North Texas Property Taxes, Explained: Rates for 20 Cities and How to Pay Less (2026)

Texas doesn’t have a state income tax, and people moving here from California, New York or Illinois feel that in every paycheck. But the money has to come from somewhere, and in Texas a big share of it comes from property tax. In North Texas, a homeowner’s total property tax rate usually lands somewhere between about 1.6% and 2.4% of a home’s value each year, before exemptions. On a $500,000 house, that can be $6,000 to $9,500 a year, often more than the homeowners insurance and HOA combined.

Property tax is also the part of a house payment that listing sites handle worst. Most mortgage calculators plug in one statewide average and move on. But your actual bill depends on your city, your county and your school district, and two homes a mile apart can pay very different amounts. This guide explains how Texas property tax works, what the rates look like across 20 of the region’s most-searched cities, how to cut your bill legally, and what catches new buyers off guard. Then you can run the numbers for any home in our true cost calculator.

How a Texas property tax bill works

Your property tax bill isn’t one tax. It’s a stack of separate taxes from every local government that covers your address, each called a taxing unit. In North Texas, a typical address pays four to six of them:

• The school district (ISD). Almost always the largest piece.
• The city. Pays for police, fire, streets, parks and libraries. Homes in unincorporated areas skip this one but may pay a special district instead.
• The county. Collin, Dallas, Denton or Rockwall.
• A community college district, like Collin College or Dallas College, depending on the county.
• A hospital district, in Dallas County: Parkland.
• Special districts, like a municipal utility district (MUD) or public improvement district (PID), common in newer subdivisions.

Each unit sets a rate per $100 of taxable value. A city rate of $0.4255 means you pay 42.55 cents for every $100 of taxable value, or $425.50 for every $100,000. Add up all the rates on an address and you get its total tax rate, the number that matters.

Two numbers drive your bill: the appraised value your county appraisal district puts on your home as of January 1, and the rates each taxing unit adopts, usually in August or September. Appraisal notices typically arrive in April, rates are set in late summer, bills go out in October, and payment is due by January 31 of the following year. If you have a mortgage, your lender usually collects the tax monthly through escrow and pays the bill for you, which is why your payment can change each year even with a fixed-rate loan.

Where your money goes: one example

Here’s how the bill breaks down on a $500,000 home in Frisco, in Collin County and Frisco ISD, with the homestead exemption filed:

Taxing unit	Rate per $100	Taxable value	Annual tax
Frisco ISD	1.0194	$360,000	$3,670
City of Frisco	0.4255	$400,000	$1,702
Collin County	0.1493	$475,000	$709
Collin College	0.0812	$400,000	$325
Total	1.6755		$6,406

Notice that each unit taxes a different value. That’s the exemptions at work: the school district ignores the first $140,000, the city and Collin College each exempt 20%, and the county exempts 5%. Without a homestead exemption, the same house would owe about $8,377. That gap, close to $2,000 a year, is why filing for the exemption is the single most important tax step for a new owner.

Property tax rates in 20 North Texas cities

The table below shows the total rate for the main county and school district in each city, sorted from lowest to highest, plus an estimate of the annual tax on a $500,000 primary home with the homestead exemption. Rates are the latest adopted (2026 where set, otherwise the 2025 tax year).

City	Main school district	Total rate	City homestead exemption	Tax on a $500K home
Rockwall	Rockwall ISD	1.58%	None	$6,383
Frisco	Frisco ISD	1.68%	20%	$6,406
Flower Mound	Lewisville ISD	1.69%	20%	$6,503
Plano	Plano ISD	1.70%	20%	$6,503
Lewisville	Lewisville ISD	1.72%	None	$7,049
McKinney	McKinney ISD	1.75%	None	$7,071
Allen	Allen ISD	1.75%	None	$7,081
Melissa	Melissa ISD	1.91%	6%	$7,577
The Colony	Lewisville ISD	1.93%	5%	$7,946
Prosper	Prosper ISD	1.94%	17.5%	$7,441
Wylie	Wylie ISD	1.95%	None	$7,982
Coppell	Coppell ISD	1.96%	5%	$7,780
Little Elm	Little Elm ISD	1.96%	None	$8,090
Denton	Denton ISD	1.99%	0.5%	$8,222
Celina	Celina ISD	2.01%	None	$8,244
Carrollton	Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD	2.02%	20%	$7,699
Irving	Irving ISD	2.14%	20%	$8,150
Richardson	Richardson ISD	2.18%	None	$8,826
Dallas	Dallas ISD	2.21%	20%	$8,459
Garland	Garland ISD	2.39%	11%	$9,421

