Property tax in Rockwall County, Texas
In Rockwall County, the property tax bill comes from the Rockwall Central Appraisal District (collects property tax for Rockwall County). The 2026 bill is due January 31, 2027. Taken from Rockwall County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Rockwall County, Texas is $6,396 a year, which is about 1.54% of the county's median home value of $415,500. 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 Rockwall County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Rockwall Central Appraisal District (collects property tax for Rockwall County). The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Rockwall Central Appraisal District, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong.
Rockwall County is unusual: since October 1, 2012 the Rockwall Central Appraisal District, not the county tax office, has billed and collected property tax for the county and the other local taxing units, so owners get one bill with every entity listed. The county Tax Assessor-Collector's office handles vehicle titles and registrations.
When are property taxes due in Rockwall County?
For the 2026 bill, Rockwall County has one due date: January 31, 2027. Texas law makes taxes due when the bill arrives and delinquent if not paid before February 1, so January 31, 2027 is the last day to pay without penalty or interest. January 31, 2027 is a Sunday. Under state law, when a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, acting on the next regular business day is on time, so a payment on Monday, February 1, 2027 counts. Homeowners 65 or older, disabled homeowners, and disabled veterans and their surviving spouses who have a homestead exemption may instead pay the homestead tax in four equal installments due January 31, March 31, May 31 and July 31, by paying the first quarter by January 31 and telling the collector they will pay the rest in installments. May 31, 2027 is Memorial Day and July 31, 2027 is a Saturday, so the next business day is on time. Taxes still unpaid on February 1 become delinquent (for this bill, a payment made on Monday, February 1, 2027 still counts as on time because January 31 is a Sunday). Delinquent tax is charged a 6% penalty plus 1% interest in the first month; the penalty rises 1% a month to 12% on July 1, and interest keeps adding 1% a month with no maximum. State law also lets taxing units add a collection penalty of up to 20% on taxes still unpaid on July 1.
From Rockwall County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. The county had not posted a calendar labeled for this cycle when we checked, so these dates come from state law and the county's standing schedule; the date on your bill is the one that binds you.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Rockwall County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Rockwall County's average effective rate of 1.54% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $6,399 / year
Property tax in Rockwall County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $6,396 |
| Median home value | $415,500 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.54% |
| 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 Rockwall County compare in Texas?
Among Texas's 250 counties, Rockwall County has the 37th highest effective property-tax rate: 36 rank higher and 213 rank lower. That places it among the most heavily taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 304th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Texas county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Rockwall County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Rockwall County's 34,034 owner-occupied homes, 83.2% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 88.7% pay at least $2,000, and 2.9% pay under $800. Another 2.7% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 982 | 2.9% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,129 | 3.3% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 814 | 2.4% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 1,873 | 5.5% |
| $3,000 or more | 28,315 | 83.2% |
| No property tax paid | 921 | 2.7% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $6,976 and owners without one pay $4,840. 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 Rockwall County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $6,396 is about 4.6% of the median income of Rockwall County homeowner households, $139,702 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 82.5% of Rockwall 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 Rockwall County?
Yes. The median bill went from $5,192 in 2015-2019 to $6,396 in 2020-2024, a 23.2% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 56.1%, from $266,200 to $415,500. 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 Rockwall County
Rockwall County borders 4 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaufman County, TX | 1.68% | $5,377 | $320,900 |
| Collin County, TX | 1.58% | $7,521 | $475,600 |
| Dallas County, TX | 1.58% | $4,798 | $303,000 |
| Rockwall County, TX (this county) | 1.54% | $6,396 | $415,500 |
| Hunt County, TX | 1.24% | $3,002 | $241,700 |
How is a home assessed in Rockwall County?
Texas assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Rockwall County included. How Texas assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Rockwall 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 Rockwall County. Texas's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Texas programs, Rockwall County runs its own:
- Rockwall County over-65 exemption and tax ceiling: For tax year 2024, the latest year the county has published these amounts, Rockwall County gave homeowners 65 or older a $35,000 exemption from county tax, and it freezes the county tax on the homestead of owners 65 or older or disabled with a tax ceiling (disabled owners get no dollar exemption). The county offers no percentage homestead exemption. Apply through the appraisal district.
How to appeal your Rockwall County property assessment
In Rockwall County you appeal to the Rockwall 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, so the 2026 window has closed for most owners. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against state law, because Rockwall 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 Rockwall 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 Rockwall County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Rockwall 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.