Buying a home in Jefferson County, Texas
What to check before you buy in Beaumont, Port Arthur & Jefferson 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 Jefferson County address. No sign-up.
- Checks automated here
- 17 of 29
- Jefferson County tax rate (2025)
- $0.357
- MUDs taxing in the county
- 1
- Windstorm (TWIA) area
- Yes
Who keeps the records
- Appraisal district (value, exemptions, protests): www.jcad.org, 409-840-9944
- Tax assessor-collector (tax bills, unpaid taxes, tax certificates): www.jeffcotax.com, 409-835-8516
- Texas Comptroller county directory for Jefferson 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.
1 municipal utility districts (MUDs) and 5 water, utility, improvement and similar districts in all reported a 2025 tax rate in Jefferson County. The median MUD rate was $0.5441 and the highest $0.5441 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 Beaumont | $0.6597 |
| City of Bevil Oaks | $0.131 |
| City of Groves | $0.6149 |
| City of Nederland | $0.451 |
| City of Port Arthur | $0.6157 |
| City of Port Neches | $0.708 |
| City of Taylor Landing | $0.222 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Beaumont ISD | $0.9348 | D |
| Hamshire-Fannett ISD | $1.0492 | B |
| Hardin-Jefferson ISD | $0.9669 | B |
| Nederland ISD | $0.8986 | A |
| Port Arthur ISD | $1.2704 | C |
| Port Neches-Groves ISD | $1.1419 | B |
| Sabine Pass ISD | $0.9323 | 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: FEMA estimated flood maps. These can show risk the effective FEMA map doesn't yet.
Windstorm and hurricanes
Jefferson County is one of the 14 first-tier coastal counties where the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) insures wind and hail. Many homeowners policies here exclude wind and hail, so buyers often add a TWIA policy, which needs a windstorm certificate for work done since 1988. How TWIA works.
What a HouseDirt report covers in Jefferson County
17 checks are automated and 5 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 | |
| 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 Beaumont; elsewhere we name who to ask. |
| Property taxes & special districts | Automated | |
| Unpaid property taxes | Automated | Live account balance from the county's tax collector. |
| 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 Beaumont, Port Arthur; elsewhere we name who to ask. |
| Schools | Partly automated | District and its state rating are automated; zoned campuses are the district's nearest, to confirm. |
| Home internet (FCC broadband availability) | Automated | |
| Reported crime nearby | Link and what to ask | City records: we name the city or county office 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 | Automated | Appraisal district value history, from its property page. |
| 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 Jefferson County property tax rate?
- Jefferson County's own rate for 2025 was $0.357 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 Jefferson County?
- 1 municipal utility districts reported a 2025 tax rate in Jefferson County to the Texas Comptroller.
- Is Jefferson County in the TWIA windstorm area?
- Yes. Jefferson County is one of the 14 first-tier coastal counties in TWIA's catastrophe area.
- Where do I check unpaid property taxes in Jefferson County?
- The Jefferson County tax assessor-collector (www.jeffcotax.com) 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