Denton County Homestead Exemption: How to File with Denton CAD (2027)

Quick answer: to get a Denton County homestead exemption, file Comptroller Form 50-114 with Denton Central Appraisal District (Denton CAD) between January 1 and April 30. It's free. You need a Texas driver's license or state ID that shows the home's address. Texas school districts must exempt $140,000 of a homestead's value, which is about $1,610 a year off a Denton ISD school bill at 2026 rates.

General education only, not legal advice. Confirm your own case with Denton CAD.

One in four Denton County homes has no homestead exemption

Denton CAD's 2026 roll lists 278,365 single-family homes. 206,873 of them carry a homestead exemption. That leaves 71,492, about 26%, without one.

Many of those are rentals, second homes or builder inventory, which don't qualify. But new owners miss it too. Of the 15,644 homes built in 2024 or later, 6,861 have no homestead exemption on the 2026 roll. That's 44%. If you bought recently and live in the home, check yours.

What the exemption takes off your bill

Each taxing unit on your bill applies its own homestead exemption. The school district is the big one.

• School district: $140,000 off your taxable value, required by state law (Tax Code 11.13). At 2026 rates that is worth about $1,330 a year in Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, $1,610 in Denton ISD and $1,760 in Lake Dallas ISD.
• Denton County: 1% of your value, with a $5,000 minimum. On the county's median $425,000 home that is $5,000, or about $9 a year at the county's 2026 rate.
• Cities: it varies. The City of Denton gives 0.5% with a $5,000 minimum, about $27 a year. Some cities give more and some give none.

The exemption also starts the homestead cap. After your first full year with the exemption, your appraised value can't rise more than 10% a year, plus the value of new improvements (Tax Code 23.23). In a fast market, the cap can be worth more than the exemption itself.

To see your own numbers, use the Denton County property tax calculator. It has a homestead toggle and the 2026 adopted rates for 18 city and school district combinations.

Who qualifies

• You own the home and live in it as your principal residence.
• You claim no other homestead, in Texas or anywhere else.
• Your Texas driver's license or state ID shows the home's address.

You no longer have to own the home on January 1. Since 2022, a buyer can get the exemption for the rest of the year they move in, as long as the prior owner's exemption no longer applies. Until you file, the roll still shows the prior owner's exemptions.

How to file with Denton CAD

1. Update your ID first. Denton CAD requires a Texas driver's license or state ID with the property address on it. A passport is not accepted. If you just moved, change your license address before you file.
2. Fill out Form 50-114. This is the Comptroller's Application for Residence Homestead Exemption. The same form covers the over-65, disabled person and disabled veteran exemptions.
3. Send it to Denton CAD. Email it to info@dentoncad.com, or mail or drop it off at 3911 Morse St., Denton, TX 76208. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
4. Check your status. Denton CAD does not send an approval notice. Look up your property on its website. The exemption usually shows within 90 days.

There is no filing fee, and you don't need to pay anyone to file it for you. If more than one person owns the home, all owners sign, except that one signature is enough for a married couple.

You file once. You don't reapply each year unless Denton CAD asks you to in writing or you move.

Deadline, and what to do if you missed it

The regular window is January 1 to April 30 of the tax year. If you missed it, file anyway. Texas law tells the chief appraiser to accept a late homestead application filed up to two years after the delinquency date for that year's taxes (Tax Code 11.431). If it's approved after you paid, you get a refund of the difference.

Denton CAD's FAQ page describes a one-year late window. The statute says two. If you're in the second year, file and cite Section 11.431.

Over 65 or disabled

• Extra school exemption: another $60,000 off your school district value, on top of the $140,000. In Denton ISD that is about $690 more a year at 2026 rates.
• Denton County: $55,000 off your county value for owners 65 or older, about $100 a year at the 2026 rate.
• School tax ceiling: your school taxes are frozen at the amount you paid in the year you qualified, unless you add improvements.
• When to file: any time in the year you turn 65. You get the exemption for the full year.
• Surviving spouse: a spouse who is 55 or older can keep the exemption and the ceiling, but must apply.

Denton CAD says it adds the over-65 exemption on its own in some cases. If you aren't sure it did, send a new Form 50-114 with a copy of your ID. Proof of age can be a Texas license or ID, or a birth certificate.

Make sure Denton CAD is your district

You file with the appraisal district for the county your home sits in, not the city in your address. Thousands of homes with a Frisco, Carrollton, Prosper, Plano or Celina address are in Denton County and file with Denton CAD. See which appraisal district covers your address.

Don't claim one you don't qualify for

One homestead per owner. If you move out and rent the home, the rules change. If Denton CAD finds an exemption that should not have been there, it can bill the taxes for up to the last five years. Our guide on keeping a homestead exemption when you rent out your home covers the edge cases.

The exemption and a protest do different jobs

The exemption lowers your taxable value by a fixed amount. A protest lowers the appraised value Denton CAD starts from. Do both. The exemption is filed once. The protest is a yearly choice, and the 2027 deadline is Monday, May 17. See the Denton County protest deadline and our Denton County property tax protest guide.

For the statewide rules, see the Texas homestead exemption guide.

Want help with the protest side?

TaxDrop doesn't charge to explain the homestead form, and you don't need us for it. Where we help is the protest. Our licensed Texas consultants can file your Denton County protest, build the evidence and handle the hearing. See the pricing page, or start with a free over-assessment check.

Sources

• Denton Central Appraisal District: Frequently Asked Questions (filing, ID, over-65 and status rules).
• Texas Comptroller: Property Tax Exemptions.
• Texas Tax Code 11.13 (residence homestead), 11.431 (late application) and 23.23 (homestead cap).
• Denton County Tax Office, 2026 adopted rates, and Denton CAD's exemption schedule.
• Home counts: TaxDrop analysis of Denton CAD's 2026 appraisal roll, single-family homes.