Austin / Central Texas / Hill Country
McLennan 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.
15 stories · 14 practical · 6 good to know
The practical part
McLennan County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for McLennan 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
McLennan County · Waco park
Cameron Park: 416 Acres of Cliffs and River Right at Waco's Edge
Cameron Park is 416 acres of bluffs, trails, and riverfront where the Bosque meets the Brazos, just a short drive from downtown Waco.
McLennan County · Camping
Camping on Waco Lake: Four Corps Parks, and Two Close for Winter
The Army Corps runs four campgrounds on Waco Lake, but only Airport Park stays open year-round, so a winter trip takes a little planning.
McLennan County · Wetlands
Lake Waco Wetlands: 180 Acres Born From Raising the Lake Seven Feet
When Waco raised its lake to bank more water, it built a 180-acre constructed wetland to replace the habitat it flooded, and that trade-off became one of the county's best birding and learning spots.
Practical Lake Waco Offers Year-Round Fishing Access Lake Waco is an 8,465-acre reservoir with multiple public boat ramps managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Practical White-Tailed Deer and Turkey Hunting in McLennan County McLennan County falls in TPWD's North Zone for deer and has both fall and spring turkey seasons, with antler restrictions in place. Good to know Brazos River Flooding Is a Real Risk Here The Brazos River and Bosque River tributaries cross McLennan County, putting many properties in or near FEMA flood zones.
All 35 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 35 notes.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Cameron Park: 416 Acres of Cliffs and River Right at Waco's Edge Cameron Park is 416 acres of bluffs, trails, and riverfront where the Bosque meets the Brazos, just a short drive from downtown Waco.
- Practical Outdoors Lake Waco Offers Year-Round Fishing Access Lake Waco is an 8,465-acre reservoir with multiple public boat ramps managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Camping on Waco Lake: Four Corps Parks, and Two Close for Winter The Army Corps runs four campgrounds on Waco Lake, but only Airport Park stays open year-round, so a winter trip takes a little planning.
- Practical Outdoors White-Tailed Deer and Turkey Hunting in McLennan County McLennan County falls in TPWD's North Zone for deer and has both fall and spring turkey seasons, with antler restrictions in place.
- Good to know Home & Property Brazos River Flooding Is a Real Risk Here The Brazos River and Bosque River tributaries cross McLennan County, putting many properties in or near FEMA flood zones.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Lake Waco Wetlands: 180 Acres Born From Raising the Lake Seven Feet When Waco raised its lake to bank more water, it built a 180-acre constructed wetland to replace the habitat it flooded, and that trade-off became one of the county's best birding and learning spots.
- Practical Cars & Driving Just Moved to Waco? The Clock on Registering Your Car Is 30 Days A car you drove into McLennan County from out of state has to be titled and registered in Texas within 30 days of the move, a window that's easy to blow past while you're unpacking.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Six Ways Onto Waco Lake, and Which Ones Charge a Fee The Army Corps of Engineers runs six day-use parks around Waco Lake, and knowing which charge the $5 gate fee and which are free saves you a wasted drive.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Selling Food in McLennan County Means a Permit From the Health District First Whether it's a brick-and-mortar restaurant, a taco trailer, or a single booth at a fall festival, the Environmental Health Division at Waco-McLennan Public Health is the office that permits and inspects it.
- Good to know Home & Property Lake Waco Is Part of the Brazos River Water System Lake Waco is a key surface water source for McLennan County, impounding the Bosque Rivers as part of the broader Brazos River basin.
- Stories & local character History & Culture The Mayborn Is Waco's Rainy-Day Museum: Mammoths, Fossils, and an 1890s Village On Baylor's campus, the Mayborn Museum tells the natural and human story of Central Texas, with a walk-in mammoth diorama, hands-on discovery rooms, and a relocated 1890s village out back.
- Practical Cars & Driving A Disabled Parking Placard Needs Medical Sign-Off — Even on a Renewal The form for a disabled parking placard in McLennan County is the VTR-214, and even a routine renewal needs a doctor's medical certification before the county will issue it.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Waco Grew Up as a Cattle Town on the Chisholm Trail After the Civil War, Waco became a major cattle crossing point, with hundreds of thousands of cattle driven through town by 1871.
- Practical Cars & Driving Buying a Used Car in McLennan County? The Title Goes Through the Auto Department When a car changes hands in McLennan County, the new owner has the title put in their name at the county auto department in Waco, and the form everyone needs is the 130-U.
