Key Takeaways

• Tennessee assesses vacant land at 25% of appraised value, but Humphreys County's median effective property tax rate is just 0.46%: well below the national median of 1.02%, according to Ownwell, and land enrolled in the Greenbelt program is assessed at current-use value instead of market value
• Population grew from 18,538 in 2010 to 18,990 in 2020 and an estimated 19,646 in 2025: Humphreys County is a small, steadily growing Western Highland Rim county, according to U.S. Census Bureau data
• USDA's 2022 Census of Agriculture shows cropland, not timber, is the county's largest farmland use: 105,470 acres of cropland versus 58,417 acres of woodland and 27,888 acres of pastureland across 595 farms, with average farm size up 89% since 2017 to 333 acres

How Can You Sell Land in Humphreys County Tennessee?

Selling land in Humphreys County, Tennessee means navigating a state property tax system that assesses all real property at 25% of appraised value, a $0.37-per-$100 realty transfer tax, and Tennessee's Greenbelt law, which taxes qualifying farm, forest, and open-space land at current-use value instead of market value until it sells or converts to another use.

Humphreys County sits in western Middle Tennessee on the Western Highland Rim, a belt of rolling uplands that also covers Stewart, Houston, Dickson, Hickman, and Perry counties. Waverly is the county seat, along U.S. 70 roughly 75 miles west of Nashville. Kentucky Lake — the Tennessee River, impounded by TVA's Kentucky Dam — forms the county's western border near New Johnsonville and Hurricane Mills, and fertile bottomland along the Tennessee, Duck, and Buffalo rivers supports row-crop and hay farming alongside hardwood-timbered ridges. That mix gives Humphreys a broader buyer pool than a purely timber-and-pasture county would have.

This guide covers carrying costs, closing, how Humphreys stacks up against its neighbors, and your options for exiting a parcel. For the statewide picture, see our Tennessee land selling guide.

What Are the Tax Costs of Holding Land in Humphreys County?

Tennessee uses a uniform 25% assessment ratio for all real property — the assessed value equals 25% of appraised value, and tax rates apply to that assessed figure.

Humphreys County's median effective property tax rate is 0.46% of property value, according to Ownwell, comfortably below the national median of roughly 1.02%. The county's median annual property tax bill is $958, against a median home value of $184,000. Tennessee levies no state income tax, keeping holding costs low even before any use-value classification.

The Greenbelt Program: Lower Taxes, Deferred Liability

Tennessee's Greenbelt Law — the Agricultural, Forest and Open Space Land Act of 1976 — allows qualifying land to be assessed on current-use value rather than fair market value:

• Agricultural land: At least 15 acres of farm use, or 10+ acres with $1,500+ in annual gross farm income
• Forest land: At least 15 acres of managed timber
• Open space land: Requires a written agreement with a state or local government

Given Humphreys County's substantial cropland (105,470 acres) and woodland (58,417 acres), per the USDA's 2022 Census of Agriculture, Greenbelt enrollment is common on both valley farmland and ridge timber tracts. When Greenbelt land is sold or converted to a non-qualifying use, the owner owes rollback taxes — the gap between taxes paid and taxes owed at full assessment — for up to three years on agricultural/forest land or five years on open space land, per the UT County Technical Assistance Service. Always verify Greenbelt status before closing.

Humphreys County's Property Assessor is LeeAnn Plant, Room 4, Rawlings Building, 102 Thompson Street, Waverly, TN 37185, phone (931) 296-2919.

If you're carrying land with delinquent taxes, see our guide on how to sell land with back taxes.

What Zoning and Closing Rules Apply to Humphreys County Land?

Tennessee does not require an attorney to be present at real estate closings — transactions may be handled by title companies or closing agents. The deed is recorded with the Humphreys County Register of Deeds, Stephanie Gunn, Room 3, Rawlings Building, 102 Thompson Street, Waverly, TN 37185, phone (931) 296-7681.

A typical Humphreys County land closing follows these steps:

• Title search to confirm clear ownership and surface any liens, easements, or severed mineral rights
• Purchase agreement signed by buyer and seller setting price and terms
• Deed preparation with the correct legal description
• Settlement handled by a title company or closing agent — an attorney is optional
• Payment of the realty transfer tax at $0.37 per $100 of consideration
• Recording of the deed with the Register of Deeds

Tennessee's Realty Transfer and Mortgage Taxes

Tennessee charges a realty transfer tax of $0.37 per $100 of consideration, per Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-4-409, according to the UT County Technical Assistance Service — $185 on a $50,000 sale. Spousal transfers, corporate reorganizations, and gifts are exempt; arm's-length sales are fully taxable. Tennessee also imposes a mortgage recordation tax of $0.115 per $100 on financed amounts over $2,000, which falls on buyers, not cash sellers.

