Property tax in Ellis County, Texas
In Ellis County, the property tax bill comes from the Ellis County Tax Office (Tax Assessor-Collector). The 2026 bill is due January 31, 2027. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Ellis County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Ellis County, Texas is $4,697 a year, which is about 1.35% of the county's median home value of $348,600. That effective rate is higher than the typical Texas county (1.19%) and higher than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Ellis County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Ellis County Tax Office (Tax Assessor-Collector). The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Ellis Appraisal District, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.
The Ellis County Tax Office, in Waxahachie with offices in Red Oak, Ennis and Midlothian, collects for the county, its lateral road tax, most cities and school districts, and the emergency service districts in the county. It does not collect for every city and school district that taxes property in the county, so a home in one of those units gets a separate bill from that unit's own collector; the units taxing a home are listed on its bill. Owners can also make partial payments after bills go out (penalty and interest still apply to any balance after January 31), and homestead owners with delinquent taxes can ask for a 12 to 36 month payment agreement. Exemption applications are due at the appraisal district by April 30.
When are property taxes due in Ellis County?
For the 2026 bill, Ellis County has one due date: January 31, 2027. January 31, 2027 is a Sunday, and under state law a payment made on the next regular business day, Monday, February 1, 2027, is on time. Homeowners with a homestead exemption plus an over-65, disabled person or disabled veteran exemption may use the Quarter Payment Plan instead: file the agreement with the tax office each year and pay at least a quarter of the bill by January 31 (state law also accepts the first quarter and notice as late as the end of February), then the rest by March 31, May 31 and July 31. In 2027, May 31 is Memorial Day and July 31 is a Saturday, so under state law a payment on the next business day (June 1 and August 2) is on time. Penalty and interest start on February 1 (for this bill, a payment made on Monday, February 1, 2027 still counts as on time because January 31 is a Sunday). The penalty starts at 6% and rises each month to 12% in July, and interest adds 1% a month until the account is paid in full. On July 1, unpaid accounts go to the delinquent tax attorneys with a collection penalty of up to 20% of the unpaid balance.
From Ellis County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the county's own rules on the next business day apply.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Ellis County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Ellis County's average effective rate of 1.35% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $4,706 / year
Property tax in Ellis County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $4,697 |
| Median home value | $348,600 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.35% |
| Typical Texas county rate | 1.19% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Ellis County compare in Texas?
Among Texas's 250 counties, Ellis County has the 80th highest effective property-tax rate: 79 rank higher and 170 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Texas. Nationally, it ranks 530th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Texas county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Ellis County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Ellis County's 54,389 owner-occupied homes, 67.4% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 77.8% pay at least $2,000, and 7.1% pay under $800. Another 3.9% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 3,844 | 7.1% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 3,614 | 6.6% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 2,547 | 4.7% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 5,634 | 10.4% |
| $3,000 or more | 36,640 | 67.4% |
| No property tax paid | 2,110 | 3.9% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $5,520 and owners without one pay $3,331. Owners who have paid off a home have usually held it longer, and in states that cap how fast an existing owner's assessment can rise, long-held homes carry lower assessed values. Census table B25103.
How does the Ellis County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $4,697 is about 4.1% of the median income of Ellis County homeowner households, $115,531 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 75.8% of Ellis County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Ellis County?
Yes. The median bill went from $3,108 in 2015-2019 to $4,697 in 2020-2024, a 51.1% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 82.1%, from $191,400 to $348,600. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Ellis County
Ellis County borders 7 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaufman County, TX | 1.68% | $5,377 | $320,900 |
| Tarrant County, TX | 1.65% | $5,334 | $323,900 |
| Dallas County, TX | 1.58% | $4,798 | $303,000 |
| Ellis County, TX (this county) | 1.35% | $4,697 | $348,600 |
| Johnson County, TX | 1.24% | $3,557 | $285,900 |
| Navarro County, TX | 1.2% | $2,075 | $172,600 |
| Hill County, TX | 1.16% | $2,078 | $179,200 |
| Henderson County, TX | 0.94% | $1,991 | $211,300 |
How is a home assessed in Ellis County?
Texas assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Ellis County included. How Texas assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Ellis County?
Yes. Texas exempts $140,000 of a home's value from school-district taxes, and local taxing units may add an exemption of up to 20% of value. That is the Texas rule, and it applies in Ellis County. Texas's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Texas programs, Ellis County runs its own:
- Ellis County homestead exemption and tax freeze: For county tax, Ellis County exempts 1% of a homestead's value (at least $5,000), as listed for tax year 2025, and has frozen the county tax on the homesteads of owners 65 or older or disabled since 2004. Apply through the appraisal district. Apply by April 30.
- Lateral road tax exemption and tax freeze: The county's separate lateral road tax, shown on the county bill, exempts 1% of a homestead's value (at least $5,000) on top of the $3,000 state law requires (as listed for tax year 2025), and is also frozen for owners 65 or older or disabled. Apply by April 30.
How to appeal your Ellis County property assessment
In Ellis County you appeal to the Ellis Appraisal District Appraisal Review Board (ARB). The deadline: File a protest with the Ellis Appraisal District by May 15, or within 30 days after your notice of appraised value is delivered if that is later (state law sets the later date for every Texas county). How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Texas's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Texas rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Texas page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Ellis County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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Texas income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Texas actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Ellis County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Ellis County, Texas: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.