Bexar County Property Tax Guide 2026
Complete guide to Bexar County (BCAD) property tax — rates, deadlines, payment options, and how to protest your appraisal in San Antonio and surrounding areas.
Key Dates
- Payment due
- January 31, 2026
- Notices mailed
- April 2026
- Protest deadline
- May 15, 2026
- ARB Hearings
- July-September 2026
Tax rates
Average Total (Bexar): 2.0% - 2.5%
- School district
- ~1.1-1.4%
- County
- ~0.30%
- City
- ~0.5-0.6%
- Special Districts
- Varies
About Bexar Property Tax
Bexar Appraisal District (BCAD) covers more than 800,000 properties across the San Antonio metropolitan area, including Leon Valley, Converse, Universal City, Live Oak, and surrounding communities. San Antonio is home to four major military installations — Fort Sam Houston, Joint Base San Antonio–Lackland, Randolph Air Force Base, and Camp Bullis — and a significant percentage of BCAD's residential property owners are active-duty, retired military, or civilian DOD employees who may be less familiar with the protest process. CPS Energy is the primary utility for most of San Antonio proper, and unlike Houston's sprawling MUD network, Bexar County's special district layer is relatively thin. BCAD does not offer bulk data downloads; property data must be accessed through the bcad.org property search portal or requested via the Texas Public Information Act. Comal County (New Braunfels) and Guadalupe County (Seguin) border Bexar and share the San Antonio metro housing market.
Average Home Value
$280,000
Typical Annual Tax
$6,200/year
Official Resources - Bexar
Why Protest in Bexar?
- BCAD has historically appraised residential properties at aggressive values relative to the actual San Antonio resale market, particularly in rapidly growing suburbs on the north and northwest sides.
- Military homeowners who receive a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders and sell into a soft market are especially vulnerable to holding a property appraised above its true liquidation value.
- San Antonio's lower median income relative to Austin or Dallas means even a modest tax reduction has a proportionally larger impact on household budgets.
- BCAD's mass appraisal model assigns neighborhood-wide values that may not reflect condition differences, renovation deficiencies, or lot-specific limitations of individual properties.
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How to Protest Your Property Tax
File your protest online at bcad.org before the May 15 deadline; BCAD offers an online protest portal where you can upload evidence and schedule an informal conference.
Obtain your BCAD property record card to verify the square footage, bedroom/bathroom count, and condition grade — errors in these inputs directly affect the cost approach used to calculate your appraised value.
San Antonio has a large inventory of resale homes; use closed MLS sales or the Bexar County deed records (available at bexar.org) to find 3–5 sales within 0.5–1 mile at lower price-per-square-foot than your appraised value.
If your home is near a military installation and experienced noise or access limitations, document those factors as external obsolescence in your protest evidence.
Request an informal settlement before the ARB hearing — BCAD appraisers can reduce values at the informal stage, which avoids the ARB queue and is typically faster.
Payment Information
Mail Payment
Bexar County Tax Office, 233 N. Pecos La Trinidad, San Antonio, TX 78207
Property tax exemptions
Homestead Exemption
For your primary residence. Provides $100,000 off school taxes and a 10% cap on annual value increases.
- $100,000 exemption from school district taxes
- Up to 20% exemption from county/city taxes
- 10% annual cap on appraised value increases
Over-65 Exemption
Additional benefits for seniors 65 and older, including a school tax freeze and optional tax deferral.
- Extra $10,000+ exemption from school taxes
- School tax ceiling frozen at age 65 amount
- Optional deferral of all taxes until sale
Disabled Veteran Exemption
For veterans with a VA disability rating. Exemption amount depends on disability percentage.
- 10-69% disability: $5,000-$10,000 exemption
- 70-100% disability: $12,000+ exemption
- 100% disabled: Complete tax exemption
Apply through your county appraisal district. You only need to apply once.
Frequently Asked Questions
File online at bcad.org before May 15, or mail a Notice of Protest (Form 50-132) to BCAD at 411 N Frio St, San Antonio TX 78207. Include your account number and the reason for protest.
Cities in Bexar County
City-specific property tax guides for Bexar County — rates vary by jurisdiction.
Compare with Nearby Counties
| County | Avg. Tax Rate | Major City | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comal County | 1.9% - 2.4% | New Braunfels | View Guide |
| Guadalupe County | 2.0% - 2.5% | Seguin | View Guide |
| Medina County | 1.7% - 2.2% | Hondo | View Guide |
| Kendall County | 1.8% - 2.3% | Boerne | View Guide |
Check your savings potential
Enter your address to see your current tax bill and estimate how much you could save by protesting.
Free. No account required.