East Texas / Piney Woods
Harrison 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.
4 stories · 18 practical · 2 good to know
The practical part
Harrison County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for Harrison 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
Harrison County · State Park
Caddo Lake State Park: Fishing, Paddling, and Cabins
Caddo Lake State Park, near Karnack in Harrison County, offers camping, historic cabins, boat rentals, and access to a 26,810-acre lake known for largemouth bass and crappie.
Harrison County · County History
How Harrison County Got Its Name and County Seat
Harrison County was created in 1839 by the Republic of Texas and named for Jonas Harrison, a leader in the Texas independence movement.
Harrison County · Civil War History
Railroads and the Civil War Shaped Marshall
Marshall was a major railroad town and a Confederate military center during the Civil War. That history still shapes the town today.
Practical Near Marshall, ask which rules apply before building A Marshall-area project may need city review, county septic review, subdivision review, floodplain paperwork, or more than one of those. Practical Caddo Lake WMA: Public Hunting in the Cypress Swamp The Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area covers 8,124 acres across Harrison and Marion counties. It is open to licensed hunters who have the right permits. Good to know Fishing Caddo Lake: Species, Rules, and a Mercury Advisory Caddo Lake offers good fishing for bass, crappie, and catfish, but a health advisory says limit how much largemouth bass you eat because of mercury.
All 24 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 24 notes.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Caddo Lake State Park: Fishing, Paddling, and Cabins Caddo Lake State Park, near Karnack in Harrison County, offers camping, historic cabins, boat rentals, and access to a 26,810-acre lake known for largemouth bass and crappie.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Near Marshall, ask which rules apply before building A Marshall-area project may need city review, county septic review, subdivision review, floodplain paperwork, or more than one of those. Marshall
- Stories & local character History & Culture How Harrison County Got Its Name and County Seat Harrison County was created in 1839 by the Republic of Texas and named for Jonas Harrison, a leader in the Texas independence movement.
- Practical Outdoors Caddo Lake WMA: Public Hunting in the Cypress Swamp The Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area covers 8,124 acres across Harrison and Marion counties. It is open to licensed hunters who have the right permits.
- Good to know Outdoors Fishing Caddo Lake: Species, Rules, and a Mercury Advisory Caddo Lake offers good fishing for bass, crappie, and catfish, but a health advisory says limit how much largemouth bass you eat because of mercury.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Railroads and the Civil War Shaped Marshall Marshall was a major railroad town and a Confederate military center during the Civil War. That history still shapes the town today.
- Practical Home & Property Floodplain Permits Go Through Road & Bridge in Harrison County If your Harrison County lot sits in a mapped flood zone, the floodplain permit and the elevation it requires come from the County Engineer at Road & Bridge.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Wiley College: A Historic HBCU in Marshall Wiley College was founded in Marshall in 1873 and remains a historically Black college with deep East Texas roots.
- Practical Home & Property Splitting Land or Opening an RV Park in Harrison County Carving a rural tract into lots or setting up a mobile-home, RV, or tiny-home park in Harrison County runs through Environmental Health on Warren Drive, and the roads have to fit a fire truck.
- Good to know Outdoors Invasive Plants Threaten Caddo Lake Caddo Lake faces ongoing threats from invasive aquatic plants, including giant salvinia and water hyacinth, that can block boat access and harm the ecosystem.
- Practical Money & Taxes Ag and Timber Valuation Can Cut Rural Land Taxes Rural landowners in Harrison County can have land taxed on what it produces instead of market value, and in the Piney Woods that productive use is often standing timber, not crops or cattle.
- Practical Money & Taxes Disabled Veteran Property Tax Breaks in Harrison County A service-connected disability rating can knock $5,000 to $12,000 off a Harrison County property's taxable value, and the form goes to the appraisal district, not the tax collector.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Filing a DBA in Harrison County: Who Gets Your Paperwork Since September 2019, a sole proprietor's DBA goes to the Harrison County Clerk, but a corporation or LLC files its assumed name with the Texas Secretary of State instead.
- Practical Home & Property Finding Deeds, Plats, and Liens in Harrison County Every recorded deed, plat, and lien in Harrison County lives with the County Clerk, and older land records reach back to 1840, when this was Republic-of-Texas territory.
- Practical Cars & Driving Getting a Disabled Parking Placard in Harrison County A disabled parking placard in Harrison County starts with Form VTR-214 and your doctor's signature, and is issued over the counter at the tax office in Marshall.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Getting a Marriage License in Harrison County The Harrison County Clerk issues marriage licenses from the historic 1900 courthouse on the Marshall square, and Texas runs a 72-hour clock from the day you apply.
- Practical Money & Taxes Homestead Exemption Can Lower Your Tax Bill If your home in Harrison County is your main residence, you can apply for a homestead exemption that reduces how much of its value is taxed.
- Practical Money & Taxes How Property Taxes Work in Harrison County Two separate offices handle your property taxes in Harrison County. The appraisal district sets your value, and the tax office collects the bill.
- Practical Home & Property Mineral Rights and Oil Production in Harrison County Harrison County has a history of oil and gas production, and in Texas the mineral estate and surface estate are often owned by different people.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Permits for a Food Truck or Concession Stand in Harrison County Selling food to the public in Harrison County means a health permit and an inspection, and which one depends on whether you're permanent, temporary, or working a festival stand.
- Practical Home & Property Septic Systems in Harrison County Require a Permit Most rural Harrison County homes run on a septic system, and the permits and inspections go through the county's Environmental Health office on Warren Drive in Marshall.
- Practical Money & Taxes The Business Property Form Most New Harrison County Owners Miss Filing a DBA doesn't end the paperwork. Texas expects a yearly rendition of your business equipment and inventory on Comptroller Form 50-144.
- Practical Cars & Driving Transferring a Vehicle Title in Harrison County Buy a car from a private seller in Harrison County and you've got 30 days to put the title in your name at the tax office, plus a hard 4:30 cutoff for title work each day.
- Practical Rules & Licenses When You Can Burn Brush in Harrison County Harrison County posts burn-ban status online; as checked July 2, 2026, the county still showed the March 11 order lifting the ban.
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