Property Tax Resources · Matagorda County, Texas
Coastal Prairie rice farming and Gulf Coast industrial country — Matagorda County’s 1.22% effective rate falls on Bay City homeowners and agricultural landowners in one of Texas’s most productive rice-growing counties.
Sources: Population — U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2024 estimates; County Debt — Texas Bond Review Board (FY2025)
🔴 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.
Matagorda County lies on the Coastal Prairie between Houston and Victoria, with Bay City as its county seat. The county is one of Texas’s most important rice-growing regions, with the Colorado River delta providing the water supply that irrigated rice farming requires. The county also hosts nuclear power generation at the South Texas Project and some petrochemical activity, giving its economy an unusual combination of agriculture and industrial energy.
At 1.22%, Matagorda County’s effective rate exceeds the national median. For rice farmers and coastal agricultural landowners, maintaining current productivity valuations is critical — Coastal Prairie land values influenced by Gulf Coast industrial activity can diverge significantly from what rice farming income supports. More than half of those who protested in 2024 achieved reductions. Your deadline is May 15, 2026.
Official CAD site — appraisal notices, exemption applications, and district contact information.
Search your property record, view current appraised value, and verify exemption status.
Matagorda County Appraisal District protest procedures, online filing portal, and deadline information for the current year.
Every taxing entity’s proposed rate, adopted rate, and public hearing schedule for Matagorda County.
Enter the date your Notice of Appraised Value was mailed to find your exact filing deadline.
Every taxing unit in Matagorda 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 Matagorda County Tax Rates →| Taxing Entity | Type | Rate (2025 adopted) |
|---|---|---|
| Matagorda County | County | $0.3365/$100 |
| Bay City ISD | School District | $1.0007/$100 |
| Boling ISD | School District | $1.0496/$100 |
| Matagorda ISD | School District | $0.7073/$100 |
| Palacios ISD | School District | $0.9486/$100 |
| Tidehaven ISD | School District | $0.8578/$100 |
| Van Vleck ISD | School District | $0.8618/$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.
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 matagordacad.org. Know your Notice of Appraised Value and the deadline printed on it.
File online, by mail, or in person at Matagorda County Appraisal District: P.O. Box 1.270, Bay City, TX 77404. Deadline: May 15, 2026 or 30 days after your notice was mailed.
Recent sales of comparable properties, your purchase price, photos of condition issues, and repair estimates all strengthen your case.
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 the 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, 1836Matagorda County rice farmers and the coastal communities that support them have built a way of life tied to the land and the water in ways that few Texans understand. The founders of the Republic wrote that no property shall be taken without consent and just compensation. When industrial activity inflates land values beyond what rice farming income can support, the protest system is the mechanism for accuracy. Look up your value. File your protest. Coastal Prairie agriculture deserves fair assessment.
