Property Tax Resources · Franklin County, Texas
Piney Woods lake country in Northeast Texas — Franklin County’s 0.89% rate is below the state median, but rising recreational and rural land values are pushing bills steadily higher.
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.
Franklin County sits in the Piney Woods of Northeast Texas, where Cypress Springs Lake and Lake Bob Sandlin draw recreational buyers and retirees from Dallas and beyond. Mount Vernon is the county seat, and the county’s rural-residential mix has seen land values climb as DFW buyers discover the area. At 0.89%, Franklin County’s effective rate is one of the lower ones in East Texas — but the combination of rising values and steady rates produces compounding bills.
More than half of Franklin County property owners who protested in 2024 achieved reductions. For recreational and rural landowners who purchased property several years ago at prices well below current appraisals, the informal settlement process often yields results. Your deadline to protest is May 15, 2026 or 30 days from the mailing date of your Notice of Appraised Value.
Official CAD site — appraisal notices, exemption applications, and district contact information.
Search your property record, view current appraised value, and verify exemption status.
Franklin 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 Franklin County.
Enter the date your Notice of Appraised Value was mailed to find your exact filing deadline.
Every taxing unit in Franklin County — your school district, city, 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 Franklin County Tax Rates →| Taxing Entity | Type | Rate (2025 adopted) |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin County | County | $0.3639/$100 |
| Mount Vernon ISD | School District | $0.9073/$100 |
| Rivercrest ISD | School District | $1.0739/$100 |
| Saltillo ISD | School District | $0.6189/$100 |
| Sulphur Bluff ISD | School District | $0.9752/$100 |
| Winnsboro ISD | School District | $1.0118/$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 franklin-cad.org. Know your Notice of Appraised Value and the deadline printed on it.
File online, by mail, or in person at Franklin County Appraisal District: P.O. Box 720, Mount Vernon, TX 75457. 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 before accepting — 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, 1836Franklin County is lake and timber country — the kind of Texas that doesn’t make the headlines but holds the same fundamental property rights as any other county in the state. The founders wrote the Declaration of Rights to protect all Texans’ property from arbitrary government exaction, not just the urban homeowner or the major landowner. When appraisal values climb faster than rural income supports — driven by recreational demand from outside the community — the protest system exists precisely to correct that gap. Look up your value. File your protest. Your right to a fair valuation doesn’t depend on your county’s size.
