Denton County Property Tax Guide for Homeowners and Sellers

Last updated November 13, 2026. Figures come from Denton County, the Denton Central Appraisal District, the Texas Property Tax Code and the U.S. Census Bureau. Sources are listed at the end.

Denton County’s tax rate is $0.183394 per $100 of taxable value for fiscal year 2026-27, and it is only one line on your bill. Your city, school district and any special districts add their own rates. The county mails bills in October, and they are late after January 31. Unpaid taxes are secured by a lien on the house, so they get settled when you sell.

Denton County property tax at a glance

Who sets the value	Denton Central Appraisal District (DCAD), 3911 Morse Street, Denton. (940) 349-3800
Who sends the bill	Denton County Tax Assessor-Collector, 1505 E McKinney Street, Denton. 940-349-3500
County rate, FY 2026-27	$0.183394 per $100 of taxable value, down from $0.185938
Bills mailed	October
Due date	January 31 of the next year. For 2026 taxes, January 31, 2027 is a Sunday, so the last day without penalty is Monday, February 1, 2027
First month late	February: 6% penalty plus 1% interest, 7% in total
After June 30	Referred to the delinquent tax attorney, with an additional 15% to 20% penalty
Protest deadline	May 15 or 30 days after DCAD delivers your notice, whichever is later
Median home value	$437,200 (Census Bureau, 2020-2024 estimates)

How much is property tax in Denton County?

Several governments tax the same house, and each sets its own rate. DCAD sets the value of your property, the taxing units set the rates, and the Tax Assessor-Collector sends the bill. Counties and school districts tax all nonexempt property in their area. You may also pay a city and special districts such as water districts.

The county’s share is small. Denton County lowered its rate from $0.185938 to $0.183394 for fiscal year 2026-27, which a county commissioner described as the lowest in 40 years. Another commissioner put the county’s portion at 10 percent of an overall bill. The county also says Denton County has no hospital, community college, flood control or port authority districts.

The dollar amounts are large because the homes are. The Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 estimates put the median home value in the county at $437,200 and median real estate taxes paid at $7,055 a year. About 66 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, and roughly 29 percent of those owners have no mortgage. Those owners have no lender escrow account, so they pay the bill themselves.

Denton County property tax calculators

Use these two to estimate your annual bill and the cost of paying late. Add the city, school and district rates from your own statement, or look them up in the county’s tax estimator.

When are Denton County property taxes due?

The county mails bills in October. A bill is late if you do not pay it on or before January 31 of the following year, so taxes for 2026 are due by January 31, 2027.

That date is a Sunday, so under Property Tax Code Sec. 1.06 you have until Monday, February 1, 2027 to pay without penalty. A mailed payment counts if the post office postmarks it by January 31, and an online payment counts if it is made by 11:59 p.m. Central that day. After that, penalty and interest build month by month.

Month paid	Penalty	Interest	Total
February	6%	1%	7%
March	7%	2%	9%
April	8%	3%	11%
May	9%	4%	13%
June	10%	5%	15%
July	12%	6%	18%

The penalty stops at 12 percent, and interest keeps rising 1 percent a month after that (Property Tax Code Sec. 33.01). Not getting a bill does not change the due date, the penalty or the lien. Partial payments are accepted, but any balance left after January 31 starts to accrue.

DCAD’s calendar for each tax year runs in this order:

• January 1: property values are set.
• Mid-April: notices of appraised value go out.
• May 15: protest deadline, unless your notice arrived late (see the protest section below).
• July 25: the appraisal roll is certified.
• August and September: taxing units set their rates.
• October: bills begin to go out.

How do I look up or pay my Denton County property tax bill?

Start with the county’s Property Tax page, which links to account search and payment. You can pay four ways:

• Online: eCheck has no convenience fee, and credit or debit cards do. Payments show as pending until they are funded, so allow 7 to 10 business days to post.
• By mail: send a check, cashier’s check or money order to P.O. Box 90223, Denton, TX 76202.
• In person: the main office is at 1505 E McKinney Street, Denton, and it takes cash, checks, cashier’s checks, money orders and cards (with a fee). Substations in Carrollton, Cross Roads, Flower Mound, Frisco and Lewisville are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• By phone or wire: call 940-349-3500 for questions, or to set up a wire or ACH payment.

If your lender pays from escrow, you still get an original statement. The county mails a duplicate to your lender only when the lender asks for one. If yours did not, write your loan number on the statement and send it to the lender right away.

What happens if I don’t pay property taxes in Denton County?

