Property Tax Resources · Mason County, Texas
German Hill Country ranching and topaz mining country — Mason County’s 0.76% effective rate is among the lowest in the Hill Country, but rising values driven by ranch buyers and weekend retreats are creating appraisal pressure.
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.
Mason County occupies a particularly beautiful stretch of the Texas Hill Country, where live oak and Spanish oak parklands surround the small German-heritage community of Mason. The county is known for its topaz deposits — Texas Blue Topaz, the state gem, is found in Mason County’s Llano Uplift granite. Longhorn cattle still graze land first worked by German immigrant ranching families who arrived in the 1840s and 1850s.
At 0.76%, Mason County’s effective rate is well below the state and national medians. But on ranch and Hill Country property that has attracted increasing interest from San Antonio and Austin buyers seeking weekend retreats and retirement land, even a low rate on an inflating base produces unnecessary bills. Agricultural landowners should verify productivity valuations remain current. 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.
Mason 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 Mason County.
Enter the date your Notice of Appraised Value was mailed to find your exact filing deadline.
Every taxing unit in Mason 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 Mason County Tax Rates →| Taxing Entity | Type | Rate (2025 adopted) |
|---|---|---|
| Mason County | County | $0.6427/$100 |
| Doss CCSD | School District | $0.6669/$100 |
| Mason ISD | School District | $0.7494/$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 masoncad.org. Know your Notice of Appraised Value and the deadline printed on it.
File online, by mail, or in person at Mason County Appraisal District: P.O. Box 1119, Mason, TX 76856. 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, 1836Mason County’s German ranching families have held their land through drought and hardship and kept the Hill Country’s agricultural character intact. The founders of the Republic — many of them of German descent who settled the Texas Hill Country with the same conviction — wrote that no property shall be taken without consent and just compensation. When Hill Country buyer demand inflates valuations beyond what ranching income supports, the protest system is the correction. Look up your value. File your protest. Mason County’s heritage deserves fair treatment.
