Property tax in Montgomery County, Texas
In Montgomery County, the property tax bill comes from the Montgomery 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 Montgomery County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Montgomery County, Texas is $5,268 a year, which is about 1.52% of the county's median home value of $346,200. 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 Montgomery County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Montgomery County Tax Office (Tax Assessor-Collector). The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Montgomery Central Appraisal District (MCAD), 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 Montgomery County Tax Office sends one consolidated bill for the county and most cities, school districts and emergency service districts. Many municipal utility districts and some management districts are billed separately by private tax collectors (Utility Tax Service, Assessments of the Southwest, or Bob Leared Interests), and so is the Town of Woodloch. The Montgomery County part of the City of Houston is billed by the Harris County Tax Office, and the City of Cleveland and Cleveland ISD by the Liberty County Tax Office. Mortgage companies must request their customers' statements by mid-August, so escrowed owners may never see a bill. Debit cards cost 1.00% and credit cards 2.05% (minimum $1.00) through the card processor; eChecks are free. Owners 65 or older or disabled may defer homestead taxes by filing an affidavit with the appraisal district; deferred taxes still build up at 5% a year.
When are property taxes due in Montgomery County?
For the 2026 bill, Montgomery County has one due date: January 31, 2027. January 31, 2027 is a Sunday. Under Texas Tax Code section 1.06, a payment made on the next regular business day, Monday, February 1, 2027, is on time. The tax office posts mailed payments by postmark and asks that a mailed payment be postmarked by January 31; since that is a Sunday, mailing by Saturday, January 30 avoids any question. Homeowners with a homestead exemption plus an over-65, disabled person or disabled veteran exemption may use the Quarter Payment Plan instead: four equal payments due January 31, March 31, May 31 and July 31, enrolling by asking in writing and paying at least a quarter of the bill by January 31; when an installment date falls on a weekend or holiday, state law makes a payment on the next business day timely. A Pre-Payment Plan also lets owners without a mortgage escrow account pay next year's taxes in monthly installments through September 15. Penalty and interest begin 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): 6% penalty plus 1% interest (7%) in February, rising each month to 12% penalty plus 6% interest (18%) in July, and interest keeps adding 1% a month after that. Real property accounts not paid in full by June 30 are sent to the delinquent tax attorney and charged an additional collection penalty of 15% to 20% of the taxes, penalty and interest due.
From Montgomery 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 Montgomery County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Montgomery County's average effective rate of 1.52% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $5,262 / year
Property tax in Montgomery County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $5,268 |
| Median home value | $346,200 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.52% |
| 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 Montgomery County compare in Texas?
Among Texas's 250 counties, Montgomery County has the 42nd highest effective property-tax rate: 41 rank higher and 208 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Texas. Nationally, it ranks 325th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Texas county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Montgomery County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Montgomery County's 177,657 owner-occupied homes, 67.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 75.1% pay at least $2,000, and 7.9% pay under $800. Another 5% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 14,024 | 7.9% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 13,203 | 7.4% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 8,231 | 4.6% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 13,245 | 7.5% |
| $3,000 or more | 120,117 | 67.6% |
| No property tax paid | 8,837 | 5% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $6,078 and owners without one pay $3,816. 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 Montgomery County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $5,268 is about 4.4% of the median income of Montgomery County homeowner households, $118,877 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 71.8% of Montgomery 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 Montgomery County?
Yes. The median bill went from $4,270 in 2015-2019 to $5,268 in 2020-2024, a 23.4% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 46.8%, from $235,800 to $346,200. 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 Montgomery County
Montgomery County borders 6 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris County, TX | 1.62% | $4,489 | $276,600 |
| Montgomery County, TX (this county) | 1.52% | $5,268 | $346,200 |
| Waller County, TX | 1.27% | $4,046 | $318,700 |
| Walker County, TX | 1.18% | $2,669 | $226,900 |
| Liberty County, TX | 1.17% | $2,133 | $181,700 |
| Grimes County, TX | 1.02% | $2,414 | $237,400 |
| San Jacinto County, TX | 0.99% | $2,066 | $209,300 |
How is a home assessed in Montgomery County?
Texas assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Montgomery County included. How Texas assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County. Texas's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Texas programs, Montgomery County runs its own:
- Montgomery County homestead exemption: Montgomery County exempts 20% of a homestead's value from county tax (the amount listed for tax year 2026), on top of the state's school homestead exemption; apply through the appraisal district.
- Montgomery County over-65 and disability exemptions and tax ceiling: For county tax, homeowners 65 or older get an extra $50,000 exemption and disabled homeowners an extra $75,000 (the amounts listed for tax year 2026), and the county offers a tax ceiling that freezes the county tax on a qualifying homestead; apply through the appraisal district.
How to appeal your Montgomery County property assessment
In Montgomery County you appeal to the Montgomery Central Appraisal District Appraisal Review Board (ARB). The deadline: File a protest with the Appraisal Review Board by May 15, or within 30 days after your notice of appraised value is delivered, whichever is later. This deadline is set by state law for every Texas county. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against state law, because Montgomery County does not restate them on its own pages.
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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Montgomery 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.