Metro Atlanta city guide / Henry County
Locust Grove, Georgia: where Henry County ends and the city tax can be zero
Locust Grove is the last stop in Henry County before I-75 heads into open country, about 35 miles from downtown Atlanta. It is mostly newer subdivisions now, built around a small historic center and the Exit 212 interchange. The detail most buyers miss is the city tax: Locust Grove brought one back in 2025, and voters had already approved an exemption that can take a homeowner’s city portion to nothing. Know that, and know the drive, and you know most of what matters here.
Come as you are. Come on home.
The city tax
A bill you may never see.
For years Locust Grove did not levy a city property tax at all. Its 2025 budget changed that, but the exemption voters approved in 2022 changes it right back for most homeowners.
What the exemption does
It is a 100 percent city homestead exemption. A qualifying homeowner who files for it owes nothing on the city portion of the bill.
The catch
It is separate from the Henry County exemption. You file with the City of Locust Grove itself, and the deadline has been April 1. Plenty of eligible owners have missed it.
What you still pay
Henry County taxes, kept at 15.733 mills for 2026, and school taxes, which are set separately. The exemption only touches the city line on the bill.
New construction
Builders are the competition.
Much of Locust Grove’s housing is newer subdivision construction, and builders are still active around the city.
For buyers. New builds often come with incentives like rate buydowns or closing cost help, which makes them a useful benchmark when you look at a resale home down the road.
For the long run. Large warehouse and distribution projects along I-75 come before the city council regularly. I would check what is approved near any subdivision before choosing it.
A small old center. The city was incorporated in 1893 and named for a grove of locust trees. Its original downtown along GA 42 is still there, small and quiet.
Prices
Prices up, homes sitting longer.
Closed sales in the City of Locust Grove over the three months ending July 2026, from Redfin.
A rising median with a falling price per square foot usually means bigger, newer homes made up more of what sold. Meanwhile homes are taking almost a month longer to sell, which puts buyers in a better spot to negotiate than they were a year ago.
Weekends
Outlets, animals and a front row seat to the trains.
There is more to do here than the interstate signs suggest.
Tanger Outlets. Open since fall 1994 at Exit 212, and the reason many people first stop in Locust Grove.
Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary. A nonprofit rescue and rehabilitation center with more than 1,000 animals.
The train platform. A small viewing spot downtown along the Norfolk Southern line, popular with kids and rail fans.
The distance
About 35 miles from downtown Atlanta.
This is the farthest out of the Henry County cities, and the drive is the real trade off.
I-75 at Exit 212
Bill Gardner Parkway is the interchange most residents use, heading north toward McDonough, Stockbridge and the airport.
GA 42
The local route north and south through the old center.
Before you sign
Sit in the traffic you would actually sit in. A Tuesday morning drive is worth more than any listing’s “minutes to Atlanta.”
Schools
Public and private, close to home.
Locust Grove is served by Henry County Schools, including Locust Grove High School, with Strong Rock Christian School and Heritage Baptist Christian School nearby.
Zoning
Assignments follow the address, and new subdivisions can shift zones. Check the district’s locator for the exact home.
Nearby
Up the interstate, for comparison.
Every other Henry County guide is north of here.
McDonough, around $310,000. The county seat and its square. Read the McDonough guide →
Hampton, around $310,000. West, home of EchoPark Speedway. Read the Hampton guide →
Stockbridge, around $299,000. Closest to the city. Read the Stockbridge guide →
Home search
Locust Grove homes for sale now.
New subdivisions and resales together, pulled from the MLS and refreshed through the day.
Ask about Locust Grove
What do you want to know about living here?
Is a house inside city limits, so the exemption applies? What is approved on the land next door? Send the address and I will look into it.
Your details are used to answer your question. No automated sales sequence.
For sellers
Selling against the builders.
In Locust Grove your house is rarely competing only with other resales. Buyers tour the model homes too, and they arrive knowing what incentives the builders are offering.
Where a resale wins
Mature landscaping, a finished basement or fenced yard, no wait for construction, and a price that already accounts for the builder down the road. I would build your pricing and marketing around those, using sales from your own subdivision.
Reading up first
The seller guide covers preparing, pricing and negotiating, in order.
Common questions
Locust Grove FAQ
Taxes, prices and the drive, briefly.
It brought one back with its 2025 budget after years without one. In 2022, voters approved a 100 percent city homestead exemption, so a qualifying homeowner who files with the city owes nothing on the city portion. County and school taxes still apply.
File with the City of Locust Grove. It is separate from the Henry County homestead exemption, and the deadline has been April 1.
The median sale price in the City of Locust Grove was about $351,000 over the three months ending July 2026, up 12.4 percent from a year earlier, according to Redfin. Homes spent a median of 91 days on the market, up from 65.
About 35 miles southeast of downtown, on I-75 at Exit 212.
Henry County Schools, including Locust Grove High School. Strong Rock Christian School and Heritage Baptist Christian School are nearby private options.
Yes. Much of the housing is newer subdivision construction, and builders are still active around the city.
Tanger Outlets at Exit 212, Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary, and a train viewing platform in the old downtown.
A newer home, a lighter tax bill, and a longer drive.
That is the honest Locust Grove trade. If it sounds right, tell me where you work and what you want to spend, and I will show you the subdivisions worth touring.