DFW / North Texas
Collin County, Texas
A local guide to the county: the stories that give it a shape, practical checks, and a few things worth knowing before they surprise you. Every note points to its source.
24 stories · 28 practical · 5 good to know
The practical part
Collin County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for Collin 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
Allen · Allen History
Allen's Depot Is a Replica, but the Railroad Story Is Real
Allen's depot replica, restored locomotive, and Heritage Village trace a town that began at an 1876 railroad water stop.
Plano · Plano Local Color
Plano's 1908 Interurban Station Still Sits in Haggard Park
Haggard Park pairs a playground and gazebo with Plano's 1908 interurban station, now a railway museum.
Lavon Lake · Lake Lavon Trail
Trinity Trail at Lavon Lake Is for Hiking and Horses
The Trinity Trail along Lavon Lake is a long equestrian and hiking trail, with wet-weather closures and a permit rule for large riding groups.
Practical Most of Collin County's Tap Water Comes from Lake Lavon The North Texas Municipal Water District supplies treated water to most cities in Collin County, drawing heavily from Lake Lavon, which sits in the county. Practical ETJ Land With Septic Still Needs County OSSF Review A tract in a city's ETJ may go through city platting, but Collin County still reviews OSSF suitability when septic service is planned. Good to know Lake Lavon Has Tested Positive for Zebra Mussels TPWD classifies Lake Lavon as positive for zebra mussels. Texas law requires boaters to drain water; cleaning and drying are strong prevention steps.
All 57 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 57 notes.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Allen's Depot Is a Replica, but the Railroad Story Is Real Allen's depot replica, restored locomotive, and Heritage Village trace a town that began at an 1876 railroad water stop. Allen
- Practical Home & Property Most of Collin County's Tap Water Comes from Lake Lavon The North Texas Municipal Water District supplies treated water to most cities in Collin County, drawing heavily from Lake Lavon, which sits in the county.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Plano's 1908 Interurban Station Still Sits in Haggard Park Haggard Park pairs a playground and gazebo with Plano's 1908 interurban station, now a railway museum. Plano
- Practical Rules & Licenses ETJ Land With Septic Still Needs County OSSF Review A tract in a city's ETJ may go through city platting, but Collin County still reviews OSSF suitability when septic service is planned.
- Good to know Outdoors Lake Lavon Has Tested Positive for Zebra Mussels TPWD classifies Lake Lavon as positive for zebra mussels. Texas law requires boaters to drain water; cleaning and drying are strong prevention steps.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Trinity Trail at Lavon Lake Is for Hiking and Horses The Trinity Trail along Lavon Lake is a long equestrian and hiking trail, with wet-weather closures and a permit rule for large riding groups. Lavon Lake
- Practical Money & Taxes A $20 Line Separates Two Property-Tax Refund Paths Current Texas law generally makes property-tax overpayments of $20 or more automatic, while smaller claims still require an application.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Frisco Heritage Center Holds a Town's Move Toward the Railroad Frisco Heritage Center connects the city's railroad-era origin with a museum, historic buildings, a locomotive, and a caboose. Frisco
- Practical Money & Taxes Collin Has Three Property-Tax Counters, but Specialty Work Goes to McKinney Collin County accepts property-tax payments in McKinney, Frisco, and Plano, while tax certificates and special inventory tax go through McKinney.
- Good to know Outdoors Parks and Boat Ramps Ring Lake Lavon Lake Lavon has public parks and ramps run by the Corps of Engineers and other operators. Fees, seasons, and current status vary by site.
- Stories & local character Outdoors The Heard Natural Science Museum Includes a 289-Acre Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney Bessie Heard founded the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary south of McKinney. The sanctuary covers 289 acres and has nature trails.
- Practical Money & Taxes Collin's Tax-Roll Downloads Are Programmer Files, Not Spreadsheets Collin County publishes fixed-width tax-roll files for bulk research, with a separate account lookup for ordinary bill questions.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Myers Park Has a Free Farm Museum That Shows Early Collin County Rural Life Collin County runs a free Farm Museum at Myers Park. It preserves tools, equipment, and buildings from the county's farming past.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Complete a Collin County Marriage License in Person Collin County lets couples apply online, but both people must appear together at the County Clerk's office to finish the license.