Zoning, Flood Risk, and Land Use

Humphreys County is largely rural with limited comprehensive zoning outside Waverly and its other incorporated towns; unincorporated parcels typically fall outside a countywide zoning ordinance, though building permits are still required for new construction.

Flood risk deserves particular attention. On August 21, 2021, a catastrophic flash flood along Trace Creek in Waverly and McEwen killed 20 people — 19 in Waverly and one in Hurricane Mills — after up to 17 inches of rain fell in roughly six hours, a new Tennessee 24-hour rainfall record, according to the National Weather Service. The American Red Cross confirmed roughly 250 homes destroyed and 150 more majorly damaged. Parcels along Trace Creek and other county drainages, not just land near Kentucky Lake, can carry real flood exposure that a survey and FEMA flood-zone determination should address directly. See our guide on selling land in a flood zone.

Kentucky Lake frontage carries its own consideration: TVA regulates construction within its shoreline zone, so lake-adjacent parcels can face extra permitting. Legal road access is also not guaranteed on interior tracts, many reached only by easements or old farm and logging roads. If you've inherited the property, our guide on how to sell inherited land walks through the process, and our overview of the paperwork needed to sell land covers what documents to gather.

How Does Humphreys County Compare to Neighboring Tennessee Counties?

Humphreys County's population of approximately 19,646 (2025 estimate) reflects steady, modest growth from 18,990 at the 2020 census and 18,538 in 2010, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. It borders Houston to the north, Dickson to the northeast, Hickman to the southeast, Perry to the south, and Benton to the west — a range that spans from fast-growing, Nashville-commuting Dickson County to quiet, rural Perry and Benton counties.

Factor	Humphreys County	Dickson County	Perry County	Benton County
Population (2024/2025 est.)	~19,646	~56,000	~8,697	~15,933
Population trend	Steady growth	Rapid growth	Stable	Stable, slight growth
Effective tax rate	~0.46%	~0.42%	~0.57%	~0.68%
Distance to Nashville	~75 mi	~42 mi	~88 mi	~94 mi
Key economic driver	Row-crop/hay farming, cattle, timber, Kentucky Lake recreation	Nashville commuter growth, I-40 corridor, manufacturing	Agriculture, timber, Buffalo River recreation	Cattle, agriculture, Kentucky Lake recreation and tourism
Closing attorney required	No	No	No	No

Dickson County, on the I-40 corridor near Nashville, has grown far faster than Humphreys and its other rural neighbors — Humphreys' land market is shaped more by farm, timber, and lake-recreation demand than by suburban spillover. Perry and Benton counties, smaller and slower-growing, share Humphreys' rural character; Benton, like Humphreys, also fronts Kentucky Lake, giving the two a similar recreational buyer pool.

A Mixed Farm-and-Timber County, Not a Pure Timber County

USDA's 2022 Census of Agriculture recorded 595 farms working 197,896 acres — up 71% since 2017 — with average farm size climbing 89% to 333 acres, a sign of consolidation. Cropland is the single largest use at 105,470 acres, ahead of woodland (58,417 acres) and pastureland (27,888 acres); cattle and calves led livestock sales at roughly $8.1 million, grains and oilseeds led crop sales at roughly $3.9 million, and hay/haylage was the largest crop by acreage at 15,446 acres. Crops and livestock split sales almost evenly (46%/54%). Humphreys is a working farm county with a substantial hardwood-timber base layered on top — not the hunting-and-timber-dominant county its Highland Rim location might suggest.

If your tract is timbered, farmed, or held for game, our guides on selling timberland, selling farmland, and selling hunting land cover what different buyer types look for. Our land valuation guide explains the factors that drive value.

What Are Your Options for Selling Land in Humphreys County?

Humphreys County landowners sit at a familiar rural Tennessee crossroads: farmland or timber tracts held for generations, Greenbelt classifications that kept holding costs low, and a local market that moves at a different pace than Nashville-adjacent Dickson County next door. Add flood-prone drainages around Waverly and McEwen, TVA shoreline rules near Kentucky Lake, and interior tracts with uncertain access, and a parcel can sit unsold for a long time. If you own the land from out of state, those frictions multiply; our guide on selling land as an out-of-state owner covers the extra steps.

