Living in Plano, Texas

Plano ISD serves most of the city, while small parts of Plano fall in Frisco ISD, Lewisville ISD and Allen ISD, so confirm schools by address (some far west Plano neighborhoods such as Kings Ridge and parts of Deerfield feed Lewisville or Frisco ISD campuses). Plano ISD earned a B with 85 points in the TEA's 2025-26 ratings and enrolled 41,303 students as of Sept. 4, 2026, down from 43,838 a year earlier. The district's 150,000-square-foot Career and Technical Education Center, with 19 programs in nine pathways, was set to open in late October 2026.

For tax year 2025 a Plano home in Collin County paid about 1.71% combined in Plano ISD (city 0.4376, Plano ISD 1.03955, Collin County 0.149343, Collin College 0.08122 per $100) and about 1.69% in the Frisco ISD part of the city. On a $500,000 home at 1.71% that is about $8,550 a year, or roughly $710 a month, before homestead and other exemptions. For 2026, Plano ISD lowered its rate to 1.03275 and the city kept its rate the same.

AT&T plans a $1.35 billion, 54-acre campus on Legacy Drive with 11 facilities. State filings point to a construction start around December 2026, with work running through 2029 and a target of 10,000 regional jobs by 2039.^[10]

Plano voters decide Proposition A on Nov. 3, 2026 (early voting Oct. 19-30), which would authorize venue taxes toward the city's roughly $700 million share of a proposed arena within a $3 billion redevelopment of The Shops at Willow Bend. The Stars have targeted 2031 for the new arena.^[11]

On the former JCPenney headquarters campus at 6501 Legacy Drive, StreetLights Residential began a 22-story tower of about 261 apartments in June 2026, targeting first residents in 2029.^[12]

The former Collin Creek Mall site is planned for about 3,100 residences, retail, a hotel and two city parks. Construction is expected to continue through 2028, with much of the housing finished by the end of 2026.^[13]

The 26-mile Silver Line opened Oct. 25, 2025, with Plano stations at 12th Street and Shiloh Road and a direct ride to DFW Airport. In February 2026 Plano cancelled its DART withdrawal election after a deal that returns more than $61 million to the city over several years.^[15]

Phase 2 of the trail along the Silver Line corridor, from Addison to Plano, is under construction from June 2025 to May 2027 at a cost of $50 million.^[17]

Power to Choose lists Oncor as the delivery utility for Plano ZIPs such as 75023, 75024, 75074 and 75093, so you pick a retail plan. The City of Plano also has a utility provider map that shows electric, gas and internet options by address.^[26]

Activate water, sewer and trash through the City of Plano's Customer and Utility Services site, which has a Start/Stop Service page. Environmental Waste Services runs curbside trash and recycling, and you can sign up for collection-day reminders.^[27]

Once you own and live in the home, file the free residence homestead exemption with the appraisal district for the county your address sits in: Collin Central Appraisal District or Denton Central Appraisal District. Neither charges a fee. Collin CAD accepts it online through its Taxpayer Portal, by mail or in person (not by email), with a copy of your Texas ID showing the home's address. Denton CAD takes applications online through its website.^[28]

Plano ISD: new students complete online enrollment through the district's Enrollment page, and its School Finder shows the assigned campus for an address. Parts of the city are zoned to Frisco ISD, Lewisville ISD or Allen ISD, so check the address before you fall in love with a house.^[30]

Register your vehicle with the Collin County Tax Assessor-Collector (main office 2300 Bloomdale Rd., McKinney) or the Denton County Tax Assessor-Collector (main office 1505 E. McKinney St., Denton), depending on your county. Texas DMV gives new residents 30 days to register, and this is an emissions county, so pass a state inspection first. For your license, the Plano DPS office is at 825 Ohio Dr. (appointments required); DPS lets you drive on a valid out-of-state license for up to 90 days after moving.^[32]