DFW / North Texas
Ellis 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.
13 stories · 14 practical · 5 good to know
The practical part
Ellis County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for Ellis 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.
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A little of what makes this place itself
Waxahachie · Historic Landmark
Waxahachie's 1897 courthouse is one of Texas's most recognized buildings
The Ellis County Courthouse in downtown Waxahachie was completed in 1897, built of red sandstone and granite in a Victorian Romanesque style.
Forreston · Early Settlement
Forreston is considered the oldest Anglo settlement in Ellis County
Forreston, in southern Ellis County, is one of the county's oldest Anglo settlements. Settlers were there before the county was even formally created in 1849.
Waxahachie · Historic Neighborhoods
Waxahachie has a large collection of preserved Victorian-era homes
Waxahachie is called Gingerbread City for its hundreds of well-kept Victorian homes. Many are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Practical Farm and ranch land can be taxed on productivity, not market value In Ellis County, qualifying farm or ranch land is taxed on what it can produce, not what it could sell for. That can cut the tax bill by a lot. Practical Deer hunters in Ellis County face specific antler rules Ellis County is under Texas antler restriction rules, which limit how many large-antlered bucks a hunter can take in a season. Good to know Midlothian is home to major cement and steel manufacturing Midlothian grew around limestone, cement plants, and steel, so its local identity includes both small-town Ellis County and heavy industry.
All 32 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 32 notes.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Waxahachie's 1897 courthouse is one of Texas's most recognized buildings The Ellis County Courthouse in downtown Waxahachie was completed in 1897, built of red sandstone and granite in a Victorian Romanesque style. Waxahachie
- Practical Money & Taxes Farm and ranch land can be taxed on productivity, not market value In Ellis County, qualifying farm or ranch land is taxed on what it can produce, not what it could sell for. That can cut the tax bill by a lot.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Forreston is considered the oldest Anglo settlement in Ellis County Forreston, in southern Ellis County, is one of the county's oldest Anglo settlements. Settlers were there before the county was even formally created in 1849. Forreston
- Practical Outdoors Deer hunters in Ellis County face specific antler rules Ellis County is under Texas antler restriction rules, which limit how many large-antlered bucks a hunter can take in a season.
- Good to know History & Culture Midlothian is home to major cement and steel manufacturing Midlothian grew around limestone, cement plants, and steel, so its local identity includes both small-town Ellis County and heavy industry. Midlothian
- Stories & local character History & Culture Waxahachie has a large collection of preserved Victorian-era homes Waxahachie is called Gingerbread City for its hundreds of well-kept Victorian homes. Many are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Waxahachie
- Practical Outdoors TPWD public hunting land is limited in Ellis County — know your options Public hunting land is limited in Ellis County. Most hunters use private leases, but a TPWD Annual Public Hunting Permit opens access to areas across Texas.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Waxahachie was a filming location for several 1980s Hollywood movies In the 1980s, Waxahachie's preserved Victorian streets attracted four major Hollywood films that used the town as a period set. Waxahachie
- Practical Outdoors Turkey season in Ellis County only applies west of I-35 Ellis County has a spring turkey season west of Interstate 35 and no turkey season east of it.
- Good to know Outdoors The Trinity River forms the eastern edge of Ellis County The Trinity River runs along the eastern edge of Ellis County. Several local creeks drain the county and feed into the Trinity system.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Mockingbird Nature Park keeps a patch of Midlothian quiet Midlothian's Mockingbird Nature Park is a 62-acre place for trails, native grass, bluebird boxes, a pond, and butterfly gardens.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Out here, no zoning doesn't mean no rules: the fire marshal still gets a say In unincorporated Ellis County, commercial buildings, public buildings, and four-or-more-unit multifamily projects need a county fire-code permit.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Bluebonnet Park is Ennis's everyday outdoor room On the south side of Ennis, Bluebonnet Park packs ball fields, open grass, playgrounds, a fishing pond, and a three-quarter-mile walking trail into one civic park.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Throwing a big event on rural Ellis County land? The county wants to hear first Any gathering on unincorporated Ellis County land gets emailed to the county for review, and once you expect 2,500 people you cross into permit territory.
- Good to know Home & Property Check the FEMA flood map before buying property in Ellis County Parts of Ellis County fall in FEMA flood zones. Check the flood map before you buy property near Waxahachie, Ennis, Midlothian, Red Oak, or other local communities.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Lake Bardwell gives Ennis a real lake edge Four miles southwest of Ennis, Lake Bardwell turns the prairie side of Ellis County into a place with boat ramps, fishing water, and a wide horizon.
- Practical Rules & Licenses A pond or a carport in rural Ellis County still needs a county permit Unincorporated Ellis County treats pools, sheds, ponds, tanks, shops, barns, and carports as development-permit items.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Ennis turns country roads into a bluebonnet map each April The Ennis Bluebonnet Trail maps more than 40 miles of spring driving routes, giving Ellis County one of its clearest outdoor identities.
- Practical Money & Taxes File a homestead exemption to lower your property tax bill Texas law lets homeowners who live in their home claim a homestead exemption that reduces the taxable value of the property.
- Good to know Home & Property Ellis County sits on Blackland Prairie — clay-rich soil that swells and shrinks The heavy clay soils of the Blackland Prairie that cover Ellis County expand when wet and shrink when dry, which can damage foundations and pipes.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Waxahachie Creek gives the city a four-mile green spine The Waxahachie Creek Hike and Bike Trail follows woods and creek bends from Getzendaner Park through the historic cemetery to Lion Park.
- Practical Money & Taxes Some Ellis County properties sit inside special taxing districts Some Ellis County subdivisions sit inside MUDs or similar water and sewer districts that can add a separate tax or fee line.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Cotton farming once made Ellis County a powerhouse in Texas agriculture When the Houston and Texas Central Railroad arrived in 1872, Ellis County shifted from cattle range to one of Texas's top cotton-producing counties.
- Practical Money & Taxes Two different offices handle your property tax in Ellis County The Ellis County Appraisal District sets your property value, but a separate Tax Assessor-Collector office sends the bill and collects the money.
- Good to know Home & Property Ellis County sits in a hail-prone corridor of North Texas Ellis County residents should treat hail as a real roof-and-car risk, especially during North Texas storm season.
- Stories & local character Cars & Driving I-35E is the main artery through Ellis County — and it can get congested Interstate 35E runs north-south through Ellis County and is the primary route for commuters traveling to and from the Dallas area.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Unincorporated Ellis County has no zoning, but it has some rules Ellis County does not use city-style zoning outside city limits, but development, driveway, septic, and floodplain requirements still apply.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Ellis County was carved from Navarro County in 1849 Texas created Ellis County on December 20, 1849, probably naming it for Richard Ellis, who led the 1836 convention that declared Texas independence.
- Practical Money & Taxes You can protest your property value each year in Ellis County Texas law gives Ellis County property owners the right to challenge their appraised value each year through a formal protest with the appraisal district.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Ellis County was the planned site of a massive cancelled physics project The Superconducting Super Collider was being built near Waxahachie in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Congress cut funding and cancelled the project in 1993.
- Practical Home & Property You need a permit before installing a septic system in Ellis County Homes outside city sewer service areas need an on-site sewage system, and Ellis County adopted its own rules for permitting and inspecting those systems.
- Practical Cars & Driving Ellis County vehicles need an emissions test every year Ellis County gasoline vehicles usually need an emissions test before registration renewal.
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