2026 Texas Property Tax Bills: County Rates vs. Home Values in 17 Counties

Short answer: Of TaxDrop's 17 Texas counties we track, 8 adopted a higher county tax rate for 2026 than for 2025, 6 cut their rate and 3 held it flat. A rate is not a bill, though. Among counties that published a homestead figure, the county part of the bill rose most in Harris (+$142, or 11.8%, on the average homestead), McLennan (about +$94, or 12%) and Dallas (about +$108 on the median homestead if Proposition A passes Nov. 3). It fell in Denton (−$44), Williamson (−$28) and Bexar (−$9). Tax bills go out around Oct. 1. Pay by Monday, Feb. 1, 2027 to avoid penalties, because Jan. 31 falls on a Sunday.

This tracker covers the county tax rate only. Your bill also includes your school district, city and any special districts, and those usually add up to more than the county. Every figure below comes from a county, appraisal district or state document, linked in each row and in the sources. Where a figure has not been published, we say so instead of estimating. This is general education, not tax or legal advice.

2026 vs. 2025 county tax rates: 17 Texas counties

Rates are per $100 of taxable value. The no-new-revenue (NNR) rate would raise the same taxes as last year from properties taxed in both years. The voter-approval rate (VAR) is generally the highest rate a county can adopt without an election.

* TaxDrop calculation: the published homestead value multiplied by the adopted rate. Harris's value is the average appraised homestead, and its bill reflects the county's 20% homestead exemption, per the county budget. All other values are taxable values from the county's truth-in-taxation notice, or from DCAD for Dallas. "Partly verified" means the rates come from county documents but the final adoption vote comes from local news coverage.

Three things that stand out

1. Harris County bills jump the most. The county rate is up 9.6%, the county bill on the average homestead is up 11.8%, and the combined county, flood control, port and hospital rate is up 7.6%.
2. Dallas County voters decide their rate. Proposition A asks voters to approve $0.248650, which is 2.4 cents above the voter-approval rate, to fund homelessness and mental-health programs. Early voting runs Oct. 19–30.
3. A lower rate does not mean a lower bill. El Paso, Fort Bend and Galveston all cut rates, but rising homestead values still push their average county bills up. Williamson and Travis raised rates while values fell, so the average bill went down or barely moved.

Nov. 3, 2026 tax votes to watch

• Dallas County Proposition A would approve the $0.248650 rate, $0.02400 above the voter-approval rate, for programs to reduce homelessness and support mental health and stable housing. The ballot itself notes last year's rate was $0.215500. If it fails, the county rate drops to $0.224650. (Dallas County sample ballot)
• Cypress-Fairbanks ISD VATRE (Harris County) asks voters to raise the district's maintenance-and-operations rate from $0.6669 to $0.7869. (CFISD election page)
• Other districts may also have tax elections on your ballot. Check your county's sample ballot.

County-by-county notes

Harris County

Harris County adopted $0.41750, its voter-approval rate, up from $0.38096. The county budget says the average homestead's county bill goes from $1,202 to $1,344 (+11.8%). Add Flood Control, Port of Houston and Harris Health and the combined rate rises from $0.62413 to $0.67147, a 7.6% increase. Source: county document. More: Harris County property tax protest guide.

Dallas County

Dallas County adopted $0.248650, which is above its $0.224650 voter-approval rate, so it goes to voters as Proposition A on Nov. 3. If Prop A passes, the county bill on DCAD's median homestead ($268,056 taxable) would be about $666.52, up from $558.97. If it fails, the rate falls back to the voter-approval rate and the bill would be about $602.19 (TaxDrop calculation). Source: county document. More: Dallas County property tax protest guide.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County adopted $0.186000, a hair below both last year's $0.186200 and its no-new-revenue rate. The average homestead's county bill is essentially flat: $515.68 to $516.40. Source: county document. More: Tarrant County property tax protest guide.

Bexar County

Bexar County kept its rate at $0.299999, which is below its no-new-revenue rate of $0.309043. The average homestead's taxable value slipped 1.1%, so the county bill falls from $809.83 to $800.77. The adoption vote is reported by local press; we did not find the county's rate order. Source: county document. More: Bexar County property tax protest guide.

Travis County

Travis County adopted its voter-approval rate, $0.386210 (up from $0.375845). The average taxable homestead fell 2.4%, so the average county bill rises only $6.19, to $1,942.59. The county's impact statement says the median homestead's county bill drops $30.64. Source: county document. More: Travis County property tax protest guide.

Collin County

Collin County adopted $0.151414 (up from $0.149343) on a 4-1 vote. The average homestead's county bill rises from $808.85 to $831.20. Source: county document. More: Collin County property tax protest guide.

Denton County

Denton County cut its rate to $0.183394, and the average taxable homestead fell 3.1%. Together, those take the average county bill down from $993.46 to $949.39. Source: county document. More: Denton County property tax protest guide.

Fort Bend County

Fort Bend County cut its rate to $0.407000, but the average taxable homestead rose 2.0%. At the adopted rate, the average county bill rises about $11.64, to $1,485.31 (TaxDrop calculation). Source: county document. More: Fort Bend County property tax protest guide.