- Good to know Outdoors Hot Summers and Unpredictable Rain Define the Local Climate McLennan County averages about 34 inches of rain per year but sees high heat in summer and occasional hard freezes in winter.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Waco Mammoth Is a Free Walk in the Woods, Mammoths Aside Most people come to Waco Mammoth for the dig shelter, but the monument is also 108 wooded acres along the Bosque River with five short, free trails, a quiet morning stroll on the edge of the city.
- Practical Money & Taxes For Disabled Veterans, Two Different Tax Breaks and Two Different Forms Waco's big VA and military presence means a lot of households here qualify for a veteran property tax break, but a 100 percent rating and a partial rating run on entirely separate forms.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Waco Gets Its Name From the Waco Indian Village The city of Waco is built on the site of an agricultural village of the Waco (Huaco) people that had hundreds of residents in the early 1800s.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Getting Married in Waco? Plan Around the 72-Hour Waiting Period The McLennan County Clerk issues marriage licenses, but Texas makes you wait 72 hours between the license and the ceremony unless you qualify for a waiver.
- Good to know Outdoors Two Paddling Trails Run Through Downtown Waco The Bosque Bluffs and Brazos Bridges paddling trails offer beginner-friendly canoe and kayak routes through the heart of Waco.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Waco Has a National Monument With Mammoth Fossils Waco Mammoth National Monument preserves the fossils of at least 24 Columbian mammoths, including a rare nursery herd, discovered starting in 1978.
- Practical Cars & Driving No Annual Safety Inspection Required to Register Your Car As of January 1, 2025, McLennan County drivers no longer need a safety inspection to renew vehicle registration, but a small replacement fee applies.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Why the Official Home of the Texas Rangers Sits in Waco The state of Texas named the museum just off I-35 in Waco the official historical center of the Texas Rangers, and a working Ranger company still keeps its headquarters there.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Opening a Shop Under a Business Name? File the DBA With the County Clerk If you do business in McLennan County under a name that isn't your legal name, and you're a sole proprietor or general partnership, Texas requires an assumed name certificate, filed with the County Clerk.
- Good to know History & Culture The 1953 Tornado Killed 114 People in Downtown Waco On May 11, 1953, a tornado struck downtown Waco, killing 114 people and destroying hundreds of buildings in one of Texas's deadliest tornadoes.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Baylor University Has Called Waco Home Since 1887 Baylor University relocated to Waco in 1887 and remains a major presence in McLennan County's economy and culture.
- Practical Money & Taxes Run a Business in Waco? Your Equipment Gets Taxed Too, and April 15 Is the Day Texas taxes the gear a business runs on (coolers, lifts, shelving, computers), and you report it to McLennan CAD on a rendition due April 15 every year.
- Stories & local character Home & Property Groundwater Comes From the Trinity Aquifer — With Limits The Trinity Aquifer underlies McLennan County, but heavy pumping has caused significant water level declines along the I-35 corridor.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Short-Term Rental Rules Apply Inside Waco City Limits The City of Waco regulates short-term rentals such as Airbnb-style properties within city limits; no county-level STR rules apply in unincorporated areas.
- Good to know Home & Property McLennan County Has a Long History of Tornadoes McLennan County sits in a tornado-prone part of Central Texas, and the National Weather Service tracks storm history back to 1880.
- Stories & local character Outdoors McLennan County Sits on Two Distinct Prairie Zones The county spans both the Grand Prairie to the west and the Blackland Prairie to the east, giving it fertile soils suited to row crops, hay, and cattle.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Where You Live in the County Changes What Rules Apply McLennan County has several incorporated cities, each with its own ordinances, plus unincorporated areas where fewer local rules apply.
- Stories & local character History & Culture McLennan County Was Created in 1850 McLennan County was established in January 1850 and named after Neil McLennan, a Scottish settler who came to Texas in 1835 and moved to the Bosque River area in the 1840s.
- Practical Cars & Driving You Don't Have to Drive Into Waco for Car Tags: McGregor and West Do It Too Beyond the downtown Waco counter, McLennan County runs full-service auto substations in McGregor and West that can do everything the main office does.
- Stories & local character Rules & Licenses McLennan County Has Oil and Gas Activity Under RRC District 5 The Railroad Commission of Texas regulates oil and gas drilling in McLennan County under District 5, headquartered in Henderson.
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