Harris County taxable property value projected to reach $695 billion

Harris County's taxable property value is projected to reach about $695 billion this year, up $21 billion or 3.2% from 2025. That does not automatically mean every homeowner's bill rises, because the final tax bill depends on the appraised value, homestead protections, protest results and the tax rates set by local governments.

Harris Central Appraisal District, which appraises all property in the county for tax purposes, says state law requires it to value property at what it would sell for on the open market as of Jan. 1. The agency mailed 2026 property value notices on May 1, and owners who disagreed had until May 15, or 30 days after the notice date, to protest. "The Harris County housing market maintained steady growth with moderate price increases in 2025," said Adam Bogard, the district's chief appraiser.

The pressure is coming from more than one corner of the county's property base. HCAD's 2026 market-trends work is split into residential property, commercial property and business and industrial property, and the district prepared its proposed 2026 budget in June 2025 after presenting division budget summaries to a Budget & Finance Committee workshop on May 12, 2025. HCAD has about 1.9 million parcels to assess each year, a scope that makes even modest market moves ripple across Houston, the unincorporated county and the business corridors that feed the tax roll.

For qualified residence homesteads, capped appraisal values limit annual increases, which can keep a jump in market value from flowing straight through to the bill. Local rates still matter just as much: property taxes are local taxes, and Harris County's FY 2026 adopted budget covers Oct. 1, 2025 through Sept. 30, 2026 and was prepared by the Offices of County Administration and Management and Budget under Interim County Administrator Jesse Dickerman and Budget Director Daniel Ramos. Harris County approved a roughly $2.67 billion budget in September 2024, and Houston Public Media said the resulting property-tax rate increase would add about $160 a year to a house appraised at $400,000 before any additional flood control charge. As the county moves through FY 2026, the taxable base is larger, but the bill still turns on the appraisal, the rate and any successful protest.