Williamson County

Williamson County adopted its no-new-revenue rate, $0.421547. That is higher than last year's $0.413776 because values fell. The average taxable homestead dropped 3.3%, so the county bill falls from $1,879 to $1,851. Source: county document. More: Williamson County property tax protest guide.

Montgomery County

Montgomery County adopted $0.3860, up from $0.3770, on a 3-2 vote. The county budget estimates the median homestead ($270,349) pays $1,043.55, up $25.39. We did not find a 2026 average-homestead notice. Source: county document. More: Montgomery County property tax protest guide.

Brazoria County

Brazoria County adopted its no-new-revenue rate, $0.302531 (down from $0.304758). The adoption vote comes from local press. The 2026 average homestead is $269,914 taxable, but the 2025 comparison hasn't been published. Source: county document. More: Brazoria County property tax protest guide.

Galveston County

Galveston County adopted its no-new-revenue rate, $0.324068. That is down from $0.325660 (the county rate plus its Road & Flood rate). The average homestead's county bill rises from $942.47 to $946.38. The adoption vote is reported by local press. Source: county document. More: Galveston County property tax protest guide.

Hays County

Hays County adopted $0.4097, up from $0.3999, on a 3-2 vote. The county notice shows the average taxable homestead at $433,263, down 0.7%. At the adopted rate, the county bill would be about $1,775, up from $1,744 (TaxDrop calculation). Local press reported different averages. Source: county document. More: Hays County property tax protest guide.

Comal County

Comal County's total rate is unchanged at $0.305015. The parts shifted: the county rate is now $0.273000 and the lateral road rate $0.032015. The $0.269 figure sometimes quoted was only last year's general-fund piece. The average taxable homestead rose 3.9%, so the county bill rises from $1,178 to $1,223. Source: county document. More: Comal County property tax protest guide.

El Paso County

El Paso County adopted its no-new-revenue rate, $0.451133, down from $0.458889. The average taxable homestead rose 5.9%, so the average county bill still rises, from $995.24 to $1,035.97. The adoption vote comes from KFOX's report and the county's presentation. Source: county document. More: El Paso County property tax protest guide.

Grayson County

Grayson County kept its rate at $0.305100, which is below its no-new-revenue rate of $0.322789. The 2026 certified average homestead value hasn't been published yet, so we don't show a bill change. Source: county document. More: Grayson County property tax protest guide.

McLennan County

McLennan County raised its rate 4 cents, to $0.374805, on a 3-2 vote. The average homestead value was flat ($234,582), so the county bill rises about 12%, from $785.33 to roughly $879 (TaxDrop calculation). Source: county document. More: McLennan County property tax protest guide.

Bill-season timeline

• Around Oct. 1, 2026: Tax assessors must mail bills by Oct. 1 "or as soon thereafter as practicable" (Texas Comptroller).
• Oct. 19–30: Early voting, including Dallas County Prop A and the CFISD VATRE.
• Nov. 3: Election Day.
• Feb. 1, 2027 (Monday): Last day to pay without penalty. Taxes are delinquent if not paid before Feb. 1 (Tax Code §31.02). Jan. 31, 2027 is a Sunday, and the Comptroller explains that under §1.06 a payment due on a weekend is timely on the next business day.
• May 17, 2027 (Monday): Usual 2027 protest deadline. The rule is May 15 or 30 days after your appraisal notice is delivered, whichever is later (§41.44). May 15, 2027 is a Saturday, so the deadline moves to the next business day (§1.06).

What homeowners can do now

1. Check your exemptions on the bill. School districts must give a $140,000 residence homestead exemption (Comptroller). If your bill doesn't show it, contact your appraisal district.
2. Compare your value with your county's average. If your taxable value rose much faster than the county average in the table above, write it down. That's your starting point for a 2027 protest.
3. Vote if you're in Dallas County or Cy-Fair ISD. Those elections decide the rates on these bills.
4. Plan your 2027 protest. Appraisal notices usually arrive in spring, and the usual deadline is Monday, May 17, 2027. Start with your county's protest guide, linked in the table above, or see TaxDrop pricing.

Sources

• 2025 county rates: Texas Comptroller, 2025 County Rates and Levies
• Harris: 1; 2; 3; 4
• Dallas: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5
• Tarrant: 1; 2
• Bexar: 1; 2; 3
• Travis: 1; 2; 3
• Collin: 1; 2
• Denton: 1; 2
• Fort Bend: 1; 2
• Williamson: 1; 2; 3
• Montgomery: 1; 2
• Brazoria: 1; 2
• Galveston: 1; 2
• Hays: 1; 2
• Comal: 1; 2; 3
• El Paso: 1; 2; 3
• Grayson: 1; 2
• McLennan: 1; 2; 3; 4
• Bills, due dates and the weekend rule: Comptroller, Property Tax Bills; Tax Code §1.06; §31.02; §41.44
• Cy-Fair ISD VATRE: election.cfisd.net/vatre

Data checked Oct. 8, 2026. Educational content only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm your own rates and deadlines on your tax bill and with your county.