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1. What is the city's property tax rate?

Property taxes, along with other funding sources, fund your city services including public safety, streets, drainage and traffic control, animal services, code compliance, building and health inspections, parks and recreation, and library services. 

The following chart shows the change in the city’s property tax rate since 2010. The 4-cent increase in 2012 was due to the voter-approved bonds for the new city hall.  

The current property tax rate is $0.489389 per $100 property value. 

2. Who authorizes the city’s property tax rate?

As part of the annual city budget process, the City Council sets the property tax rate each September following public hearings. Public hearing notices are posted at www.nrhtx.com/budget when available. 

3. How is city property tax revenue spent?

Your city taxes fund the services and infrastructure you depend on every day, such as good roads and the police, fire and emergency medical services that respond in a crisis and keep our community safe. These funds also provide for innovative library programs that encourage life-long learning, as well as superior park and recreation amenities that promote active lifestyles and provide beautiful green space for recreation and play. In 2023, the average NRH residence paid $1,321 in property taxes to the city. The chart below shows how those dollars were allocated.

City Service	Dollar	Percent
Public Safety	$ 53.52	48.6%
Public Works (Streets & Traffic)	$ 27.58	25.1%
City Facilities	$   8.62	7.8%
Library	$   4.50	4.1%
Neighborhood Services	$   4.45	4.0%
Parks	$   3.57	3.2%
Admin Services*	$   7.84	7.1%
Monthly Tax Bill	$110.08	100%

* Admin Services includes information technology, budget, finance,  communications, human resources and other administrative services.

Property taxes fund about 44% of the city’s daily operations, with sales tax contributing about 23%. Franchise fees, permits, fines, charges for service, grants and other sources also help fund your city services.

4. What is the breakdown between maintenance and operations and debt service?

There are two parts to the tax rate: the maintenance and operations (M&O) rate that goes to the day-to-day operations of the city and the interest and sinking (I&S) rate that goes to the city's debt service. 

M&O Rate: $0.313583

I&S Rate: $0.175806

Total Tax Rate: $0.48938

5. How much does the average NRH homeowner pay in city property tax?

In 2023, the average NRH home has a market value of $383,824 and a taxable value of $269,976. At the adopted tax rate of $0.489389 per $100 property valuation, the city tax bill for this home would be $1,321.23 annually or $110.10 per month. 

Visit the Tarrant Tax Info Website to view your estimated tax bill from the city, as well as other taxing entities. Information on this website is updated each year in August / September. 

Look Up Your Tax Payment History

As a reminder, the taxable value of your home is significantly less than the market value of your home, due to appraisal caps and the exemptions offered by the city. 

• The Market Value is the amount the Tarrant County Appraisal District believes your home is currently worth. 
• The Appraised Value is the value of your home after state-mandated limitations on value increases for residential homesteads is factored in. This value is set by the Tarrant County Appraisal District. In Texas the appraised value of a homestead may increase no more than 10% per year. 
• The Taxable Value is the Appraised Value minus Exemptions. The tax rate is applied to the Taxable Value to determine your tax bill.  

To lower your home’s taxable value and your tax bill, the City of North Richland Hills provides the following exemptions:

• 20% homestead exemption;
• $36,000 exemption for senior citizens (65 and older) and disabled residents;
• Senior and disabled tax ceiling (also known as tax freeze)

Other homestead exemptions are provided by the school and county taxing entities. 

6. How will my tax bill compare to last year?

Individual property tax bills may increase, decrease or remain the same depending on changes in the property’s value and the exemptions that are in place. Visit www.tarranttaxinfo.com to see how your estimated tax bill from the city and other taxing entities compares to last year’s tax bill.

In 2022, to offset rising property values, the City Council increased the homestead exemption to 20%, which is the maximum allowed by state law. This, coupled with a reduction in the property tax rate, meant most property owners saw a reduction in the city portion of their tax bill in 2022. A further reduction of the city's property tax rate in 2023 means city tax bills will be reduced again this year for most property owners. 

If you benefit from the senior/disabled tax freeze, your bill is calculated each year at the current rate and compared to the amount you were billed in the year your taxes were frozen. You are billed the lower of the two. 

Have questions about what you previously paid in taxes? Look up your tax payment history online.

7. Why do some other nearby cities have a lower property tax rate?

Property tax rates vary by city, as do property values. Some cities may have a lower tax rate, but a significantly higher average home value. Also, they may offer no homestead exemption or a lower homestead exemption.  Some cities have much higher sales tax and hotel/motel tax revenue that help fund city services, enabling the city to maintain a lower property tax rate. The following shows the average annual city property tax bill in NRH compared to the average city property tax bill in neighboring cities. (Please note, this reflects city taxes only and does not include property taxes levied by school districts or county entities.)