A few things jump out. Rockwall has the lowest total rate in this group, thanks to a very low city rate. Frisco, Flower Mound and Plano sit near the bottom because each pairs a moderate rate with a 20% city homestead exemption. Dallas County cities run higher, partly because they include the Parkland hospital district, though Dallas County, Parkland and Dallas College each offer a 20% homestead exemption that softens it. And the fast-growing northern towns, Prosper and Celina, carry higher school rates as their districts build new campuses.

Remember that the rate is only half of the bill. Prosper’s rate is in the middle of the pack, but its typical home is worth about $758,000, so the typical Prosper tax bill is around $12,100 a year. Garland has the highest rate here, but on its typical home of about $283,000, the bill is around $4,600.

One more caution: these are the main districts for each city. Many cities are served by more than one school district, and some addresses sit in a different county. Parts of Frisco are in Prosper, Lewisville or Little Elm ISD; parts of Plano are in Lewisville or Frisco ISD; Carrollton spans three counties. Always check the specific address.

Exemptions: the legal ways to pay less

The homestead exemption

If the home is your primary residence, you can claim a residence homestead exemption. It comes in layers:

• School districts: $140,000 off your home’s value for school taxes. Texas voters raised it to this level in 2025.
• Cities, counties and other units: optional percentage exemptions of up to 20% (with a $5,000 minimum). Frisco, Plano, Flower Mound, Carrollton, Irving and Dallas offer 20%; Prosper offers 17.5%; McKinney, Allen, Celina and Richardson offer none. Collin College offers 20% and Collin County 5%; Dallas County, Parkland and Dallas College each offer 20%.

You file once with your county’s appraisal district (Collin, Dallas, Denton or Rockwall), using the state homestead application. You can apply as soon as you own the home and live in it. If you miss the usual April 30 deadline, Texas generally lets you file late, up to two years after that year’s tax bill is due, and still get the exemption. It doesn’t renew automatically when you move, so file again for each new home.

65 and older, or disabled

Homeowners who are 65 or older or disabled get an extra $60,000 off school taxes, plus whatever additional exemption their city and county offer (it ranges from $10,000 to $175,000 among the cities in our table). Even more valuable: the school portion of the tax is frozen at the level of the year you qualify, as long as you stay in the home. Many cities and counties offer a similar freeze.

Veterans

Disabled veterans can claim exemptions based on their disability rating, and veterans rated 100% disabled or unemployable can be fully exempt on their homestead. Surviving spouses of some service members qualify too.

The 10% cap

Once your home is a homestead, its taxable value can’t rise more than 10% a year, even if the market value jumps more. In fast-rising years, that cap can save thousands. It works in the other direction too: if values flatten or drop, a capped home can keep rising toward its market value for a while, which is why some owners see their tax bill climb even when prices fall. For non-homestead property worth up to about $5 million, a similar 20% cap applies through the 2026 tax year.

What catches new buyers off guard

The first bill on a new build

Appraisal districts value property as of January 1. If your new home was still under construction (or just a lot) on January 1, your first bill may be tiny. The next year, it’ll be based on the finished house, and the jump can be large. Lenders estimate escrow, and if they guessed low, you’ll get an escrow shortage and a higher monthly payment. Budget for the real number from day one.

MUD and PID taxes

Many newer subdivisions in places like Celina, Prosper, Anna, Princeton and Little Elm were built with a municipal utility district (MUD) or public improvement district (PID) that pays for roads, water and sewer lines. Homeowners repay that debt through an extra tax or assessment on top of the regular rate. It can add several tenths of a percent to the bill. Texas law requires sellers and builders to disclose these, but buyers often skim past them. Ask for the total tax rate for the specific address, not the city average.

Losing the seller’s exemptions

If you buy from someone who had a 65+ freeze or a disabled veteran exemption, their tax bill tells you very little about yours. Those exemptions leave with them. Run the numbers on the full value with your own exemptions.

Escrow changes on a fixed-rate loan

Your principal and interest are fixed, but taxes and insurance aren’t. Each year your lender recalculates escrow, so your payment can move up or down. Rising appraisals, new tax rates and insurance renewals all show up here.

