Property Taxes in Boerne TX: 2026 Rates for Home Buyers

Updated on: November 2, 2026

Property taxes in Boerne, TX, are an annual tax on a home's taxable value, billed once a year as the sum of rates per $100 set by the City of Boerne, Kendall County, Boerne ISD and the Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District. The bill can move a monthly payment by hundreds of dollars, so it belongs in any estimate of annual housing costs next to the listing price.

Key Takeaway

Your Boerne bill is the sum of each taxing unit's rate applied to your home's taxable value, so the same price can produce different bills depending on city limits and special districts. Filing the homestead exemption is the biggest step you control. It lowers the school portion and starts the appraisal cap. If your appraised value looks high, protest by the deadline with comparable sales.

Who This Guide Is For

Buyers and owners of Boerne-area homes who want to estimate, verify or lower their property tax bill.

Boerne Property Taxes at a Glance

• Combined 2026 rate inside city limits: $1.8635 per $100.
• School homestead exemption: $140,000; $200,000 total for 65+ or disabled.
• A homestead's appraised value can rise at most 10% a year.
• 2026 protest deadline: June 2, or 30 days after notice if later.
• Pay by January 31; penalties start February 1.

2026 Property Tax Rates in Boerne, TX

A home inside Boerne city limits, in Boerne ISD and Kendall County, pays these 2026 adopted rates per hundred dollars of taxable value before exemptions. The rates come from Kendall Appraisal District's 2026 tax notice and City of Boerne Ordinance 2026-06:

• Boerne ISD: $1.0065
• City of Boerne: $0.4790
• Kendall County: $0.3730
• Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District: $0.0050
• Combined total: $1.8635

Each rate also reads as a percentage of taxable value. Kendall County's own rate is 0.373%, so check which units any single quoted "county rate" includes.

Why Your Rate Depends on the Property's Address

Three things change the mix from one address to the next.

First, homes outside city limits pay no City of Boerne rate, though they may pay another district's rate instead.

Second, several special districts in unincorporated Kendall County near Boerne levy their own property taxes:

• Kendall County Water Control and Improvement Districts #1, #2A, #2B, #3A and #4A
• Kendall County MUD #1
• Miralomas MUD

KCWCID #1 adopted a 2026 rate of $0.17388. If you are shopping new developments outside town, check whether the subdivision sits in one of these districts.

Third, Boerne ISD reaches into parts of Bexar and Comal counties. Homes there are appraised by the Bexar or Comal appraisal district and carry that county's rate.

A Boerne mailing address or ZIP code does not tell you which of these apply, so confirm the taxing units on the appraisal record for the exact street address.

How to Lower Your Tax Bill with Texas Exemptions

Every owner of taxable property gets a bill, and exemptions reduce the taxable value each unit taxes. A few owners, such as the fully disabled veterans described below, owe nothing on the home. For 2026, the main amounts are:

• School homestead exemption: $140,000 off the Boerne ISD taxable value of a qualifying homestead. The amount was raised from $100,000 after voters approved Proposition 13 (Senate Bill 4) in November 2025.
• 65 or older or disabled: an added school exemption that brings the combined school exemption to $200,000.

• Disabled veterans: a fixed amount off assessed value by VA rating under Tax Code §11.22:

  • $5,000 for a rating of 10 to 29%
  • $7,500 for 30 to 49%
  • $10,000 for 50 to 69%
  • $12,000 for 70 to 100%

  The $12,000 amount also applies to veterans 65 or older with a rating in any of those bands, veterans totally blind in one or both eyes, and veterans who have lost use of a limb.

• 100% disability rating: a total exemption of the homestead's appraised value under §11.131, including veterans paid at that level for individual unemployability.

The homestead appraisal cap limits increases in a homestead's appraised value to 10% a year, plus new improvements, under Tax Code §23.23. Filing early does not start it sooner. The cap takes effect January 1 of the tax year after you first qualify for the exemption, so the first year can reflect full market value.

Owners 65 or older or disabled also get a school tax ceiling under §11.26:

• Boerne ISD cannot raise the dollar amount of school taxes on the home above the amount in the first year the exemption was granted.
• Since 2024 the ceiling is recalculated each year and lowered to reflect rate compression and larger exemptions.
• It generally rises only if you add improvements other than repairs or improvements required by government rules.
• It can pass to a surviving spouse 55 or older.

