The sales tax rate in Pasadena, Texas is 8.25 percent. That’s the combined rate you’ll pay at the register on most retail purchases and taxable services within city limits, and it’s the highest combined rate allowed anywhere in Texas.
Where the 8.25 Percent Goes
The rate is built from two layers. Texas imposes a 6.25 percent state sales tax on retail sales, leases, and rentals of most goods and taxable services.1State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 151.051 – Sales Tax Imposed The remaining 2 percent is local. According to the Texas Comptroller’s rate tables, 1.5 percent goes to the City of Pasadena’s general fund and 0.5 percent funds the Pasadena Crime Control District.2Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Texas Sales and Use Tax Rates – April 2026
State law caps the combined local sales tax at 2 percent for any location, and no city can push the combined rate above that ceiling.3State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 321.101 – Tax Authorized Pasadena’s local levies already hit that cap, so 8.25 percent is effectively the maximum you’ll ever pay inside the city.
What You Pay Tax On
Texas taxes most tangible personal property. Furniture, electronics, clothing, and household goods all carry the full 8.25 percent, and leasing or renting an item is taxed the same as buying it outright.4Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Sales and Use Tax
A number of services are also taxable. Data processing — things like word processing, data entry, and data storage done by computer — is one of the more common categories.5Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Taxable Services Telecommunications, cable television, and certain repair and restoration labor are taxable as well. The Comptroller publishes a full list of taxable service categories for anything that falls into a gray area.
What’s Exempt
Groceries are the exemption most Pasadena shoppers run into every week. Unprepared food for human consumption — bread, milk, eggs, produce, meat, and snacks like chips and granola bars — is exempt from sales tax.6State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 151.314 – Food and Food Products The exemption does not cover prepared food sold ready to eat by restaurants, delis, or food trucks, and it does not cover soft drinks or candy.7Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Grocery and Convenience Stores
Health-related items get broad relief too. Prescription drugs, insulin (with or without a prescription), over-the-counter medicines labeled with a Drug Facts panel, and hypodermic needles are exempt. So are medical devices like hearing aids, corrective lenses, prosthetic devices, braces, and hospital beds, along with replacement parts and related supplies.8Legal Information Institute. 34 Texas Admin Code 3.284 – Drugs, Medicines, Medical Equipment, and Devices Diapers and baby wipes qualify as well.
When the Rate Drops to Zero
Texas runs several tax-free weekends each year, and during those windows the 8.25 percent you’d normally pay in Pasadena drops to nothing on qualifying items.
The ENERGY STAR Sales Tax Holiday is the one most relevant to homeowners. For 2026 it runs from Saturday, May 23, through midnight on Monday, May 25. You can buy ENERGY STAR-labeled air conditioners priced at $6,000 or less, refrigerators at $2,000 or less, ceiling fans, light bulbs, clothes washers, dishwashers, and dehumidifiers tax-free.9Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. ENERGY STAR Sales Tax Holiday Delivery and shipping charges count as part of the sales price, so a $1,950 refrigerator with a $75 delivery fee crosses the $2,000 cap and loses the exemption.
Texas also typically holds a back-to-school tax holiday covering clothing, school supplies, and backpacks under set price caps, and an emergency preparedness holiday for generators, batteries, and weather supplies. The Comptroller announces specific dates and eligible items earlier in the year.
Online Purchases Shipped to Pasadena
Buying online doesn’t change the rate. Remote sellers that meet Texas’s economic nexus threshold — $500,000 in gross Texas revenue over a 12-month period — must register and collect the full 8.25 percent on sales shipped to Pasadena addresses. Most major retailers already do this at checkout.
If you buy from a smaller seller that doesn’t collect Texas tax, you technically owe an equivalent use tax on the purchase. It’s easy to overlook, but the obligation exists, and the Comptroller can assess it during an audit.