How to protest your appraisal

Protesting is normal in Texas. Many owners do it every year, and many win a lower value. Here’s the short version:

• Watch for your notice in spring. Your appraisal district mails or posts your proposed value, usually in April.
• File by the deadline, generally May 15 or 30 days after the notice, whichever is later. Most districts let you file online.
• Gather evidence. Recent sales of similar homes nearby that sold for less, photos of problems (foundation, roof, outdated finishes), and repair estimates.
• Try the informal review first. Many protests settle with an appraiser before the formal hearing. If not, you’ll present your case to the appraisal review board.
• Consider help. Property tax consultants work on contingency (a percentage of the savings), which can make sense if you don’t want to do it yourself.

You’re protesting the value, not the rate. Rates are set by each taxing unit at public meetings, and voters get a say through elections when a unit wants to raise its rate beyond state limits.

How rates change from year to year

Texas limits how much local governments can raise property tax revenue without voter approval. Most cities and counties can raise revenue from existing property by up to 3.5% a year; school districts are limited too, and the state sets a large part of the school rate. To go higher, a unit has to hold an election. For example, McKinney ISD has a tax rate election on November 3, 2026. New construction adds revenue on top, which is why fast-growing cities can hold their rates flat while bringing in more money.

The practical takeaway: rates usually move a little each year, and values usually matter more. The best way to keep your bill in check is to claim every exemption you qualify for, protest when your value looks high, and know the total rate before you buy.

Run the numbers for any home

Pick a city and school district, enter a price, and see the full monthly cost: principal and interest, property tax by taxing unit, insurance, HOA and PMI. The other tabs compare cities side by side or show the most you can spend in each city on a monthly budget. You can also open the full-page calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Which North Texas city has the lowest property tax rate?

Among the 20 cities we track in the calculator, Rockwall has the lowest total rate, about 1.58%, followed by Frisco, Flower Mound and Plano at about 1.68% to 1.70%. Frisco, Flower Mound and Plano also offer a 20% city homestead exemption, which lowers the bill further.

Which North Texas city has the highest property tax rate?

In our group of 20, Garland has the highest total rate, about 2.39%, followed by Dallas, Richardson and Irving. But because home values are lower in those cities, the typical tax bill can be smaller than in higher-priced suburbs with lower rates.

When are Texas property taxes due?

Bills go out in October and are due by January 31 of the following year. Most homeowners with a mortgage pay monthly through escrow, and the lender pays the bill.

How much is the Texas homestead exemption?

For school taxes, $140,000 off your home’s value, plus $60,000 more if you’re 65 or older or disabled. Cities, counties and other units can add a percentage exemption of up to 20%, and many in North Texas do.

Do property taxes go down when you turn 65 in Texas?

Your school taxes are frozen at the level of the year you qualify, and you get extra exemptions. Many cities and counties also freeze their portion. You have to apply with your appraisal district.

Sources

• Republic Title: 2025 DFW tax rates and exemptions
• Community Impact: Collin County, Collin College and city tax rates for FY2025-26
• Community Impact: Collin College 20% homestead exemption
• City of Mesquite: 2025 Dallas County, Parkland and Dallas College rates
• Square Deal: Dallas County homestead exemptions
• The Texan: Dallas ISD 2025-26 tax rate
• City of Richardson: Property tax FAQ
• City of Carrollton: Tax rates and exemptions
• City of Allen: FY2026-27 tax rate
• Community Impact: Frisco FY2026-27 tax rate
• Community Impact: Prosper FY2026-27 tax rate
• Community Impact: Celina FY2026-27 tax rate
• Town of Flower Mound: FY2026-27 tax rate and exemptions
• Citizen Portal: Coppell FY2027 proposed rate
• Allen ISD: 2026-27 tax rate
• Prosper ISD: 2026-27 tax rate
• Celina ISD: 2026-27 tax rate
• Coppell ISD: 2026-27 tax rate
• Murphy Monitor: Plano ISD 2026-27 tax rate
• Lewisville ISD: 2025-26 tax rate
• McKinney ISD: 2026 election information

Rates are the latest adopted for each city, main school district and county units as of October 2026 (2026 where adopted, otherwise the 2025 tax year; Plano and Coppell city rates are proposed). Tax estimates assume a primary home with the homestead exemption and no special districts. Typical home values are Zillow’s typical home value via Realust. This is general information, not tax or legal advice; confirm your exact rates and exemptions with your county appraisal district.