The City of Boerne and Kendall County also offer a ceiling for qualifying 65-or-older and disabled owners. It limits their taxes to the qualifying year's amount plus later additions.

Filing the Homestead Exemption via Kendall Appraisal District

You qualify if you own the home and live in it as your principal residence. The address on your Texas driver's license must match the property address.

File the Texas Comptroller's Residence Homestead Exemption Application, Form 50-114, with Kendall Appraisal District, not with the Comptroller. The same form covers the 65-or-older, disabled and disabled veteran exemptions described above.

The application is generally due April 30 of the year you want the exemption. Late applications have longer windows:

• A late homestead application, including the 65-or-older or disabled exemption, can generally be filed up to two years after that year's delinquency date.
• A disabled veteran filing under §11.131 or §11.132 has up to five years, but a surviving spouse does not.

A buyer who closes after January 1 can claim the general homestead exemption for the rest of that year, provided the previous owner did not already receive it for that year. The 65-or-older and disabled exemptions do not prorate that way.

One application usually covers every taxing unit on the bill. When you turn 65, request the over-65 exemption separately.

How to Estimate Your Boerne Property Tax Bill

You can estimate any Boerne address with five steps:

1. Start with the appraised value: use the figure on the property's appraisal record. For a homestead this is the capped value, which can sit below the list price.
2. Subtract exemptions line by line: the school exemption reduces only the Boerne ISD line, and any city or county exemption reduces only its own line.
3. Divide by 100: do this for each unit's taxable value.
4. Multiply by the rate: use that unit's 2026 rate from the rate list above.
5. Add the lines: the total is the annual bill.

National real estate portals often show incomplete or outdated tax data that does not reflect current combined rates, so do not rely on them alone. A local real estate professional can pull the exact tax records to ensure your monthly budget aligns with reality.

Worked Examples: $350,000 and $650,000 Homes

Current listings and the latest median home price in Boerne tell you which values to test for homes you are touring. Both examples below:

• sit inside city limits;
• assume the appraised value equals the price;
• apply the school homestead exemption only to the Boerne ISD line;
• calculate each unit separately.

Any city or county homestead exemption would lower those lines further.

• $350,000 home: With the homestead exemption, the bill is Boerne ISD $2,113.65 (on $210,000), city $1,676.50, county $1,305.50 and Cow Creek $17.50. That totals about $5,113 a year, or $426 a month. Without it, the bill is about $6,522 a year, or $544 a month.
• $650,000 home: With the homestead exemption, the bill is Boerne ISD $5,133.15 (on $510,000), city $3,113.50, county $2,424.50 and Cow Creek $32.50. That totals about $10,704 a year, or $892 a month. Without it, the bill is about $12,113 a year, or $1,009 a month.

The no-exemption figures show a buyer's likely first bill before the homestead is in place. With the exemption, the bill comes to about 1.46% of the cheaper home's value and 1.65% of the pricier one's. Without it, either home pays about 1.86%. The gap is wider for the cheaper home because the fixed school exemption covers a larger share of its value.

How to Look Up and Pay Taxes on a Boerne Property

Kendall Appraisal District's free online property search lets you look up any property by owner name, street address or property ID, with no paid account needed. A record shows:

• the owner and legal description;
• exemptions on file;
• market and agricultural value components;
• appraised value and assessed value.

Its value history lists prior years' land and improvement values, appraised value and homestead cap loss, so you can see how fast the value has been rising.

Kendall Appraisal District collects the taxes for Boerne ISD, the City of Boerne, Kendall County and several other local units, so one office sends the bill. That includes Boerne ISD taxes on homes in the district's Bexar and Comal portions. The county bill for those homes comes through that county's own system. You can view and pay the bill:

• through the district's Pay Online service;
• by phone;
• by mail;
• in person at the district office in Boerne.

Key payment dates:

• Texas law has bills mailed by October 1 or as soon after as practicable.
• Bills are due on receipt and stay current through January 31 of the following year.
• If the bill was mailed by January 10, penalty and interest start on February 1.
• Homeowners who are 65 or older or disabled can pay homestead taxes in four equal installments, due before February 1, April 1, June 1 and August 1.

