Bryan, TX Property Tax Rate, Exemptions, and Deadlines

Inside Bryan city limits, the combined property tax rate for the 2025 tax year is $1.9906 per $100 of taxable value. That total is split among three taxing entities — Bryan Independent School District, the City of Bryan, and Brazos County — and each one sets its own rate every fall, so the combined figure shifts year to year.¹

How the Combined Rate Breaks Down

The Brazos County Tax Office sends one bill that collects for all three entities.² For 2025, the adopted rates per $100 of taxable value are:¹

Bryan ISD: $0.9469 ($0.6769 maintenance and operations, $0.2700 debt service)
City of Bryan: $0.6240 ($0.4528 M&O, $0.1712 debt service)
Brazos County: $0.4197 ($0.3895 M&O, $0.0302 debt service)

The school district is by far the largest share. Maintenance and operations covers day-to-day costs like salaries and utilities; debt service (sometimes called interest and sinking) pays off bonds issued for capital projects such as new schools or road work.

Each entity has to calculate a no-new-revenue rate and a voter-approval rate under the Texas Tax Code before adopting a final figure, and the public process runs through the fall.³ The 2026 rates will be set around September 2026.

What Your Bill Looks Like

The Brazos Central Appraisal District (BCAD) appraises every property at market value as of January 1 each year.⁴ Subtract your exemptions from that market value, and the result is your taxable value. Divide by 100, multiply by the combined rate, and you have your annual tax.

For a home appraised at $250,000 with no exemptions:

$250,000 ÷ 100 = 2,500 × $1.9906 = $4,976.50 per year.

That same home with a $140,000 school homestead exemption would owe Bryan ISD taxes on only $110,000 of value, dropping the school portion from about $2,367 to roughly $1,042 and bringing the full bill down to about $3,651.

Exemptions That Reduce What You Owe

General Homestead

If you own and occupy the home as your primary residence, the general homestead exemption removes $140,000 from your appraised value for school district taxes.⁵ The City of Bryan and Brazos County may offer additional optional homestead exemptions on top of that. Your Texas driver’s license or state ID has to show the property address to qualify.⁶

File Form 50-114 with BCAD. The general deadline is before May 1 of the tax year, though late applications may be accepted up to two years after the delinquency date for the taxes claimed.⁵ You file once; it stays in place as long as you live there.

Over 65 or Disabled

Homeowners who are 65 or older or who have a qualifying disability get an additional $10,000 off their school taxable value on top of the general homestead.⁷ The larger benefit is the school tax ceiling: your Bryan ISD bill in the first year you qualify becomes a permanent cap. If the school rate drops, your bill can drop with it, but it can never exceed that ceiling. A proportional ceiling can transfer to a new home elsewhere in Texas.

Disabled Veterans

Veterans with a service-connected disability qualify for exemptions based on their VA rating:⁸

10% to 29% disability: up to $5,000 off the property’s value
30% to 49%: up to $7,500
50% to 69%: up to $10,000
70% to 100%: up to $12,000

Veterans rated 100% permanently and totally disabled — along with those 65 or older with at least a 10% rating, those totally blind, or those who have lost the use of one or more limbs — can claim the $12,000 exemption or, under a separate provision, a complete exemption from property taxes on their homestead. Surviving spouses of qualifying veterans may keep these benefits.⁸

The 10% Appraisal Cap on Homesteaded Property

Once a homestead exemption is in place, BCAD cannot raise your appraised value by more than 10% per year, plus the value of any new improvements you’ve added. If comparable sales suggest your home jumped 25% in a year, the taxable appraisal still rises only 10%. The gap between the capped value and the full market value narrows over time, but in hot market years the cap matters.

The cap only applies while the homestead exemption is active. Buy a home that the previous owner homesteaded, and the appraisal resets to full market value for your first year before your own exemption kicks in. That first-year jump catches new buyers off guard.

Protesting Your Appraisal

If BCAD’s number looks too high, you can protest, and it costs nothing to file. BCAD mails notices of appraised value each spring. The written protest deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the notice is delivered, whichever is later.⁹ Form 50-132 works, but any written notice identifying the property and stating your disagreement is sufficient.¹⁰

Evidence wins protests. Recent sales of comparable homes in your neighborhood are the strongest exhibit. Photos of conditions that hurt value — deferred maintenance, foundation problems, a flood-prone lot — also help. Pull BCAD’s own evidence packet before the hearing so you can check square footage, lot size, and property features for errors.

Hearings go before the Appraisal Review Board, a panel of local citizens, and typically last 15 to 20 minutes. You can appear in person, by phone or video, or by sworn written statement. If the ARB rules against you, you can escalate to binding arbitration or sue in district court.¹⁰

Payment Deadline and Late Penalties

Bills typically go out in October. Payment is due by January 31, and anything unpaid on February 1 is delinquent.¹¹ The Brazos County Tax Office collects for all three entities and accepts payment online at brazostax.org, by mail (postmark counts if the envelope has valid postage), or in person at its Bryan office.²

Miss January 31 and the penalty-and-interest schedule starts stacking:¹²

February 1: 6% penalty plus 1% interest (7% total)
March 1: 7% penalty plus 2% interest (9% total)
April 1: 8% penalty plus 3% interest (11% total)
May 1: 9% penalty plus 4% interest (13% total)
June 1: 10% penalty plus 5% interest (15% total)
July 1: penalty jumps to a flat 12% plus 6% interest (18% total), and an additional collection penalty may apply

After July 1 the 12% penalty holds and interest keeps climbing at 1% per month with no cap. The tax office has no authority to waive these charges; they’re set by state law.¹¹ Taxes left delinquent long enough can result in a tax lien and eventually a foreclosure suit.

Homeowners who are 65 or older, disabled, or disabled veterans have two options worth knowing about: a quarterly installment plan that splits the bill into four equal payments due before February 1, April 1, June 1, and August 1, and a tax deferral that pauses collection on a homestead indefinitely while interest accrues at 5% per year until you no longer own or live in the home.¹³

1
Brazos Central Appraisal District. Adopted Tax Rates
2
Brazos County, TX – Official Website. Property Taxes
3
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Tax Rate Calculation
4
Brazos Central Appraisal District. Brazos Central Appraisal District
5
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions
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Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Residence Homestead Exemption Application
7
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code TAX 11.13 – Residence Homestead
8
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Disabled Veteran and Surviving Spouse Exemptions Frequently Asked Questions
9
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code TAX 41.44 – Notice of Protest
10
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Appraisal Protests and Appeals
11
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Paying Your Taxes
12
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code TAX 33.01 – Penalties and Interest
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Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Payment Options