Living in Richardson, Texas

Richardson ISD serves the Dallas County part of the city, and Plano ISD serves the Collin County part, with campuses such as Plano Senior and Plano East high schools serving those neighborhoods. Richardson ISD also covers much of north Dallas, so only about 35% of the district lies inside Richardson. Use the district's school finder for the exact address, and note that Richardson ISD opens enrollment for families new to the district each November 1.

For tax year 2025 a Dallas County home in Richardson ISD paid about 2.18% combined (city 0.54218, Richardson ISD 1.1052, Dallas County 0.2155, Parkland Hospital 0.212 and Dallas College 0.106575 per $100). A Collin County home in Plano ISD paid about 1.81% (city, Plano ISD 1.03955 and 0.230563 for Collin County and Collin College). On a $500,000 home that is about $9,060 to $10,910 a year, or roughly $755 to $910 a month, before exemptions; the city has no general homestead exemption but gives $160,000 to owners 65 and older or disabled.

DART's 26-mile Silver Line opened October 25, 2025 with Richardson stations at UT Dallas and CityLine/Bush. The city lists about 44 minutes from UT Dallas station and about 51 minutes from CityLine/Bush to DFW Airport Terminal B.^[7]

Developers broke ground on April 6, 2026 on a 281-unit multifamily community near Main Street at 110 E. Polk St.^[10]

88 townhomes on 6.5 acres near Buckingham and Audelia roads broke ground in 2025 and were expected to open in summer 2026.^[9]

Planned projects include 89 townhomes at 3600 Shiloh Road starting around $500,000, 36 at Duck Creek Villas (Belt Line and Jupiter) and 34 at Valencia Villas (Belt Line and Grove), as the city looks for missing middle housing.^[9]

Richardson is a retail choice city in Oncor's delivery area, so you pick your own electric provider on the state's Power to Choose site, and Oncor handles outages and power lines (888-313-6862). Natural gas is Atmos Energy (888-286-6700).^[12]

The City of Richardson bills water, sewer and trash together on one account. Apply online, call Water Customer Service at 972-744-4120, or visit City Hall at 2360 Campbell Creek Blvd., Suite 550; a $75 deposit is required for new residential service, and residents 65 and older may get a discount on the trash fee.^[13]

File Form 50-114 with the appraisal district for your county: the Dallas Central Appraisal District, which offers a free online homestead application, or the Collin Central Appraisal District for homes on the Collin County side. The state deadline is before May 1 of the tax year, and you never need to pay a company to file.^[15]

Richardson ISD families enroll through RISD's Online Enrollment, which opens for families new to the district on November 1, and confirm the campus with the RISD School Finder. On the Collin County side, enroll through Plano ISD's enrollment page.^[17]

Register your vehicle with the Dallas County Tax Office or the Collin County Tax Assessor-Collector, depending on your address, within 30 days of moving to Texas and after any required emissions inspection. You can drive on a valid out-of-state license for up to 90 days; book your DPS appointment early.^[19]