How to Protest Your Property Appraisal in Kendall County

1. Watch for your notice: state law calls for homestead appraisal notices by April 1 or as soon after as practicable. For 2025, Kendall Appraisal District mailed about 10,000 notices on April 25.
2. File by the deadline: Kendall Appraisal District's 2026 notice set the protest deadline at June 2 or 30 days after your appraisal notice was delivered, whichever is later. The statewide rule in Tax Code §41.44(a)(1) uses May 15 instead of June 2, so check the date on your own notice each year. You can file through the district's online protest portal with your Owner ID and e-file PIN.
3. Build your evidence: use recent sales of homes close in size, age and condition. Check the record for errors in square footage or features, and bring photos or repair estimates for condition problems.
4. Start with the informal review: an appraiser reviews your evidence and may offer a lower value.
5. Go to a formal hearing if needed: if you do not settle, the Appraisal Review Board hears your case.

Sales comps take effort because Texas is a non-disclosure state: sale prices do not have to be publicly recorded. Appraisal districts and owners rely on MLS data, closing statements, sales-price questionnaires and other market data instead.

If you disagree with the review board's decision, you have further appeal options. A tax consultant can make sense for complex or high-value property, or if you cannot attend hearings. If you want comparable sales for your protest, I can pull recent nearby sales for your home.

Where Do Your Local Tax Dollars Go?

Boerne ISD takes the largest share of the bill and funds public schools. The city's share pays for police, fire, streets and city services across the surrounding community. Kendall County's share funds county government, roads and law enforcement, and Cow Creek's small share funds groundwater management. HOA dues for neighborhood amenities are billed separately. Rising local property values raise the bill too, within the homestead cap on a homestead.

Tax Advantages of Living in Kendall County, Texas

Texas does have property taxes, set by local taxing units such as the city, county and school district. Because Texas has no state personal income tax, there is no state tax on wages or capital gains, so local governments rely on property tax revenue.

Homeowners can also cut the property tax bill itself with the homestead exemption, appraisal cap and over-65 or disabled school tax ceiling covered above.

Sales tax in Boerne combines the state rate with local rates, and the Texas Comptroller publishes the current combined rate for any address.

The trade-off is a property tax burden that is high by national standards. The Tax Foundation ranks Texas 7th-highest among the 50 states for effective property tax rate on owner-occupied homes, at 1.40% for 2024.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Boerne, TX More Tax-Friendly Than Neighboring Cities?

A San Antonio home in Northside ISD pays its own mix of city, Bexar County, school and special-district rates, so compare Boerne's combined total above with the units on each property's appraisal record. Along with the rate, the dollar bill depends on home value and exemptions.

Do I Pay Property Taxes Through My Mortgage Escrow Account?

If your loan has an escrow account, the lender collects a monthly amount for taxes and pays the bill from it. A higher appraisal or rate later raises that payment. You still receive the bill or a statement, so check that your exemptions appear on it.

What Happens to the Seller's Exemptions and the Tax Bill in the Year I Buy?

The title company prorates that year's taxes between buyer and seller at closing, so you do not calculate it yourself. Exemptions belong to the owner, so file your own homestead application on the timing in the filing section.

How Is a Newly Built Home Taxed in Its First Year?

Texas appraises property at market value as of January 1 under Tax Code §23.01, so a home under construction on that date is taxed on the land plus the completed percentage of the house. The full value applies the next January 1, so new-construction buyers should budget for that jump.

Sources

• Kendall Appraisal District 2026 tax notice and property record
• Kendall Appraisal District
• City of Fair Oaks Ranch: Property Tax Servicing
• NBC DFW: Texas homestead exemption rises to $140,000
• Texas Tax Code Chapter 23: Appraisal Methods and Procedures
• Texas Tax Code Chapter 11: Taxable Property and Exemptions
• Kendall Appraisal District: Adopted Tax Rates and Exemptions
• Texas Comptroller Form 50-114: Residence Homestead Exemption Application
• Kendall Appraisal District property search record
• Kendall Appraisal District: Important Information About Your Tax Bill
• Texas Tax Code Chapter 31: Collections
• Kendall Appraisal District: 2025 Appraisal Notices Release
• Texas Tax Code Chapter 41: Local Review
• Kendall Appraisal District Online Protest Portal
• How to Prepare for a Texas Property Tax Protest
• Texas Comptroller: Inheritance and Estate Tax
• Tax Foundation: Property Taxes by State and County
• Texas Legislature HB 3833: Appraisal of Property Under Construction