.
- Building near the water
- In a FEMA flood zone, repairs or improvements costing 50% or more of a building's market value generally trigger current flood-elevation rules under the county's floodplain ordinance. Docks and other structures over state-owned submerged lands need state authorization, usually through the Florida DEP.
Sources: Florida Constitution Art. VII §5; Florida Statutes §§193.155, 196.011, 196.031, 197.162, 197.333, 199.133, 201.02, 201.08, 253.77, 381.0065, 627.0629, 627.351(6)(aa) and 689.302 (2026 Florida Statutes); Fla. Admin. Code R. 69O-170.0155 (Florida Office of Insurance Regulation form OIR-B1-1802); FEMA National Flood Insurance Program, 44 CFR 59.1 and 60.3; CS/HJR 1F (2026 Special Session F); Florida DEP Onsite Sewage Program. Checked September 2026.
Thinking about Rural Taylor County?
Gulf of America Realty can tell you what is for sale in Rural Taylor County right now, what comparable property has sold for, and what to check on the ones you like. No obligation.
Buying in Rural Taylor County: what people ask.
How many homes can I build on rural land in Taylor County?
It depends on the land-use designation. County densities range from 1 home per 40 acres (Conservation) and 1 per 20 acres (Agriculture 1) to 1 per 5 acres (Agriculture/Rural Residential) and 1 per 2 acres (Mixed Use Rural Residential). Confirm with Taylor County Planning & Zoning.
Who issues septic permits in Taylor County?
As of September 2026, the Florida Department of Health in Taylor County handles septic permits and inspections under rules administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. DEP took over direct permitting only in 16 Panhandle counties and Marion County.
Do I need a permit to drill a well?
Yes. The Suwannee River Water Management District permits all water well construction in Taylor County, and permits are issued to licensed well contractors.
Can I get an agricultural tax classification on timberland?
Timber is a recognized agricultural use under section 193.461, Florida Statutes, but classification depends on bona fide commercial use and approval by the Taylor County Property Appraiser. Applications are due by March 1.
Is high-speed internet available in rural Taylor County?
Conexon Connect, working with Tri-County Electric Cooperative, has built a fiber network designed to cover the co-op's entire service territory, including parts of Taylor County. Check availability for the specific address.
Where is public hunting land near Perry?
FWC manages the Big Bend Wildlife Management Area along the Taylor and Dixie coast, plus the Aucilla and Middle Aucilla WMAs to the west. Seasons and permits change yearly.
Where do rural students go to school?
All public middle and high school students attend Taylor County Middle School or Taylor County High School in Perry. Steinhatchee School (PK–5) is the only public school outside Perry.
Which communities are in rural Taylor County?
Unincorporated communities include Salem, Shady Grove, Athena, Boyd, Hampton Springs and Foley. Steinhatchee is a Census-designated place on the coast.
Also near Rural Taylor County.
- Perry County seat with city utilities, schools and a timber-town past Read the guide →
- Steinhatchee River town on the Big Bend coast: boats, scallops and elevated homes Read the guide →
- Keaton Beach Big Bend fishing village rebuilding after Idalia and Helene Read the guide →
- Dekle Beach Canal community with a hard storm history, rebuilding again Read the guide →
- St. Marks Historic river city near Tallahassee, next to St. Marks refuge Read the guide →
Gulf of America Realty is an independent, Broker-owned brokerage in Perry, working all of Taylor County and the Big Bend coast. Its Broker, Sandra "Dandy" Osnos, has been Licensed in Florida since 1988 and a Broker since 1993. She relocated to Taylor County in 2022 and established Gulf of America Realty here after that. Whatever you are buying or selling, it is priced on what has actually closed nearby.
Let's talk Real Estate.
Gulf of America Realty · Perry, Florida