Denton County Property Tax Due Date: February 1 and July 1 Penalties

The Denton County property tax due date is January 31. Bills go out in October or November after valuations and rates are finalized, payment is legally due as soon as you receive the bill, and any balance still unpaid on February 1 is classified as delinquent. If a mortgage escrow account handles your payment, the lender pays on your behalf, but the tax liability stays with you if the lender misses the date.

The February 1 Delinquency Date

Under Texas Tax Code Section 31.02, taxes are due on receipt of the bill, and you have until January 31 to pay without penalty. If any portion of the bill is unpaid on February 1, the entire remaining balance becomes delinquent.¹

One exception matters. If the county mails your bill after January 10, the delinquency date shifts to the first day of the month following the mailing. That rarely applies to regular annual bills but does come up with supplemental bills issued for mid-year changes in value or ownership, which typically carry a March 1 delinquency date instead.¹

Your bill is consolidated. The January 31 deadline covers Denton County, your city, your school district, and any special districts on one statement. A single payment satisfies all of them.

What Late Payment Costs

Miss the deadline and a statutory schedule of penalties and interest kicks in. The tax office cannot waive these charges. The monthly stack looks like this:

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: 12% penalty plus 6% interest (18% total), plus a potential additional collection penalty

The 1% monthly interest keeps accruing indefinitely until the balance is paid in full, even after a court judgment. Penalties climb by one percentage point each month from February through June, then lock at 12% on July 1 regardless of how many additional months pass.²

The July 1 Collection Penalty

Accounts still delinquent on July 1 can be hit with an extra collection penalty to cover attorney fees. State law allows this penalty to match the compensation set in the taxing unit’s contract with its collection attorney, which typically runs 15% to 20% of the total taxes, penalties, and interest owed. The collector must send a delinquency notice at least 30 days before July 1 warning that the additional charge is coming.³

The math is unforgiving. A $5,000 bill left unpaid into July can climb to roughly $6,900 or more once penalties, interest, and the collection fee stack together.

Active-Duty Military Cap

If you’re on active duty, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act caps interest on delinquent property taxes at 6% per year and blocks additional penalties and fees while you’re serving. This applies to both real and personal property taxes.

Paying Before the Deadline

Look up your account on the Denton County Tax Office online portal by owner name, property address, or account number. The statement shows the total owed with any homestead or other exemptions already applied.⁴

Online payment fees vary by method: credit cards run 2.10% of the payment (minimum $2.00), debit cards 1.50% (minimum $2.00), and e-checks are free.⁵ On a $5,000 bill, the credit card surcharge alone is $105. E-check avoids the fee entirely.

Paying by mail? The postmark date counts as your payment date. Take the envelope to a Post Office retail counter for hand-cancellation, or use Certified Mail and keep the receipt. The Postal Service does not retain copies.⁶

The county also runs six offices with after-hours drop boxes in Denton, Lewisville, Carrollton, Cross Roads, Frisco, and Flower Mound. Payments in the drop box are credited as of the deposit date. The main office is at the Mary and Jim Horn Government Center, 1505 E. McKinney Street in Denton.⁷

Installment Plan for Seniors, Disabled Homeowners, and Disabled Veterans

Homeowners who are 65 or older, disabled, or disabled veterans (or the unmarried surviving spouse of one) can split the bill into four equal payments with no penalty. Under the standard February 1 delinquency date, the schedule is:

First installment due before February 1, with written notice to the tax office electing installments
Second installment due before April 1
Third installment due before June 1
Fourth installment due before August 1

⁸

There is a small grace period. The statute allows the first installment and notice to arrive before March 1 and still qualify. Miss any installment after that and the unpaid portion incurs a 6% penalty plus 1% monthly interest, though the escalating monthly penalty schedule that applies to fully delinquent accounts does not.⁸

You can pay more than the minimum on any installment, and the excess rolls forward. The plan applies only to your residence homestead. Investment and commercial properties don’t qualify.

Split-Payment Option

Texas law also allows a broader split-payment option that any property owner may use if the local taxing unit has adopted it. Under this arrangement, you pay half the bill before December 1 and the second half before July 1 of the following year, with no penalty or interest on the second half as long as you make the July deadline.⁹

If you pay the first half but miss July 1 on the second, the unpaid portion immediately incurs a 12% penalty plus accrued interest. Check with the Denton County Tax Office to confirm split-payment is currently offered by your taxing jurisdictions before relying on it.²

Deferral for Seniors and Disabled Homeowners

Homeowners 65 or older or disabled can defer collection of property taxes on their homestead entirely. During the deferral, delinquency penalties do not apply, but interest keeps accruing at the statutory rate. A tax lien stays on the property, so the balance is postponed, not erased. The deferral ends when you no longer own or occupy the home, at which point the accumulated taxes, interest, and any penalties become payable.¹⁰

Deferral suits homeowners on fixed incomes planning to stay put long-term. The trade-off is a growing balance secured by a lien against the home’s equity, which will need to be cleared when the property changes hands.

1
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Title 1 Section 31-02 – Delinquency Date
2
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Title 1 Section 33-01 – Penalties and Interest
3
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Title 1 Section 33-07 – Additional Penalty for Collection Costs
4
Denton County. Online Taxes
5
Denton County, TX. Payment Methods
6
USPS. Mail Your Tax Return with USPS
7
Denton County, TX. Hours and Locations
8
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Title 1 Section 31-031 – Installment Payments of Certain Homestead Taxes
9
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Title 1 Section 31-03 – Split Payment of Taxes
10
Denton County, TX. Exemptions and Deferrals