Property Tax Resources · Kaufman County, Texas
Kaufman County
Property Taxes
Forney, Terrell, and one of the fastest-growing corridors in DFW — mass appraisal models can’t keep up with this market, and homeowners are paying for it.
Property Tax Resources · Kaufman County, Texas
Forney, Terrell, and one of the fastest-growing corridors in DFW — mass appraisal models can’t keep up with this market, and homeowners are paying for it.
Source: County debt — Texas Bond Review Board, FY2025.
Population: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 estimate. Effective tax rate: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024. Avg annual bill: calculated from Census ACS median home value. Protest data: Texas Comptroller, 2024 Appraisal District Operations Survey.com 2024 (90% ARB, 19,730 protests filed).
🔴 2026 Protest Deadline: May 15, 2026 — or 30 days after your Notice of Appraised Value is mailed, whichever is later. Miss this date and you waive your right to protest.
Kaufman County is caught between two growth waves. Forney — one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas for years — is maturing, while Terrell and the eastern edge of the county are just beginning their surge. The Kaufman Central Appraisal District is applying mass-appraisal models across a market in two very different phases, pulling older homes toward new-construction values without accounting for age, condition, or the builder incentives baked into those comparable sales. The result: homeowners systematically overvalued, and every major ISD in the county carrying the maximum debt service rate of $0.50 per $100 — meaning a successful protest compounds across every taxing entity billing your property.
In 2024, 19,734 protests were filed in Kaufman County — and 90% of written ARB determinations lowered the appraised value (Texas Comptroller, 2024 Appraisal District Operations Survey). That number should be far higher. The tools and steps below are your starting point.
Official CAD site — appraisal notices, exemption applications, and district contact information.
Search your property record, view your current appraised value, and verify exemption status.
Kaufman CAD protest procedures, filing options, and deadline information for the current protest period.
Every taxing entity’s proposed rate, adopted rate, and public hearing schedule for Kaufman County.
Enter the date your Notice of Appraised Value was mailed to find your exact filing deadline.
Every taxing unit in Kaufman County — your school district, city, and county — must publish its proposed rate and hold a public hearing before adopting any rate exceeding the no-new-revenue rate. These meetings are open. Your voice is on the record.
View Kaufman County Tax Rates →Photo: Kaufman County Courthouse, Kaufman, Texas. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
| Taxing Entity | Type | Rate (2025 adopted) |
|---|---|---|
| Kaufman County | County | $0.4151/$100 |
| Crandall ISD | School District | $1.1692/$100 |
| Forney ISD | School District | $1.2869/$100 |
| Kaufman ISD | School District | $1.2552/$100 |
| Kemp ISD | School District | $1.1735/$100 |
| Mabank ISD | School District | $0.9469/$100 |
| Quinlan ISD | School District | $0.9064/$100 |
| Rockwall ISD | School District | $1.0669/$100 |
| Scurry-Rosser ISD | School District | $0.9152/$100 |
| Terrell ISD | School District | $1.1305/$100 |
| Wills Point ISD | School District | $0.7339/$100 |
2025 adopted rates per Texas Comptroller Tax Rates & Levies (source). City, MUD, college and other special-district rates may also apply depending on your parcel. Your total depends on which districts your property falls in — verify current rates at your county appraisal district.
These are local businesses that work with property owners in Kaufman County. A listing is not an endorsement.
What your Notice means and exactly what to do — and by when — after it arrives.
How the Texas homestead exemption lowers your taxable value, including recent changes.
When a property tax consultant is worth it for protesting your appraisal.
Lesser-known special valuations that can cut the taxable value of qualifying land.
The state office that oversees appraisal districts and protects taxpayers.
Who sets your county’s values and why that role matters to your bill.
Search your account at kaufman-cad.org. Confirm your Notice of Appraised Value and the protest deadline printed on it.
File online, by mail, or in person at Kaufman CAD: 3950 S. Houston St., Kaufman, TX 75142. Deadline: May 15, 2026 or 30 days after your notice was mailed.
Challenge new-construction comps directly — show the age, condition, and builder-incentive differences between your home and what the CAD used to value it. That’s where most reductions are won in Kaufman County.
Before your ARB hearing, a CAD appraiser may offer to settle. Review any offer carefully — you can accept or proceed to the formal hearing.
The Appraisal Review Board is independent of Kaufman CAD. Present your evidence clearly and concisely. Most hearings run 15–30 minutes.
Disagree with the ARB ruling? You may appeal to district court, binding arbitration, or SOAH (properties over $1 million).
“No person’s particular services shall be demanded, nor property taken or applied to public use, unless by the consent of himself or his representative, without just compensation being made therefor.”
— Section 13, Declaration of Rights, Republic of Texas, 1836Kaufman County is growing because families want what it offers — affordability, land, and distance from the city. But the appraisal district’s models are erasing that affordability with valuations built on new-construction comparables that have nothing to do with a 15-year-old home in an established neighborhood. The founders of this Republic were explicit: property is not to be taken without consent and just compensation. Show up. Look up your value. File your protest. Attend the hearings. The people setting these rates are your neighbors. They work for you — as long as you hold them to it.