- Good to know Home & Property FEMA Released Preliminary Flood Maps for Parts of Collin County FEMA released preliminary maps for parts of several Collin County communities. They show possible future changes, not the flood zones in force today.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Myers Park Keeps Collin County's Rural Side Close to McKinney Myers Park and Event Center is a 158-acre Collin County park with preserved nature, gardens, countryside, and county event spaces.
- Practical Home & Property Dividing Land in Collin County Can Trigger Plat Review Collin County's land-division page says dividing, recombining, or re-subdividing tracts can require review under county subdivision regulations.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Bonnie Wenk Park Connects McKinney Play Space With Wilson Creek Trails Bonnie Wenk Park in McKinney combines playgrounds, a pond, dog areas, sports space, and a link into the Wilson Creek Trail system.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Floodplain Building Requires County Engineering Review Collin County floodplain rules require Engineering review and approval for development and new construction in any FEMA-designated floodplain.
- Good to know Home & Property Collin County Has a Long Tornado and Large-Hail History National Weather Service records document tornadoes and very large hail in Collin County. The county's tornado history is heaviest in spring.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Erwin Park Brings Prairie Restoration and Trail Riding to McKinney Erwin Park is a 212-acre McKinney park with mountain-bike trails, pavilions, campfire sites, and active Blackland Prairie restoration.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Food Permits Depend on Where You Operate Collin County permits food service in unincorporated areas and several smaller cities, while other cities handle their own permits.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Lake Lavon Is a Local Standby for Crappie, White Bass, and Catfish Lake Lavon is a 21,400-acre reservoir in Collin County managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, known especially for crappie fishing in winter and spring.
- Practical Money & Taxes How the Homestead Exemption Lowers Your Property Tax Bill If you own and live in your home in Collin County, you can apply for a homestead exemption that removes part of your home's value from the tax calculation.
- Good to know Rules & Licenses Collin County plans for weather before the sirens Collin County's hazard-planning work and alert tools are the quiet side of storm season.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Bethany Lakes Park Gives Allen Ponds, Trails, and Fishing Bethany Lakes Park is a 47-acre Allen park with walking trails, ponds, fishing, biking, and disc golf.
- Practical Money & Taxes Land Used for Farming Can Be Taxed at a Much Lower Rate Texas law lets land used for farming be taxed on its farming value, not its full market value. This can sharply lower the tax bill.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Frisco Commons Park Shows the Family-Park Side of Frisco Frisco Commons Park is a 63-acre city park with trails, a pond, fishing, playgrounds, a splash pad, and picnic space.
- Practical Money & Taxes Many New Subdivisions Have an Extra Tax Line for a MUD or PID Many new neighborhoods in Collin County have an extra charge on top of regular property taxes. It pays for water lines, roads, and parks built by the developer.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Plano's Chisholm Trail Follows a Creek Through the City Plano's Chisholm Trail is a city hike-and-bike route that follows a scenic creek through central Plano.
- Practical Home & Property Most Collin County Lawns Follow NTMWD Watering Limits NTMWD requires member cities and customers to follow a permanent outdoor watering schedule, but each local water supplier sets the exact days.
- Stories & local character History & Culture The Old Collin County Courthouse Served the County from 1876 to 1979 The 1876 Collin County Courthouse in McKinney is a Texas Historical Commission landmark — it was built from local stone and renovated significantly in the 1920s.
- Practical Rules & Licenses New Driveways Onto County Roads Need a Culvert Permit Collin County roadway standards require a culvert or driveway permit for residential and commercial driveways connecting to county roadways.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Towne Lake Park Adds Water, Trails, and Disc Golf in Central McKinney Towne Lake Park in McKinney gives central Collin County a small lake, a trail loop, and an 18-basket disc golf course.
- Practical Home & Property Properties Without City Sewer Need a Permitted Septic System Rural homes in Collin County that are not on a city sewer line must have a permitted On-Site Sewage Facility (OSSF) — and the lot must be large enough to support one.
