Cameron County Property Tax: Rates, Exemptions, and Payment

Cameron County property tax is not a single rate but a stack of them. The county’s own 2025 rate is $0.424393 per $100 of taxable value, and that piece applies to every property in the county.¹ What you actually pay depends on which school district, city, and special districts also cover your address. A Brownsville homeowner can end up with a combined rate near $2.00 per $100 once every entity is added in, while a property outside any city limits pays no municipal rate at all. Two homes a few miles apart can carry noticeably different bills for that reason.

Who Taxes Your Property

Cameron County has more than 40 separate taxing entities, and each one sets its own rate independently. Your bill is built from whichever ones your parcel sits inside.²

Every property pays the county rate of $0.424393. Properties in the Texas Southmost College District add another $0.111809.¹

City rates vary widely. Some 2025 examples per $100 of value:

Brownsville: $0.603504
Harlingen: $0.526060
San Benito: $0.708125
Los Fresnos: $0.685000
La Feria: $0.735000
Port Isabel: $0.790416
South Padre Island: $0.262159

Smaller towns range from $0.250000 in Bayview to $0.820000 in Santa Rosa.²

School districts are usually the largest single line. Rates for 2025 run from $0.730300 at Point Isabel ISD to $1.341900 at Rio Hondo ISD, with Brownsville ISD at $0.831460, Harlingen CISD at $0.918200, San Benito CISD at $1.050600, Los Fresnos CISD at $0.880272, and La Feria ISD at $1.030683. South Texas ISD, a regional magnet district, adds $0.049200 on top of your local school district rate.¹

Depending on location, a property may also fall inside one or more special districts: six drainage districts (rates between $0.026983 and $0.157615), an emergency services district at $0.062736, municipal utility districts from $0.250000 to $0.438500, and navigation districts for the ports of Brownsville ($0.025589) and Harlingen ($0.019110).²

How the Bill Is Calculated

Texas expresses property tax rates per $100 of taxable value.³ To find what you owe a single entity, divide your taxable value by 100 and multiply by that entity’s rate. Your total bill is the sum across every entity that covers your parcel.

Take a home in Brownsville with a taxable value of $200,000 after exemptions. The main overlapping 2025 rates are Cameron County ($0.424393), City of Brownsville ($0.603504), Brownsville ISD ($0.831460), Texas Southmost College ($0.111809), and the Brownsville Navigation District ($0.025589). Combined, that is roughly $1.9968. Multiply 2,000 by $1.9968 and the annual bill is about $3,994. If the property also sits in Drainage District No. 1, add another $54 for that district’s $0.026983 rate.

How Appraisals Drive What You Pay

The Cameron Appraisal District sets each property’s market value as of January 1.⁴ That number, not the rate alone, drives your bill. If appraised values rise and rates hold steady, your taxes go up. A rate cut can also be swallowed whole by an appraisal increase.

For homestead properties, Texas caps annual appraisal increases at 10 percent of the prior year’s appraised value, plus the value of any new improvements.⁵ The full market value still sits in the district’s records, but the capped figure is what your taxes are calculated on. The cap only kicks in once you have a homestead exemption on file, so new homeowners should apply as soon as possible.

Every spring, owners whose market value went up by at least a dollar receive a Notice of Appraised Value showing market value, capped appraised value (for homesteads), and taxable value after exemptions.

Exemptions That Lower Your Taxable Value

Exemptions come off the appraised value before rates are applied. Filing for the ones you qualify for is the single largest step most homeowners can take to reduce their bill.

General Homestead Exemption

Any homeowner using the property as a principal residence can file for the general homestead exemption. Under Section 11.13 of the Tax Code, school districts must exempt $100,000 of appraised value from school taxes.⁶ Recent legislation (S.B. 4, 89th Legislature) increases that amount to $140,000 for tax years beginning January 1, 2025, contingent on voter approval of a related constitutional amendment. Cities and counties may adopt additional homestead exemptions but are not required to. Applications go to the Cameron Appraisal District and must be filed before May 1.⁷

Over-65 and Disabled Homeowners

Homeowners who are 65 or older or who have a qualifying disability get an additional $10,000 school district exemption on top of the general homestead exemption.⁶ Other taxing entities may adopt an additional exemption of at least $3,000.

