Austin / Central Texas / Hill Country
Burnet County, Texas
A porch-side guide to the county: the stories that give it a shape, practical local checks, and a few things worth knowing before they surprise you. Every note points to its source.
3 stories · 8 practical · 2 good to know
The practical part
Burnet County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for Burnet County: who sets your value and who sends the bill.
Homestead exemption →
File Form 50-114 with the appraisal district. It is free. The regular deadline is April 30, and late filing is allowed for up to two years.
Protest your appraisal →
The usual deadline is May 15, or 30 days after your notice arrives, whichever is later.
Estimate a tax bill →
Model a bill from local rates, the homestead exemption, and the appraisal cap.
Start here
A little of what makes this place itself
Burnet County · State Park
The CCC cleared Longhorn Cavern and built the road into the hill
The day-use park pairs a guided limestone cavern with hand-built 1930s stairs, walls, buildings, and a scenic approach.
Burnet County · Local Industry & History
Granite Mountain's owners gave Texas the stone for its Capitol
After Austin limestone discolored, donated Sunset Red Granite and a special railroad tied a Burnet County hill to the Capitol walls.
Burnet County · County History
Burnet County began with a namesake, a new government, and a short-lived colony
Created in 1852 and named for Texas's first president, the county organized the same year a Mormon settlement was building mills nearby.
All 13 local notes
The full county shelf is mixed so stories and useful checks travel together. Use the filters when you need one kind.
Showing all 13 notes.
- Stories & local character Outdoors The CCC cleared Longhorn Cavern and built the road into the hill The day-use park pairs a guided limestone cavern with hand-built 1930s stairs, walls, buildings, and a scenic approach.
- Practical Home & Property A Burnet County septic permit starts with LCRA's address map LCRA serves mapped lake zones and some cities; outside that jurisdiction, Burnet County generally handles the OSSF path.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Granite Mountain's owners gave Texas the stone for its Capitol After Austin limestone discolored, donated Sunset Red Granite and a special railroad tied a Burnet County hill to the Capitol walls.
- Practical Cars & Driving A familiar Burnet County road can disappear under fast water The county plans improvements at low-water crossings, while TxDOT warns that six inches of fast water can take control from a driver.
- Good to know Outdoors Inks Lake tucks blue water between pink-granite hills The park pairs nearly 200 campsites and nine trail miles with Devil's Waterhole, CCC work, and direct access to an infested Highland Lake.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Burnet County began with a namesake, a new government, and a short-lived colony Created in 1852 and named for Texas's first president, the county organized the same year a Mormon settlement was building mills nearby.
- Practical Money & Taxes Burnet CAD handles both appraisal and tax collection BCAD appraises taxable property and collects local property taxes; unresolved value protests go to an independent review board.
- Practical Home & Property Every new Burnet County well needs CTGCD clearance before drilling Registration comes first; the well may then be exempt, individually permitted, or covered by the district's newer permit-by-rule path.
- Good to know Rules & Licenses Five Highland Lakes near Burnet County are fully infested Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, and Travis carry TPWD's fully infested label, so moving a boat also means moving carefully.
- Practical Rules & Licenses LCRA watershed review can begin below the permit threshold Covered development in Burnet County's Colorado River watershed requires notice; larger paved area or land disturbance generally requires a permit.
- Practical Home & Property Map the building, then ask about the flood policy Homeowners coverage generally excludes flood; lender rules and NFIP waiting-period exceptions depend on the building and transaction.
- Practical Home & Property Burnet County sits inside the working chain of Highland Lakes LCRA operates six dams from Buchanan to Austin; the Burnet County lakes link stored regional water with smaller pass-through reservoirs.
- Practical Money & Taxes Burnet County's homestead application is Form 50-114 A qualifying main home gets the statewide school exemption, while local options and part-year claims depend on the owner and address.
Nearby counties