San Antonio / South Central
Medina 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.
8 stories · 17 practical · 2 good to know
The practical part
Medina County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for Medina 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
Castroville · River Park
Castroville Regional Park Keeps the Medina River in Town Life
The city's big park is also a Medina River bottomland, with old bald cypress and a strong birding list.
Quihi · Community Identity
Quihi Is a Small-Place Thread You Can Still Follow
Quihi's creek crossing, church, school history, and old shooting club give Medina County a small-community layer beyond the larger towns.
D'Hanis · Settlement & Railroads
D'Hanis Still Carries the Split Between Old D'Hanis and the Rail Town
The D'Hanis people drive through today grew after the railroad bypassed the older settlement about a mile east.
Practical Near Hondo, check the map before you build A Hondo-area tract may fall inside city limits, in the ETJ, or under county land rules. Practical Deer Hunters in Medina County Must Know the CWD Zone Rules Chronic Wasting Disease has been detected in Medina County deer, and hunters must follow special check-in rules when hunting in the CWD zone. Good to know Medina Lake Supplies Irrigation and Offers Bass and Catfish Fishing Medina Lake, completed in 1913 on the Medina River, is a source of irrigation water and a known spot for bass and catfish fishing.
All 27 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 27 notes.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Castroville Regional Park Keeps the Medina River in Town Life The city's big park is also a Medina River bottomland, with old bald cypress and a strong birding list. Castroville
- Practical Rules & Licenses Near Hondo, check the map before you build A Hondo-area tract may fall inside city limits, in the ETJ, or under county land rules. Hondo
- Stories & local character History & Culture Quihi Is a Small-Place Thread You Can Still Follow Quihi's creek crossing, church, school history, and old shooting club give Medina County a small-community layer beyond the larger towns. Quihi
- Practical Outdoors Deer Hunters in Medina County Must Know the CWD Zone Rules Chronic Wasting Disease has been detected in Medina County deer, and hunters must follow special check-in rules when hunting in the CWD zone.
- Good to know Outdoors Medina Lake Supplies Irrigation and Offers Bass and Catfish Fishing Medina Lake, completed in 1913 on the Medina River, is a source of irrigation water and a known spot for bass and catfish fishing.
- Stories & local character History & Culture D'Hanis Still Carries the Split Between Old D'Hanis and the Rail Town The D'Hanis people drive through today grew after the railroad bypassed the older settlement about a mile east. D'Hanis
- Practical Outdoors Deer Bag Limits in Medina County Depend on Which Side of US 90 You Hunt US 90 divides Medina County into two deer hunting zones with different buck limits and season-end dates.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Landmark Inn Was a Store, Stage Stop, Mill, and Power Plant One Castroville river lot carried a store, a stage stop, a gristmill, a cotton gin, hotel rooms, and later electric power. Castroville
- Practical Home & Property Cattle, Crops, and Oil All Drive the Medina County Economy Medina County is a working agricultural county where cattle ranching, grain and peanut farming, and some oil and gas production all occur on roughly 1,300 square miles of land.
- Good to know Home & Property The Balcones Escarpment Splits Medina County into Two Very Different Landscapes A geological fault line called the Balcones Escarpment runs east-west through Medina County, creating Hill Country terrain to the north and flat plains to the south.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Hondo's Airfield Footprint Came From 1942 Hondo added a 3,675-acre Army airfield in 1942, and the closed base kept shaping the town after the war. Hondo
- Practical Cars & Driving Disabled Parking Placards Come From the Medina County Tax Office You apply for a disabled parking placard at the county tax office on Form VTR-214, with the disability section signed by your doctor.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Castroville Was Built by Alsatian Settlers in 1844 and Still Shows It Castroville, about 25 miles west of San Antonio, was founded by mostly Catholic Alsatian immigrants in 1844 and retains 97 historic buildings from that era.
- Practical Cars & Driving Flash Floods and Low-Water Crossings Are a Real Hazard in Medina County Medina County sits in flash flood territory, and low-water crossings on rural roads can rise quickly with little warning.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Hondo Became the County Seat After the Railroad Arrived in 1881 Hondo replaced Castroville as the Medina County seat in 1892, largely because the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway passed through Hondo, not Castroville.
- Practical Money & Taxes Homestead Exemption Lowers Your Tax Bill in Medina County If your home is your main residence, you can apply for a homestead exemption that reduces the value used to calculate your property taxes.
- Stories & local character Home & Property Medina County Is Immediately West of San Antonio, Covering About 1,330 Square Miles Medina County borders Bexar County (San Antonio) on the east and covers about 1,330 square miles of mixed Hill Country and plains terrain.
- Practical Rules & Licenses A DBA in Medina County: County Clerk or Secretary of State? A Medina County DBA filing depends on the kind of business using the name.
- Practical Money & Taxes Ag Valuation Can Sharply Cut Taxes on Rural Land in Medina County Medina County farm, ranch, timber, and wildlife land may qualify for appraisal based on productivity value.
- Practical Cars & Driving Bought a Car From a Neighbor? The Title Transfer Goes Inside in Hondo Medina County title transfers are handled through the tax office, not the Hondo drive-thru lane.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Getting a Marriage License in Hondo: Be There Before 4 The Medina County Clerk stops issuing marriage licenses at 4 p.m. sharp, so an afternoon walk-in can leave you short.
- Practical Home & Property New Water Wells in Medina County Require a Permit The Medina County Groundwater Conservation District regulates new wells and requires permits before you drill.
- Practical Cars & Driving No Inspection Sticker Needed to Register Your Car in Medina County Most personal vehicles in Medina County no longer need a Texas safety inspection before registration.
- Practical Money & Taxes Own a Business in Medina County? Your Gear May Owe a Rendition Medina County business owners may need to render taxable personal property used to earn income.
- Practical Money & Taxes Paying Medina County Property Tax — and the Call That's Always a Scam Medina County property-tax payments go to the Tax Assessor-Collector, with online, mail, phone, and in-person options.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Voting by Mail in Medina County, and Why You Re-Apply Every Year A Medina County annual ballot-by-mail application expires at the end of the calendar year.
- Practical Money & Taxes Who Handles Your Property Tax in Medina County Two separate offices handle your property tax: one sets your value, the other sends the bill.
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