Gina Branch

As a property owner, you are required to pay property taxes. It is taxed each year by a variety of jurisdictions including the county, city and school district.

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If you purchased in 2010, you may need to notify the taxing authorities of your ownership so that the tax rolls will reflect the change. You may do this by contacting the appropriate tax appraisal district in your county from the following list:

Collin County Appraisal District – 469-742-9200 – www.collincad.org
Dallas County Appraisal District – 214-631-0910 – www.dallascad.org
Denton County Appraisal District – 940-349-3800 – www.dentoncad.com
Ellis County Appraisal District – 972-937-3552 – www.elliscad.org
Rockwall County Appraisal District – 972-771-2034 – www.rockwallcad.com
Tarrant County Appraisal District – 817-284-0024 – www.tad.org

Your property is assigned a single appraised value, which is sent to all taxing jurisdictions. The jurisdiction then applies the tax rate, as set by its governing body, to the appraised value.

2011 TAX EXEMPTIONS

On January 1, 2011, value, ownership, legal description of the property and exemption status of the taxpayer is determined. Several forms of tax relief are available which may reduce the taxable value of your property. Applying for exemptions is the taxpayer’s responsibility. Some exemptions require a new application each year. Contact your appraisal district to learn more about the following exemptions and how to file for them:

General Homestead Exemption
Over 65 Exemption
Disabled Individual Exemption
Disabled Veteran Exemption
Agriculture Land Exemption

To receive your exemption(s), you must own the property and be living in the property as of January 1st. Your application must be applied for on or before April 30, 2011 to receive the tax benefits for this year. This is a FREE service.

Remember, tax statements are generally mailed in October of each year. The taxes are payable on or after October 31, however, you may elect to pay them as late as January 31 without penalty. Taxes become delinquent February 1 and on this date penalties and interest do accrue. If you receive a Tax Statement and your mortgage company is escrowing funds for taxes from your monthly payments, forward the statement to your mortgage company so they can pay the taxes.

Basic information provided by Republic Title