Justin, TX Property Tax Rate and Homestead Exemptions

Justin, TX property tax rates total roughly $2.00 per $100 of assessed value for the 2025–2026 tax year, combined across four taxing entities. On a $400,000 home with no exemptions, that works out to about $8,000 a year. Because Texas collects no state income tax, property taxes carry the full load for schools, roads, emergency services, and city operations, so understanding the rate and the exemptions that reduce it makes a real difference.

The Four Entities That Tax a Justin Home

Your bill is the combined work of four separate governments, each setting its own rate independently each year. For 2025–2026:

Added together, the total lands at roughly $2.0000 per $100. Each entity holds public hearings before adopting its rate, so the exact numbers move year to year based on budgets and debt.4State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 26.06 – Notice, Hearing, and Vote on Tax Increase If your parcel also sits inside a Municipal Utility District or other special district, you may owe an additional layer on top of these four. The Denton County Truth in Taxation page lists every entity that taxes your specific address.

How the Dollar Amount Is Calculated

The Denton Central Appraisal District sets a market value for every property as of January 1 each year.5Denton County. Appraisal Districts Market value is what the property would sell for in an open transaction. If your value went up by $1,000 or more from the prior year, you’ll get a Notice of Appraised Value in the spring, typically April or May.6Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Notice Requirements

The math is straightforward. Take your taxable value (appraised value minus any exemptions), divide by 100, and multiply by the combined rate. A $400,000 home with no exemptions: $400,000 ÷ 100 = $4,000 × 2.0000 = $8,000. Apply the general homestead exemption and the school portion drops, bringing the total closer to $6,500.

The 10 Percent Appraisal Cap

Once you have a homestead exemption on your primary residence, the appraisal district cannot increase your appraised value by more than 10 percent per year, no matter what the market does. The cap starts the January after you first qualify and limits the taxable value to the lesser of actual market value or last year’s appraised value plus 10 percent, plus any new improvements.7State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 23.23 – Limitation on Appraised Value of Residence Homestead

This matters in a growing area like Justin. If market value jumps 25 percent in a year, taxable value can only rise 10 percent. New additions such as a garage get full market value added on top of the cap, so improvements aren’t shielded.8Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Valuing Property

Exemptions That Lower What You Pay

Filing for exemptions is the single most effective way to cut your bill, and plenty of homeowners never do it. Apply through the Denton Central Appraisal District using Form 50-114, available from the Comptroller or at the appraisal district office.9Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Residence Homestead Exemption Application The standard window runs January 1 through April 30, but late applications are accepted up to two years after the deadline.10Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Residence Homestead Exemptions

General Homestead Exemption

Any owner using the property as a primary residence, with a Texas driver’s license or state ID showing that address, qualifies. The school district exemption removes $140,000 from appraised value before the school portion is calculated.11Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions On a $400,000 home, that alone saves about $1,518 in school taxes. File once; the exemption stays on the property as long as it remains your primary residence.

Over-65 and Disability Exemptions

Homeowners 65 or older, or who qualify as disabled, get an additional $10,000 off taxable value for school district purposes on top of the $140,000 general exemption, for a total school exemption of $150,000.11Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions Qualifying also freezes your school district taxes at the amount owed in the first year you turn 65 or become disabled. You may pay less in some years if rates drop, but never more than that ceiling.10Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Residence Homestead Exemptions The City of Justin and Denton County may offer optional additional exemptions for these groups.

Disabled Veteran Exemptions

Veterans with a service-connected disability receive a partial exemption based on their VA rating:

  • 10–29 percent rating: $5,000 off taxable value
  • 30–49 percent rating: $7,500 off taxable value
  • 50–69 percent rating: $10,000 off taxable value
  • 70–100 percent rating: $12,000 off taxable value

Veterans rated 100 percent disabled, or determined unemployable by the VA, qualify for a complete exemption on their residence homestead, meaning zero property taxes from every taxing entity.12Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. 100 Percent Disabled Veteran and Surviving Spouse Frequently Asked Questions A surviving spouse who hasn’t remarried can keep the 100 percent exemption and transfer it to a new homestead. Late applications for the 100 percent disabled veteran exemption are accepted up to five years after the deadline.10Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Residence Homestead Exemptions

Protesting the Appraised Value

If the appraisal district values your home higher than you believe it’s worth, you can challenge the number. The deadline to file a protest is May 15, or 30 days after the appraisal district mails your Notice of Appraised Value, whichever comes later.

File a Notice of Protest with the appraisal district online, by mail, or in person. You’ll be scheduled for a hearing before the Appraisal Review Board, typically at least 15 days in advance. At the hearing, you and an appraisal district representative each present evidence and answer questions from a panel. Hearings usually run 15 to 20 minutes, and you can attend in person, by phone or video, or submit a written affidavit.

The strongest evidence tends to be recent comparable sales of similar homes nearby, photos of property conditions the appraisal may not reflect, and independent appraisals. You can also designate a professional agent using an Appointment of Agent form if you’d rather not handle the hearing yourself.

Payment Deadlines and Late Costs

Tax bills go out in October and the balance is due by January 31. Taxes become delinquent on February 1 of the following year.13Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Law Deadlines The Denton County Tax Assessor-Collector accepts e-check at no charge, credit card with a processing fee, mail postmarked by January 31, in-person payments at county offices, and cash or Apple Pay at the counter.14Denton County. Payment Methods

If a mortgage company handles your taxes through escrow, verify each year that the payment actually posted. Servicers sometimes make errors, and the penalty falls on you. Check the Denton County online tax portal after the deadline to confirm a zero balance.

Missing January 31 gets expensive quickly. The first month of delinquency adds a 6 percent penalty on the unpaid tax plus 1 percent interest. Each additional month tacks on another 1 percent penalty and 1 percent interest.15State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.01 – Penalties and Interest By July 1, the penalty jumps to a flat 12 percent regardless of how many months you’ve been late, and interest keeps accumulating at 1 percent per month after that.

When the taxing unit refers your account to a collection attorney, an additional penalty of up to 20 percent of the total taxes, penalties, and interest owed can be added to cover attorney costs.16State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.07 On a $6,000 bill left unpaid for a year, combined penalties, interest, and attorney fees can easily exceed $2,000. Continued delinquency leads to a tax lien and potential foreclosure.

Homeowners 65 or older, disabled homeowners, and qualifying disabled veterans can split homestead taxes into four equal installments with no penalty or interest. Make the first payment before February 1 and request the agreement in writing at the same time; the remaining three are due before April 1, June 1, and August 1.17Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Payment Options The same four-installment option is available to anyone whose property was damaged in a declared disaster area. Owners 65 or older and disabled homeowners can also defer all property tax payments on their residence homestead indefinitely by filing a deferral affidavit with the Denton Central Appraisal District, though deferred taxes accrue interest at 5 percent per year and the full balance comes due within 180 days after the home stops being their primary residence.