Harris County Property Tax

With home ownership come paying taxes. If you live in Houston you will have to pay yearly taxes. You are able to fill out a residence homestead exemption. If you own and live in the property. You will able to able to do this once. Which means if you own more then one home, you are not able to fix 2 or more homestead exemption. You should file your homestead exemption on the most expense home.

The exemptions apply only to property that you own and occupy as your principal place of residence. You must file the completed application with all required documentation beginning Jan. 1 and no later than April 30 of the year for which you are requesting an exemption. If you qualify for the age 65 or older or
disabled persons exemption, or the exemption for donated homesteads of partially disabled
veterans, you must apply for the exemption no later than the first anniversary of the date you qualify for the exemption.

The property tax is the primary source of local government revenue in Texas and provides funding for the services provided by counties, cities, school districts, and a variety of special entities such as community colleges, port authorities, hospital and flood control districts, and municipal utility districts. While the total combined state and local tax burden in Texas is among the lowest in the nation, the portion of the tax burden borne by property taxpayers in Texas is relatively high.

Under Texas law, all real property (land, buildings, etc.) and tangible personal property used for the production of income (business inventories, equipment, etc.) is taxable at its January 1 market value unless exempt by law, or unless subject to special appraisal provisions, such as the appraisal of agricultural land at its productivity value.

Three factors determine the total amount of taxes imposed on a property. These include the appraised value established by the appraisal district for the county in which the property is located; the exemptions, if any, to which that property may be entitled, such as the homestead exemption for owner-occupied residential property; and the tax rates set by the governing bodies of the taxing units (jurisdictions) in which the property is located. The purpose of the appraisal is to allocate the tax burden fairly among all taxpayers.

Here is the address and phone number to the Harris County Appraisal District.

Harris County Appraisal District
13013 Northwest Freeway
Houston, Texas 77040-6305

Office Hours
Hours: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday - Friday
Saturday Hearings: Jun, Jul, Aug

Telephone Information Center
(713) 957-7800
Hours: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday - Friday