The larger benefit for most people is the school tax ceiling. Once you qualify, the school district freezes your taxes at the amount you owed in the first year you received the exemption, and it cannot raise your school taxes above that ceiling unless you add improvements.⁸ County and city entities may adopt their own ceilings; not all do.

Disabled Veterans

Veterans with a service-connected disability receive a partial exemption tied to their rating:⁹

10% to 29% disability: 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 the VA rates at 100 percent disabled receive a complete exemption on their residence homestead and owe no property taxes on that home. The exemption extends to the surviving spouse as long as the spouse does not remarry and keeps living in the home.¹⁰

Protesting Your Appraised Value

If you think the appraisal district set your market value too high, you can protest. Common grounds are market value exceeding actual value, unequal appraisal compared to similar properties, and denial of an exemption you believe you qualify for.¹¹ The deadline is May 15 or 30 days after your Notice of Appraised Value is mailed, whichever is later.⁴

After filing, the district typically schedules an informal meeting where a staff appraiser reviews your evidence and may agree to a reduced value without a hearing. If that doesn’t resolve it, the case moves to the Appraisal Review Board, a panel of local citizens who hear both sides and issue a binding decision. Bring documentation: recent comparable sales, photos of condition issues, repair estimates, or an independent appraisal. Hearings are relatively short and can be attended in person, by phone or video, or by written statement. If you disagree with the ARB’s decision, you can appeal through binding arbitration or file in district court.

When and How to Pay

Bills are mailed in the fall and payment is due by January 31 of the following year. For 2025 taxes, the county’s stated deadline is January 31, 2026. Because that date falls on a Saturday, the effective delinquency date is Monday, February 3, 2026.¹² Anything unpaid after that begins accruing penalties and interest.

You can pay online through the county’s tax portal, in person at any Cameron County tax office, or at participating Lone Star National Bank locations if you bring the tax bill. Electronic check payments carry a small flat fee; credit and debit card payments incur a 3 percent convenience fee whether paid online or in person.¹²

Installment Plan for Seniors, Disabled Homeowners, and Veterans

Homeowners who are 65 or older, disabled, or a disabled veteran can split the tax bill into four equal installments without penalty or interest, provided the first installment is paid by January 31 and the homeowner notifies the tax office of the election.¹³ The Cameron County schedule is January 31, March 31, May 31, and July 31.¹² Missing an installment deadline triggers penalties and interest on the remaining balance.

What Late Payment Costs

Delinquent taxes carry a 6 percent penalty in the first month, plus 1 percent for each additional month through June, with interest accruing separately at 1 percent per month.¹⁴ Combined penalty and interest by month:

February: 7% (6% penalty + 1% interest)
March: 9%
April: 11%
May: 13%
June: 15%

On July 1, the penalty jumps to a flat 12 percent regardless of how many months have passed, and interest continues to accumulate.¹⁴ If the taxing entity has contracted with a collection attorney, an additional penalty of up to 20 percent of the total tax owed can be added to cover attorney fees.¹⁵ By midsummer, a $4,000 bill left alone can exceed $5,600.

Unpaid taxes also create a lien on the property that attaches automatically on January 1 of each year, and a taxing unit can file suit to foreclose on that lien any time after the tax becomes delinquent.¹⁶ Foreclosure over a single missed year is uncommon, but the risk climbs quickly once multiple years stack up. Contacting the tax office and getting on a plan is far cheaper than waiting for a delinquent-tax attorney to make contact.

1
Cameron County. Truth in Taxation Summary
2
Cameron Appraisal District. Cameron County 2025 Adopted Tax Rates
3
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Tax Rate Calculation
4
Cameron Appraisal District. The Protest Process
5
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 23.23 – Limitation on Appraised Value of Residence Homesteads
6
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.13 – Residence Homestead
7
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions
8
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.26 – Limitation on School District Taxes
9
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 11.22 – Disabled Veterans
10
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 11.131 – Residence Homestead of 100 Percent Disabled Veteran
11
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.41 – Right of Protest
12
Cameron County. Cameron County Tax Assessor Collector
13
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 31.031 – Installment Payments of Certain Homestead Taxes
14
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.01 – Penalties and Interest
15
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.07 – Additional Penalty for Collection Costs
16
Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Opinion No. KP-0483