Your Denton County homestead and property tax calendar

You need an ownership interest, the home has to be your principal residence, and you cannot claim a homestead on any other property in or outside Texas, per the Comptroller.

The Residence Homestead Exemption Application is free. Denton CAD takes it online through the forms section of dentoncad.com, by mail or in person, according to the district. You never need to pay a company to file it.

Tax Code 11.43 requires a copy of your Texas driver's license or state ID, and the address on it generally has to match the home. Update your license address first. Active duty military and their spouses can ask for a waiver with a military ID and a utility bill for the home.

If you owned and lived in the home on January 1, the application is due before May 1 of that year. If you bought after January 1, the Comptroller says you can receive the exemption for the rest of that year as long as the seller did not already get it for that year.

Tax Code 11.431 accepts a late homestead application up to two years after the delinquency date for that year's taxes. You may be due a refund, so file as soon as you notice.

Once granted, the homestead carries forward until ownership or eligibility changes, but the chief appraiser can ask you to reapply. Community Impact reported in July 2025 that Denton CAD is reviewing exemptions as it reappraises in five-year cycles, so a verification letter is worth answering quickly.

Every school district must exempt $140,000 of a homestead's value. On a $300,000 home, the Comptroller's own example, school tax is figured on $160,000.

Any taxing unit may add a local percentage exemption of up to 20% (minimum $5,000). Rules differ city by city. Frisco grants the full 20%. Little Elm's 2027 proposed budget describes a $10,000 exemption and a tax ceiling for owners 65 or older or disabled, so read each unit's line on your notice.

School districts add $60,000 more, and your school tax is held at a ceiling from the year you qualify. Disability follows the Social Security standard. A surviving spouse who is 55 or older can keep the over-65 exemption if they stay in the home.

Veterans rated 100% disabled or individually unemployable by the VA can qualify for a total homestead exemption (Tax Code 11.131), and partial exemptions apply by rating under 11.22 (Form 50-135). Several surviving spouse exemptions also exist.

Denton CAD mails notices of appraised value in the spring. Check square footage, pool, and condition first, because errors are the easiest win.

The deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the district mailed your notice, whichever is later. The Denton Record-Chronicle reported in April 2026 that the district received about 140,000 protests the year before and that many owners file near the deadline.

Denton CAD's protest portal uses the PIN on your notice. You can upload evidence, see the district's evidence, and accept or decline a settlement offer there. You can also file by mail or at 3911 Morse Street.

Recent sales of similar homes, your closing statement if you bought recently, dated photos and repair estimates carry weight. Our free <a href="/property-tax-protest-checker">protest checker</a> pulls comparable values to start from.

If you do not settle, the appraisal review board hears your case in person, by phone or video. The district mails the hearing notice at least 14 days ahead, and only the evidence you submit is reviewed, so bring copies.

After the board's order, a homestead of any value can request binding arbitration through the Comptroller within 60 days, or you can file in district court within 60 days. Pay the undisputed part of your taxes before the delinquency date.