State law places a tax lien on the property every January 1. Whoever owns the property on or after January 1 is personally liable for that year’s tax, and selling the house does not end that liability. The county cites Sec. 32.07 of the Property Tax Code for this. Unpaid tax then picks up the penalty and interest shown above.

Real property accounts still unpaid on June 30 go to the county’s delinquent tax attorney, and the account takes an additional penalty of 15 to 20 percent of the taxes, penalty and interest owed. Sec. 33.07 allows that penalty but caps it at the attorney’s contract compensation. The county describes a delinquent tax sale as the last way to enforce collection, and it explains the process on its delinquent tax sales page.

The Tax Assessor-Collector cannot waive penalty or interest. Only the governing body of the taxing unit can, and only in the situations listed in Sec. 33.011, such as a bill the post office returned undelivered.

Can an exemption or protest lower my Denton County bill?

Exemptions reduce taxable value. The county lists general residence homestead, over-65, disabled person, disabled veteran and surviving spouse of a disabled veteran as common ones. You apply through DCAD, not the tax office, and exemption amounts change, so confirm the current figures with DCAD.

To protest your appraised value, file by May 15 or 30 days after DCAD delivers your notice, whichever is later (Sec. 41.44). A late filing can still get a hearing if you show good cause before the appraisal review board approves the records.

Homeowners with an over-65 or disabled person exemption can pay the current year’s homestead tax in four installments with no penalty or interest, if they ask in writing. One quarter is due by each of January 31, March 31, May 31 and July 31. Miss one and the 6 percent penalty applies and interest starts.

How to sell a house in Denton County when you owe property taxes

You can sell a house in Denton County with unpaid property taxes. Title companies generally want taxes cleared at closing, so the usual route is to pay what is owed out of your proceeds. That part describes how closings tend to work in our experience. It is not a county rule.

1. Get the amount due. Look up your account through the county’s Property Tax page or call 940-349-3500. Penalty and interest change each month after January 31, so ask for the figure for the month you expect to close.
2. Check whether the account went to the delinquent tax attorney. After June 30 of the delinquency year, the additional 15 to 20 percent can apply.
3. Settle the current year in the contract. The owner on January 1 stays personally liable, so agree with the buyer who pays what, and have the title company show it on the settlement statement.
4. Set the closing date ahead of the next deadline. For 2026 taxes, that is February 1, 2027, because January 31 falls on a Sunday.

A cash sale helps when a deadline is close. There is no lender approval to wait for, and you pick the closing date. See how we buy houses in Denton, or read about how we buy houses across Texas.

Behind on Denton County property taxes and thinking about selling? Call (424) 435-2326 or request a cash offer. There is no cost and no obligation.

Denton County property tax FAQ

Is the Denton County tax rate the whole rate on my bill?

No. The $0.183394 per $100 is the county’s rate only. Your city, school district and any special districts add theirs. A county commissioner put the county’s portion at 10 percent of an overall bill.

Can I pay Denton County property taxes in installments?

Partial payments are accepted, but any balance left after January 31 starts to accrue penalty and interest. Only homeowners with an over-65 or disabled person exemption can pay in four installments without penalty, and they must ask in writing.

What is the deadline to pay Denton County property taxes?

January 31 of the year after the tax year. Taxes for 2026 are due by January 31, 2027. That date is a Sunday, so the last day without penalty is Monday, February 1, 2027 (Sec. 1.06). A payment mailed with a postmark on or before that date counts as on time.

Who owes the tax in the year a Denton County house is sold?

The county says the person who owns the property on or after January 1 is personally liable for that year’s tax, and selling does not remove that. Buyers and sellers usually divide the year in the sales contract and settle it at closing.

How do I sell a house in Denton County with delinquent property taxes?

Get the amount due from the Tax Assessor-Collector and give it to the title company, and the taxes are paid from your proceeds at closing. If the account went to the delinquent tax attorney, ask for the total that includes the additional penalty first.

Sources

• Denton County: Property Tax
• Denton County Tax Assessor/Collector: Property Taxes FAQ
• Denton County: Delinquent Tax Sales
• Denton County: Property Tax Office directory
• Denton County news, September 22, 2026: adopted FY 2026-27 budget and tax rate
• Denton County Tax Estimator
• Denton Central Appraisal District: Property Tax System
• Texas Property Tax Code, Chapter 33 (delinquent taxes)
• Texas Property Tax Code, Chapter 41 (protests)
• Texas Comptroller: Property Tax Bills
• U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25077, B25103, B25003, B25081, B25034)

This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice. Rates, fees and dates change, so confirm amounts with the Denton County Tax Assessor-Collector and DCAD. Where we describe how closings usually work, that comes from our own experience and not from an official source.