Jacksonville CDD fees: the short list that matters.
Here’s the part that surprises buyers coming from St. Johns County: most of Jacksonville has no CDD — builders advertise it in the listings. Which makes the exceptions the thing to know. This is the Duval map: which communities carry a district assessment, which shout that they don’t, and how to get the true number for a specific home.
Duval is not St. Johns
In St. Johns County, nearly every large master plan of the last 25 years was financed through a Community Development District — the assessment rides the tax bill, and we map them on the St. Johns County CDD page. Duval grew differently: most Jacksonville neighborhoods, including most new construction, carry no district assessment at all — which is why “NO CDD FEES!” is one of the most common phrases in Northside and Southside listing remarks. The flip side: the handful of Duval communities that do carry a CDD tend to be the ones with the biggest amenity infrastructure, and their listings rarely lead with the number.
The exceptions: Duval’s CDD communities
| Community | District / status |
|---|---|
| Seven Pines | CDD assessment on the tax billrecent MLS tax bills run ~$3,000+/yr above base millage, varying by lot — full breakdown below |
| eTown | Master plan carries district assessmentsamount varies by village and home — I pull the exact line |
| Bartram Park | Bartram Park CDDestablished district; current per-home assessments vary — verify the parcel |
| Bartram Springs | Bartram Springs CDDthe good-news story: current listings note only about two years left on the bond portion |
District names stated only where an official district source exists; assessment scale cited only from real tax bills in the MLS. Every district sets its own schedule by neighborhood and lot — the county tax record shows the exact figure for any specific home.
The “NO CDD” crowd — per the builders themselves
Straight from current listing remarks in the MLS, these newer Jacksonville communities actively advertise no CDD: Hardwick Farms, Panther Creek, Wells Creek, Longleaf, Saddle Oaks, Avalon Woods, Summerglen. That’s the builders’ own marketing claim — and a real monthly-cost edge when it holds — but remember what the assessment usually buys: the no-CDD communities generally run lighter amenity packages, or fund them through the HOA line instead.
The caveat that applies to every number above
Community-level CDD figures are orientation, not truth. The bond portion can be prepaid by a prior owner, and assessments vary by lot — so two identical floor plans can carry different bills, and no listing site (including this one) can know a home’s exact line without checking the parcel. That’s why every listing here shows the seller’s actual MLS-reported tax bill where available, and why I pull the county record — the CDD line, bond status, and HOA — before my buyers write an offer.
Common questions
Which Jacksonville communities have CDD fees?
Fewer than you might fear — Duval is mostly no-CDD territory, unlike St. Johns County where nearly every big master plan carries one. The exceptions that matter: Seven Pines (where recent tax bills run roughly $3,000-plus a year above base millage), eTown, and the Bartram districts — Bartram Park CDD and Bartram Springs CDD. Everywhere else, "no CDD" is common enough that Northside and Southside builders advertise it in the listing itself.
Do CDD fees in Jacksonville ever end?
The debt portion does. A CDD assessment has two parts: bond debt (which amortizes over the bond term and can often be prepaid) and operations-and-maintenance (which continues as long as the amenities do). Bartram Springs is the live example — its community was built in the early 2000s and current listings note only about two years remaining on the bond portion, so buyers there are purchasing at the sweet end of the curve.
Can two identical homes have different CDD bills?
Yes — and this is the caveat that applies to every community-level number you read, including on this page. The bond portion can be prepaid by a previous owner, and assessments often vary by lot size, so the same floor plan on the same street can carry a different bill. Community averages are orientation, not truth: the county tax record for the specific parcel is the only number that counts, and I pull it — along with the seller’s actual MLS-reported tax bill — on every home my buyers consider in a CDD community.
Is "no CDD" always better?
Not automatically. CDD communities got their amenity networks financed and built up front — Seven Pines’ amenity campus is the kind of infrastructure the assessment pays for. No-CDD communities either carry lighter amenities or fund them through HOA dues instead, so the honest comparison is always the full monthly stack: taxes plus assessments plus HOA plus insurance, side by side. Sometimes the no-CDD option wins; sometimes it just hides the same cost in a different line.
Seven Pines CDD fees, explained →
The $90-HOA headline vs. the full stack
The St. Johns County CDD map →
Where nearly every master plan carries one
Comparing a CDD community against a no-CDD one?
That comparison only works with real numbers on both sides. Give me the two homes — I’ll pull the tax, CDD, and HOA lines for each and put the true monthly costs side by side.