Lubbock County Property Tax Guide: How to Lower Your Lubbock Property Tax (2024)

Homeowners enjoy so many financial and personal benefits, especially in a city as unique and vibrant as Lubbock. Real estate is a secure way to invest money and increase your wealth over time, and owning your home as opposed to renting allows you to have full creative reign over your space.

However, homeowners also have a few extra details to keep track of that renters can leave to their landlords. One of these is paying your Lubbock property tax each year.

How Are Lubbock Property Taxes Calculated?

Lubbock property tax is calculated using a number of factors. Various legal entities can charge homeowners property taxes in Texas, including school districts, hospital districts, cities, counties, and special interest districts. No matter where you live in Lubbock County, you will pay taxes to the city, the county, and your local school district. Some neighborhoods also pay PID taxes, which are set by a special Property Improvement District that focuses on building out local infrastructure and increasing investment in the taxpaying neighborhood.

The tax rates set by the taxing entities apply to every homeowner in their jurisdiction, but your property’s individual value is what makes your final tax rate unique to you. Your property will be assessed by the Lubbock Central Appraisal District based on fair market value as of January 1st. Once they’ve done that, your property’s assessed value will combine with the property tax rates and any exemptions you’ve applied for to determine your final property tax rate bill.

Since so many pieces make up an individual homeowner’s property tax amount, you may owe a different amount than your neighbor or other homeowners in Lubbock. The tax bill you receive will detail your property’s value and the rates and taxing units your home falls under.

Property Tax Rates of Lubbock & Surrounding Towns

Lubbock property tax varies depending on where in the city you live and which entities are contributing to your tax rate, not to mention the market value of your home in particular. However, it’s still possible to get a general idea of what property tax might cost as a Lubbock homeowner.

On average, homeowners in Lubbock County will pay 1.75% of a given property’s value in property tax as assessed by their value appraisal. Since the median home value in Lubbock is around $103,100, that makes the city’s median property tax about $1,801 per year. Online property tax calculators can help you achieve an estimate based on your individual property details.

Here are the individual city rates of Lubbock and towns near Lubbock:

• Lubbock: 0.476%
• Shallowater: 0.597%
• Idalou: 0.511%
• New Deal: 0.686%
• Ransom Canyon: 0.61%
• Wolfforth: 0.761%
• Slaton: 0.538%
• Abernathy: 0.529%

Note that Abernathy crosses county lines, so depending on where you live, you may pay taxes to Hale County instead of Lubbock County.

School Taxes in Lubbock

The majority of property taxes in Lubbock go to support local schools. For example,Lubbock County’s portion of the property tax rate is 0.359%, while school districts typically collect between 1–2%. Your specific school district tax rate will depend on which district you live within.

Here are the school districts operating in Lubbock, where they are in relation to the city center, and their approximate property tax rates on your home’s assessed value:

• Lubbock ISD (central): 1.09%
• Lubbock-Cooper ISD (south): 1.35%
• Frenship ISD (west/south): 1.34%
• Shallowater ISD (northwest): 1.44%
• New Deal ISD (north): 1.38%
• Abernathy ISD (further north): 1.27%
• Idalou ISD (northeast): 1.17%
• Lorenzo ISD (east of Idalou ISD): 0.86%
• Roosevelt ISD (east): 1.14%
• Slaton ISD (southeast): 1.36%
• Southland ISD (further southeast): 0.94%

Note that school taxes for Abernathy ISD, Lorenzo ISD, and Southland ISD might not be collected by the Lubbock County CAD, as these districts cross county lines.

Special Taxing Districts in Lubbock

Depending on where you live in Lubbock, your home may be under the jurisdiction of a Property Improvement District (PID). PID taxes are required for homeowners in these areas and are used to improve the neighborhood in a variety of ways.

These are the special districts located in Lubbock and their approximate rates of property tax on your home’s assessed value:

• High Plains Water: 0.004%
• Hospital District: 0.103%
• Bell Farms PID: 0.12%
• North Overton PID: 0.18%
• North Point PID: 0.14%
• Northwest Passage PID: 0.15%
• Quincy Park PID: 0.15%
• Upland Crossing PID: 0.15%
• Valencia PID: 0.18%
• Willow Bend Villas PID: 0.15%

Are you unsure if the Lubbock home for sale you’re considering is part of a PID? Your real estate agent will be able to provide that information for you.

How to Pay Your Lubbock County Property Taxes

There are multiple convenient ways to pay your Lubbock property tax. These taxes are paid to the Lubbock Central Appraisal District, which is located in central Lubbock just off U.S. Highway 84.

Lubbock residents can pay in person by dropping a check at the drop box during the Lubbock CAD’s office hours, which are Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. You will receive a receipt in the mail if you pay using the drop box.

Property tax can also be paid over the phone or online by visiting Lubbock CAD's website. Online payments cost additional service fees depending on your total tax owed, and credit cards typically cost more in service fees than debit cards.

If property taxes for a given year are not paid by the end of January of the next year, your property taxes become delinquent and accrue interest and penalty charges. If you have questions about a payment method or haven’t received your property tax bill by mid-January, be sure to call the Lubbock CAD office at 806-762-5000.

How to Lower Your Lubbock Property Taxes

One of the best ways to lower your property taxes as a Lubbock resident is to file for a homestead exemption. In Texas, you can qualify for a homestead exemption if you own or partially own your home, if the home is your primary residence, and if you have a Texas-issued ID with the homestead’s address listed. Texas homestead exemptions subtract $40,000 of the property’s value from school district tax calculations, saving homeowners several hundred dollars in property taxes every year. Some homeowners may be eligible for additional exemptions, such as the Over-65/Disabled Exemption and the Disabled Veteran Exemption.

If you’re an owner of rural property near Lubbock, you may also qualify for an agricultural exemption. This exemption is more of a shift in valuation, as it allows owners of rural land to calculate their property tax based on their land’s agricultural productivity rather than its current market value.

If your high property tax bill is the result of an error in your value assessment, you also have the right to protest your property tax appraisal. Note that the appraisal review board holds hearings before the property tax bills are sent out.

How Do Lubbock Property Taxes Compare to Other Cities in Texas?

Generally, property tax rates for Texas cities are expressed as how much each homeowner would pay for every $100 of their home’s property valuation. Currently, the Lubbock property tax rate is around $0.48 for every $100.

In general, property taxes in Lubbock are relatively comparable to other Texas cities of similar sizes. For example, the rate in Amarillo is $0.40 per $100 of valuation, while the rate in Dallas is closer to $0.78.

It’s important to note that your home’s specific market value will make a difference in the total property taxes you owe each year. For example, some homes in Lubbock may accrue greater total property tax bills than some Dallas homes based on their value, despite the differences in average property taxes between Lubbock and Dallas.

Additionally, property taxes are often directly related to the local government’s investment of time and resources into a given neighborhood. PID taxes are a perfect example of this phenomenon. Though potential homebuyers may be put off by the presence of PID taxes at first, they may find them to be worth the cost when they learn about how these taxes and other property taxes are used to support their local infrastructure.

Ready for Property Tax Season in Lubbock?

The Lubbock CAD and other government entities try to make property tax season as smooth and streamlined as possible for the city’s residents. If you have more questions about Lubbock property tax, your local real estate professionals are always available to help you out.