- Stories & local character Rules & Licenses Most Anglers 17 and Older Need a Texas Fishing License at Lake Lavon Most residents and nonresidents age 17 or older need Texas fishing credentials with freshwater privileges at Lake Lavon. TPWD lists several exceptions.
- Practical Cars & Driving Qualifying Gasoline Vehicles in Collin County Need an Emissions Test Texas dropped most non-commercial safety inspections in January 2025. Gasoline vehicles 2 through 24 model years old that are registered in Collin County generally still need an emissions test.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Arbor Hills Gives West Plano a 200-Acre Nature Preserve Arbor Hills Nature Preserve is a 200-acre City of Plano park on the county's western edge, with trails through prairie, woodland, and creek-bottom landscape.
- Practical Cars & Driving Renew Your Registration at a Collin County Grocery Counter A clean Collin County registration renewal can go through a grocery counter, but a notation on the renewal notice sends you back to the Tax Office.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Parkhill Prairie Preserves a Relic of Collin County's Blackland Grassland Parkhill Prairie is a Collin County preserve holding a 52-acre relic of Blackland tall-grass prairie inside a larger county park.
- Practical Home & Property Report Illegal Dumping on Collin County Roads and Land Collin County Public Works asks residents to report illegal dumping because dumped trash can create health, safety, and water-quality hazards.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Oak Point Is Plano's Big Nature Preserve on Rowlett Creek Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve is an 800-acre Plano park with paved and soft-surface trails along Rowlett Creek.
- Practical Money & Taxes Three Collin CAD Tools Do Different Jobs Collin Central Appraisal District separates public record research, parcel-map browsing, and private taxpayer work into different tools.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Railroads in the 1870s–1890s Opened Collin County to Large-Scale Farming Before 1872, Collin County farmers had no good way to ship crops far away. The railroads changed that and transformed the county's economy.
- Practical Money & Taxes Two Offices Handle Property Taxes in Collin County Two separate offices deal with your property taxes. One sets your home's value. The other sends your bill and collects payment.
- Stories & local character History & Culture McKinney Grew from a Donated Townsite into the County Seat McKinney became the county seat of Collin County in 1848 after a landowner donated 120 acres for the original townsite.
- Practical Home & Property Unincorporated Collin County Has No General Zoning Collin County does not have general zoning in unincorporated areas. Development permits still apply, and a nearby city's subdivision rules may matter in its ETJ.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Collin County Has Grown from 150 People to Nearly One Million in 180 Years Collin County started with about 150 residents in 1846 and grew to over 885,000 by 2014, making it one of the most densely populated counties in Texas.
- Practical Money & Taxes Use Collin County Tax Rate Worksheets Before Comparing Bills Collin County posts tax rate worksheets, history, and taxing-entity contacts so homeowners can see which local governments set each tax line.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Collin County Sits on the Blackland Prairie — Some of Texas's Most Fertile Soil Collin County is part of the Blackland Prairie. The dark, clay-heavy soil made the county great farmland, and it still affects home foundations today.
- Practical Money & Taxes Use Collin's Tax Account Lookup for Bills and Balances Collin County's Tax Account Lookup searches the collection record for recent statements, current tax amounts, and payment information.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Collin County Was Named for a Signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence Collin County was created in 1846 and named for Collin McKinney, who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence.
- Practical Home & Property New Rural Structures Need a Collin County 9-1-1 Address Collin County assigns rural 9-1-1 addresses when structures are built on or moved to previously vacant sites.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Outdoor Burning Rules Are Narrow in Unincorporated Collin County A legal brush burn has to fit TCEQ exceptions, Collin County rules, and the current burn-ban status.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Public Pools Need the Right Annual Health Permit Collin County permits public pools, spas, and splashpads in unincorporated areas and a short list of cities.
- Practical Money & Taxes Collin County Property Tax Bills Arrive in the Fall The Collin County Tax Office mails property tax statements in October and posts the current no-penalty payment deadline each year.
- Practical Cars & Driving Collin County Toll Roads Often Mean an NTTA TollTag NTTA toll roads in and around Collin County include the Sam Rayburn Tollway, Dallas North Tollway, and President George Bush Turnpike.
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