City	2023 Average Taxable Value	2023 Average City Tax Bill
Southlake	$816,904	$2,606
Colleyville	$730,776	$1,907
Fort Worth	$228,181	$1,535
Bedford	$229,336	$1,484
Keller	$440,350	$1,374
Arlington	$226,067	$1,333
North Richland Hills	$269,976	$1,321
Hurst	$225,305	$1,309
Watauga	$226,383	$1,291
Euless	$253,569	$1,156
Richland Hills	$209,116	$1,093
Haltom City	$178,081	$1,010
Grapevine	$363,117	$   910

8. What are the homestead and senior exemptions?

What is a homestead exemption? 
It’s a discount applied to the appraised value of your home. In 2022, the City Council increased the homestead exemption to 20%. Previously, the city’s homestead exemption was 15%. Under the 20% exemption, homeowners’ taxes to the city will be based upon only 80% of their home’s appraised value.  

Is there a Senior Exemption? 
Yes, homeowners can also receive a senior exemption when you turn 65. The senior exemption is in addition to the homestead exemption that is available to homeowners of any age. The exemption lowers the taxable value of your property and the amount of property taxes you owe. For example, on a home valued at $200,000 the 20% homestead exemption from the city reduces the home's Taxable Value to $160,000. If you also receive the senior exemption, the Taxable Value is reduced by another $36,000 to $124,000. The city's property tax rate is applied to the $124,000 Taxable Value to determine the amount of taxes you owe to the city. Other taxing entities also offer a senior exemption. You can learn more on our Senior Exemption / Freeze page. 

Not sure if you have a homestead and / or senior exemption on your property? You can check your status with the Tarrant Appraisal District at https://www.tad.org/ or give them a call at 817-284-0024. Once you have an exemption, it will stay with you as long as you own the property. You do not need to reapply each year.

9. What would be the result if NRH's property tax rate were further reduced?

Each decrease in the property tax rate by a penny would reduce the average NRH residential tax bill by $27.00 annually or $2.25 per month. Each decrease of a penny on the property tax rate would reduce revenues to the city’s general fund by $723,201.

10. Why does my property value increase every year?

Property values are set by the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) and may decrease, increase or remain the same from year to year. Property values are based on a number of factors including current housing market conditions. In recent years, population growth in North Texas has been driving up home prices. It is important to note that your home's taxable value has not increased as much as the market value due to state mandated limitations on value increases for residential homesteads and exemptions offered by the city. 

In 2022, the City Council increased the homestead exemption to 20%. This means your property taxes to the city are based upon only 80% of your home's value. The City Council has also lowered the property tax rate to offset rising property values. 

While senior and disabled residents may see their property values increase, their tax bill will not increase above the amount they paid in the year that they qualified for the tax ceiling, unless they buy a new home or add to on to their home. 

11. Can I protest my property value?

Yes. To protest a property tax appraisal, you must file a notice of protest with the TARRANT APPRAISAL REVIEW BOARD. As a general rule, the deadline for filing is MAY 15, or the deadline printed on the Property Value Notice from the Tarrant Appraisal District, whichever is later.  

12. How do my City property taxes compare to other taxes I pay?

The tax you pay to the city is less than 1/4 of your overall property tax bill. Around half of your property taxes go to the school district, with the rest going to county agencies.

While it does not collect property taxes, the State of Texas collects around $2,214 in sales and other taxes per person per year. (Year: 2021, Source)

The federal government collects more than $15,000 per person per year in taxes. (Year: 2022, Source)

13. How is the senior / disabled tax ceiling applied?

The senior / disabled tax ceiling (also known as a tax freeze) ensures that a senior or disabled person will not have a city tax bill any higher than what was paid in city taxes in the year the homeowner turns 65 or becomes disabled, even if there are increases to their property value or the tax rate.

The amount a senior or disabled homeowner pays in city taxes can decrease if changes to the appraised value and tax rate equal an amount lower than their frozen amount.  However, if in subsequent years the value increases and/or the tax rate increases, the homeowner can pay more in property taxes but not more than the amount previously frozen. The cap does not reset. 

If improvements are made to the home (such as an addition, not general maintenance type improvements), then the tax bill can go up by the amount of taxes related to the improvement.  This amount added to the previously frozen amount would then become the new ceiling on the amount of taxes a homeowner would pay.

If a homeowner benefits from the freeze, sells their home and buys a new home of higher value, the freeze will apply to the new home at the same proportion as the freeze applied to the home they sold.

The tax freeze may be passed on to a surviving spouse if the surviving spouse is 55 years of age or older at the time of the eligible homeowner’s death and continues to reside in the residence.

A senior / disabled tax ceiling is in place for 1 out of 4 homeowners in North Richland Hills. This number continues to grow each year. To verify that you have the senior / disabled tax ceiling in place, contact the Tarrant Appraisal District at 817-284-0024.