Buying a home in Harris County, Texas
What to check before you buy in Houston & Harris County: flood maps, windstorm insurance, property taxes and special districts, schools, and which records HouseDirt looks up for you here. Every figure on this page comes from a public record named under Sources.
Free report for any Harris County address. No sign-up.
- Checks automated here
- 16 of 29
- Harris County tax rate (2025)
- $0.381
- MUDs taxing in the county
- 394
- Windstorm (TWIA) area
- Partly
Who keeps the records
- Appraisal district (value, exemptions, protests): www.hcad.org, 713-957-7800
- Tax assessor-collector (tax bills, unpaid taxes, tax certificates): www.hctax.net, 713-274-8000
- Texas Comptroller county directory for Harris County
Property taxes and special districts
A Texas home pays tax to several bodies at once: the county, usually a city, a school district and often special districts. Rates are per $100 of taxable value, as reported to the Texas Comptroller for 2025. Your bill depends on which of these overlap the lot, which a HouseDirt report works out for the exact address.
394 municipal utility districts (MUDs) and 524 water, utility, improvement and similar districts in all reported a 2025 tax rate in Harris County. The median MUD rate was $0.54 and the highest $1.50 per $100. A MUD or PID can add a large share to a tax bill; see how MUD and PID taxes work.
City tax rates (2025)
| City | Rate per $100 |
|---|---|
| City of Baytown | $0.698 |
| City of Bellaire | $0.4174 |
| City of Bunker Hill | $0.271 |
| City of Deer Park | $0.72 |
| City of El Lago | $0.4566 |
| City of Friendswood | $0.5142 |
| City of Galena Park | $0.938 |
| City of Hedwig Village | $0.3363 |
| City of Hilshire Village | $0.5292 |
| City of Houston | $0.5192 |
| City of Humble | $0.2582 |
| City of Hunters Creek Village | $0.2052 |
| City of Jacinto City | $0.6034 |
| City of Jersey Village | $0.8146 |
| City of Katy | $0.425 |
| City of La Porte | $0.71 |
| City of League City | $0.3635 |
| City of Missouri City | $0.5708 |
| City of Morgans Point | $0.932 |
| City of Nassau Bay | $0.6705 |
| City of Pasadena | $0.4656 |
| City of Pearland | $0.63 |
| City of Piney Point Village | $0.2551 |
| City of Seabrook | $0.4642 |
| City of Shoreacres | $0.8501 |
| City of South Houston | $0.5696 |
| City of Southside Place | $0.3409 |
| City of Spring Valley | $0.395 |
| City of Taylor Lake Village | $0.2293 |
| City of Tomball | $0.3409 |
| City of Waller | $0.4464 |
| City of Webster | $0.3711 |
| City of West University Place | $0.2294 |
Cities that extend into this county and reported a rate to the Comptroller. Outside city limits, no city tax applies.
School districts
| District | 2025 rate per $100 | TEA rating |
|---|---|---|
| Aldine ISD | $1.034 | C |
| Alief ISD | $1.0072 | C |
| Channelview ISD | $0.9617 | B |
| Clear Creek ISD | $0.969 | B |
| Crosby ISD | $1.2241 | B |
| Cypress-Fairbanks ISD | $1.0669 | B |
| Dayton ISD | $0.9572 | C |
| Deer Park ISD | $1.1389 | B |
| Galena Park ISD | $1.2499 | B |
| Goose Creek CISD | $1.07 | B |
| Houston ISD | $0.8783 | B |
| Huffman ISD | $1.0737 | C |
| Humble ISD | $1.1052 | B |
| Katy ISD | $1.1171 | B |
| Klein ISD | $1.0119 | B |
| La Porte ISD | $1.0641 | B |
| New Caney ISD | $1.2552 | C |
| Pasadena ISD | $1.1722 | B |
| Pearland ISD | $1.135 | A |
| Sheldon ISD | $1.2552 | C |
| Spring Branch ISD | $1.0231 | B |
| Spring ISD | $1.1369 | C |
| Stafford MSD | $1.0021 | B |
| Tomball ISD | $1.0629 | A |
| Waller ISD | $1.0626 | B |
The district rating is the Texas Education Agency's latest A–F accountability rating on TXschools.gov. School district taxes on a homestead are figured after the $140,000 homestead exemption. Attendance zones change; confirm the zoned campus with the district.
