Burnet County Property Tax: Rates, Exemptions, and Deadlines

Burnet County’s own property tax rate for 2025 is $0.3323 per $100 of taxable value, but that county rate is only one line on your bill. Every parcel also sits inside a school district, sometimes a city, and usually an emergency services district, and each of those adds its own rate. Depending on which jurisdictions overlap at your address, the combined rate typically falls somewhere between $1.20 and $2.20 per $100.

2025 Tax Rates by Taxing Entity

The Burnet Central Appraisal District publishes adopted rates for every taxing entity each year. All figures below are per $100 of taxable value for 2025.1Burnet Central Appraisal District. Tax Rates 2025

County

The Commissioners Court adopted $0.3323, made up of $0.2445 for the general fund, $0.0460 for road and bridge, and $0.0418 for debt service.2Burnet County, Texas. Order Adopting Tax Rate for Tax Year 2025

School Districts

School taxes are the biggest slice of nearly every bill in the county.

  • Burnet CISD: $0.8710
  • Marble Falls ISD: $0.8855
  • Lampasas ISD: $1.2203 (covers a small area in the northern part of the county)

Cities

City rates apply only to properties inside city limits. Unincorporated parcels skip this layer.

Emergency Services and Special Districts

Nine emergency services districts fund fire protection and EMS across different parts of the county, with rates from $0.0141 (ESD #1) up to $0.10 (ESDs #2, #4, #6, #8, and #9). Three municipal utility districts also levy rates, and the Central Texas Water Conservation District adds $0.0055 countywide.

How the Layers Combine at Your Address

Two homes with identical appraised values can owe very different amounts depending on which lines apply. A property inside the City of Burnet, within Burnet CISD and ESD #1, would face a combined 2025 rate of roughly $1.83 per $100 ($0.3323 county + $0.8710 school + $0.6131 city + $0.0141 ESD + $0.0055 water). A rural parcel in Marble Falls ISD territory under ESD #5, with no city rate, would land closer to $1.30. On a $300,000 home, that gap runs into four figures every year.

Calculating Your Bill

Take your appraised value, subtract any exemptions you qualify for, divide by 100, and multiply by each entity’s rate. Exemptions apply only to the entities that grant them, which is why school taxes usually get calculated against a smaller number than county or city taxes.

A worked example for a $300,000 home inside the City of Burnet within Burnet CISD:

  • Appraised value: $300,000
  • School district homestead exemption: $140,000 (applies to school taxes only)
  • County: ($300,000 ÷ 100) × $0.3323 = $996.90
  • School: ($160,000 ÷ 100) × $0.8710 = $1,393.60
  • City: ($300,000 ÷ 100) × $0.6131 = $1,839.30
  • Water district: ($300,000 ÷ 100) × $0.0055 = $16.50
  • ESD #1: ($300,000 ÷ 100) × $0.0141 = $42.30
  • Total: approximately $4,289

Without the homestead exemption, the school portion alone would jump to $2,613, pushing the total past $5,500. The homestead exemption is the single largest lever most homeowners have.

Exemptions That Lower Your Bill

Texas exemptions are not automatic. You have to apply, usually with a driver’s license or state ID showing the property address.

General Residence Homestead

If the home is your primary residence, school districts must exempt $140,000 of appraised value from school taxes.4Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions Counties and cities may offer optional homestead exemptions on top of that, with amounts varying by entity.

Over-65 and Disabled Homeowner Exemptions

Homeowners who are 65 or older, or who have a qualifying disability, get an additional $10,000 school district exemption on top of the standard $140,000.5State of Texas. Texas Code TAX 11.13 – Residence Homestead These homeowners also get their school tax bill frozen at the amount owed in the year they first qualify. If your school taxes were $1,200 the year you turned 65, they stay at $1,200 regardless of later rate increases or rising values.

Disabled Veteran Exemptions

Veterans with a VA disability rating receive a partial exemption tied to their rating:6State of Texas. Texas Code TAX 11.22 – Disabled Veterans

  • 10% to 29%: up to $5,000 off assessed value
  • 30% to 49%: up to $7,500
  • 50% to 69%: up to $10,000
  • 70% or higher: up to $12,000

Veterans with a 100% disability rating qualify for a complete exemption on their homestead and owe zero property taxes on that home.7Texas Veterans Commission. Property Tax Exemptions Available to Veterans Per Disability Rating

The 10 Percent Homestead Cap

Once you have a homestead exemption in place, the appraised value of your homestead cannot rise by more than 10 percent per year over the prior year’s appraised value, plus the value of any new improvements. The cap kicks in during the second year of ownership and applies only to your homestead. Rental homes, commercial buildings, and other property types are not protected.

Payment Deadlines and Penalties

Tax bills go out in the fall and are due on receipt. The delinquency date is February 1 of the following year.8State of Texas. Texas Code TAX 31.02 – Delinquency Date For 2025 taxes, January 31, 2026 lands on a Saturday, so the effective deadline shifts to Monday, February 2, 2026. Confirm the date with the county tax office if you’re paying late in January.

Once you’re delinquent, the meter starts running. A 6 percent penalty plus 1 percent interest hits on day one. The penalty grows by 1 percent each additional month through June. On July 1, the penalty jumps to a flat 12 percent and interest keeps accruing at 1 percent per month indefinitely.9State of Texas. Texas Code TAX 33.01 – Penalties and Interest If the account gets referred to an attorney for collection after July 1, an additional collection fee of up to 20 percent can be added. On a $4,000 bill, waiting until July could cost an extra $1,280 in penalties and interest before collection fees.

Installment Options for Some Homeowners

Homeowners who are 65 or older, disabled, or the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran can split their bill into four quarterly installments. The first 25 percent is due by January 31, with the remaining payments due by the last day of March, May, and July. Meet each deadline and no penalty or interest accrues.

Texas Tax Code Section 31.03 also permits a half-payment option, where owners pay half before December 1 and the balance before July 1 of the following year without penalty. Availability depends on a resolution from the Commissioners Court, so check with the Burnet County tax assessor-collector before relying on it.

Protesting Your Appraised Value

If your appraised value looks too high, you can protest to the Appraisal Review Board. Grounds include the value itself, unequal appraisal compared to similar properties, denial of an exemption, and other actions that affect you adversely.10State of Texas. Texas Code TAX 41.41 – Right of Protest

The filing deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the appraisal district mails your notice of appraised value, whichever is later. A written protest simply needs to identify the property, name the owner, and state disagreement with the district’s decision. Form 50-132 is available but not required.11Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Appraisal Protests and Appeals

Most protests get resolved at an informal meeting with a staff appraiser before any formal hearing. Bring recent comparable sales, photos of condition issues, and evidence of any errors in the district’s records. If the informal meeting doesn’t settle it, a hearing before the ARB panel follows, and you can appeal that decision to district court or binding arbitration.