Before listing or accepting any offer: verify your deed and legal description through the Register of Deeds (Stephanie Gunn, 931-296-7681); confirm Greenbelt status and rollback exposure with the Property Assessor (LeeAnn Plant, 931-296-2919); check any delinquent tax balance with the Trustee (Leigh Ann Stanfield, 931-296-2144); and — for creek-adjacent or lake-adjacent land — pull a FEMA flood-zone determination before you price or list.

Sellers have several paths. Listing with a land-specialist agent gives exposure to farm, timber, and lake-recreation buyers across Middle Tennessee, but agent commissions of 5–6% plus the $0.37/$100 transfer tax reduce your net proceeds, and access or flood-zone questions can stall a listing for months. (Our guide on whether you need a realtor to sell land weighs that trade-off.) Online platforms — LandWatch, Lands of America — reach buyers hunting for farm and recreational land around Kentucky Lake and the Highland Rim. For landowners who want a firm number fast, without months of showings and uncertain closing timelines, Jerez Land provides a direct cash offer for your land. Each offer is parcel-specific and made in writing; as the buyer, we absorb the carrying costs, marketing, boundary risk, and resale timeline — so the number you see is one number, with no commissions and a closing timeline measured in weeks, not months.

A direct cash sale will not be the highest theoretical price a perfectly marketed parcel might eventually fetch. What it offers instead is certainty and speed on land that is otherwise hard to move. Our blog covers what to expect at each stage of any path you choose.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I sell vacant land in Humphreys County TN?

Confirm your legal description and any Greenbelt enrollment with the Property Assessor (931-296-2919), and verify clean title and legal access through the Register of Deeds (931-296-7681). Tennessee does not require an attorney at closing — a title company or closing agent can handle the transaction. You can list with a local agent, use online platforms like LandWatch, or request a direct cash offer from a land buyer like Jerez Land.

I inherited land near Waverly and part of it may be in a flood zone — can I still sell it?

Yes, land in or near a flood zone can still be sold, but pull a FEMA flood-zone determination and disclose it before pricing or listing. Humphreys County saw a catastrophic flash flood along Trace Creek in August 2021, so buyers here scrutinize drainage and elevation closely on creek-adjacent parcels. Our guide on selling land in a flood zone covers disclosure requirements, and Jerez Land can make a parcel-specific offer that accounts for the flood exposure directly.

I own vacant land in Humphreys County Tennessee — what are my annual property tax costs?

Humphreys County's median effective property tax rate is 0.46% of property value, according to Ownwell, with a median annual tax bill of $958 on a median home value of $184,000 — well below the national median of roughly 1.02%. All real property in Tennessee is assessed at 25% of appraised value. Land enrolled in the Greenbelt program is assessed on current-use value instead, producing a significantly lower bill.

I'm selling farmland in Humphreys County — how much transfer tax will I owe?

Tennessee charges $0.37 per $100 of consideration on all recorded realty transfers, per Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-4-409 — $370 on a $100,000 sale. If your farmland was enrolled in the Greenbelt program, selling or converting it can also trigger rollback taxes covering up to three years of the gap between current-use assessment and full market assessment, according to the UT County Technical Assistance Service. Humphreys County levies no additional county-level transfer tax.

Is Humphreys County Tennessee's population growing or declining?

Humphreys County's population has grown slowly and steadily, rising from 18,538 in 2010 to 18,990 at the 2020 census and an estimated 19,646 in 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. That growth trails neighboring Dickson County's rapid Nashville-commuter expansion but beats the flat or declining trend in more remote rural counties, reflecting Humphreys' working farm economy and recreational draw along Kentucky Lake.

I live out of state and inherited timberland in Humphreys County — do I need to visit to sell it?

No, you don't need to visit in person. A title company or closing agent can handle the closing without an attorney present, documents can be signed remotely or by mail, and a registered forester can quantify standing timber value from records and a site visit without you being there. Our guide on selling land as an out-of-state owner covers the remote-closing process, and Jerez Land's direct offer process is built for exactly this situation.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. Laws and regulations vary by jurisdiction and change over time. Always consult with qualified professionals before making land purchase decisions. Jerez Land is not responsible for actions taken based on this information.