Flood risk
Every HouseDirt report checks the address against FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer and FEMA's flood insurance claim history for the area. What the FEMA zones mean.
Newer or local flood maps also checked here: Harris County MAAPnext (draft), FEMA estimated flood maps. These can show risk the effective FEMA map doesn't yet.
Windstorm and hurricanes
Parts of La Porte, Morgan's Point, Pasadena, Seabrook and Shoreacres east of State Highway 146 are in TWIA's catastrophe area; the rest of Harris County is a second-tier coastal county outside it. How TWIA works.
What a HouseDirt report covers in Harris County
16 checks are automated and 6 partly automated. For the rest, the report names the office to ask and the question to ask it.
| Check | Here | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Property record | Automated | |
| Flood zone (FEMA official map) | Automated | |
| Flood history (FEMA flood insurance records) | Automated | Adds the Harris County MAAPnext (draft) floodplain map. |
| Windstorm insurance, hurricanes & storm surge | Automated | |
| Permits & renovation history | Link and what to ask | City records: we name the city or county office to ask. |
| Code violations | Partly automated | Automated in Houston; elsewhere we name who to ask. |
| Property taxes & special districts | Automated | |
| Unpaid property taxes | Automated | |
| Title & liens | Link and what to ask | Links the County Clerk's records; deed and lien records are searched by owner name. |
| HOA / property owners association | Partly automated | Found from the parcel's subdivision name; rural tracts without one get a question to ask. |
| Soil & foundation risk (USDA) | Automated | |
| Natural hazards & contamination | Automated | |
| Zoning, lot restrictions & nearby development | Partly automated | Automated in Houston; elsewhere we name who to ask. |
| Schools | Partly automated | Zoned campuses automated for Aldine ISD, Alief ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Galena Park ISD, Houston ISD, Humble ISD, Katy ISD, Klein ISD, Pasadena ISD, Spring Branch ISD, Spring ISD, Tomball ISD; elsewhere the district's state rating is shown and the zoned campuses are to confirm. |
| Home internet (FCC broadband availability) | Automated | |
| Reported crime nearby | Partly automated | Automated in Houston; elsewhere we name who to ask. |
| Water, sewer, septic & lead pipes | Automated | |
| Aquifer & watershed rules | Automated | |
| Historic district & landmarks | Automated | |
| What you can build on this lot | Link and what to ask | Names who sets the zoning and lot rules. |
| Age-related risks & radon | Partly automated | Era risks need the year built from the parcel record. |
| Foreclosure notices | Link and what to ask | Links the county's posted foreclosure notices. |
| Appraised value & square-footage history | Not yet | |
| Road, rail & aircraft noise | Automated | |
| Major construction nearby | Automated | |
| Short-term rentals nearby | Not yet | |
| Hail history | Automated | |
| Walkability & transit | Automated | |
| Sex offender registry | Link and what to ask | Links the state sex-offender registry search for this address. |
From the county profile that is live now; it updates with every release. See coverage for all 254 counties.
Common questions
- What is the Harris County property tax rate?
- Harris County's own rate for 2025 was $0.381 per $100 of taxable value (Texas Comptroller). A home's total rate adds the city, school district and any special districts, so check the exact address.
- Are there MUDs in Harris County?
- 394 municipal utility districts reported a 2025 tax rate in Harris County to the Texas Comptroller.
- Is Harris County in the TWIA windstorm area?
- Only the parts of La Porte, Morgan's Point, Pasadena, Seabrook and Shoreacres east of State Highway 146.
- Where do I check unpaid property taxes in Harris County?
- The Harris County tax assessor-collector (www.hctax.net) holds tax balances and issues tax certificates. A HouseDirt report shows what it can look up for the address.
Sources
- Texas Comptroller, 2025 property tax rates and levies
- Texas Comptroller county directory
- Texas Education Agency, TXschools.gov ratings
- FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer
- Texas Windstorm Insurance Association