Denton County Property Tax Guide 2026
Complete guide to Denton County (Denton CAD) property tax — rates, deadlines, payment options, and how to protest your appraisal in Denton 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 (Denton): 2.0% - 2.4%
- School district
- ~1.1-1.4%
- County
- ~0.21%
- City
- ~0.4-0.6%
- Special Districts
- Varies
About Denton Property Tax
Denton Central Appraisal District covers more than 400,000 properties across the rapidly growing northern DFW corridor, encompassing Denton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Highland Village, Argyle, Little Elm, The Colony, and substantial portions of Frisco that straddle the Collin-Denton county line. This jurisdictional split creates a notable complexity: some Frisco addresses are appraised by Denton CAD while others are appraised by CCAD (Collin), and property owners on the boundary are sometimes confused about which district governs their account. Denton County is also home to the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University, generating a significant student rental market that complicates residential appraisal comparables. Denton CAD distributes property data through its CADNet portal at dentoncad.net, with both JSON and legacy CSV formats available for certified data. The county shares borders with Collin County, Tarrant County, and Wise County.
Average Home Value
$400,000
Typical Annual Tax
$8,400/year
Official Resources - Denton
Why Protest in Denton?
- Denton County's growth corridor (Little Elm, The Colony, Argyle, Northlake) has seen aggressive new-construction appraisals that often exceed the incentive-adjusted prices buyers actually paid.
- Properties near the Denton-Collin county line in Frisco face dual-jurisdiction complexity and may be compared to incorrect neighborhood pools if Denton CAD uses cross-county comparables inadvertently.
- Lewisville, Flower Mound, and Highland Village have mature housing stock where condition-based adjustments can differ significantly from Denton CAD's mass appraisal estimates for that area.
- Denton County's median tax rate (county + school + city) runs 2.0–2.4%, meaning even a $15,000 value reduction produces $300–$360 in annual savings.
Check your savings potential
Enter your address to see your current tax bill and estimate how much you could save by protesting.
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How to Protest Your Property Tax
File your protest via the Public Portal at denton.prodigycad.com (linked from dentoncad.com) before May 15; the portal allows evidence submission and informal conference scheduling without visiting the Denton office. DCAD does not accept email submissions.
For Frisco properties, verify your appraisal account is managed by Denton CAD (not CCAD) by checking the county field in your notice — they have separate portals, deadlines handled by the same May 15 state deadline, but different informal processes.
Denton CAD uses a CADNet data format; its published certified data files contain market value, land value, and improvement value — use these to identify properties in your neighborhood code that were appraised at a lower ratio to sales price.
Properties near UNT or TWU in Denton city proper should use owner-occupant residential sales as comparables, not investor purchases, which are priced differently and can inflate perceived market value.
Request the Denton CAD property record card to check your square footage, year built, and quality/condition grade — these inputs determine the cost approach value and are frequently stale on older properties that have not been recently inspected.
Payment Information
Mail Payment
Denton County Tax Office, 1505 E McKinney St, Denton, TX 76209
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
Search at dentoncad.com using your address, owner name, or account number. GIS data is available at data-dentoncounty.hub.arcgis.com. Data files are available for download at dentoncad.net/data/_uploaded/files/datafiles.
Compare with Nearby Counties
| County | Avg. Tax Rate | Major City | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas County | 2.1% - 2.6% | Dallas | View Guide |
| Collin County | 1.8% - 2.3% | Plano | View Guide |
| Tarrant County | 2.0% - 2.6% | Fort Worth | View Guide |
| Wise County | 2.0% - 2.6% | Decatur | 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.