West Texas / Permian / Trans-Pecos
Midland 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.
12 stories · 14 practical · 3 good to know
The practical part
Midland County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for Midland 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
Midland · Community Park
Beal Park Keeps a Windmill and Old Ranch Buildings Among the Ball Fields
On the west side at 5200 W. Wall, this 112-acre park mixes sports and fishing with a working-windmill-and-elevated-tank corner that nods to the ranch land it used to be.
Downtown Midland · Downtown Park
Centennial Park turned the old courthouse blocks into Midland's downtown lawn
Centennial Park fills two downtown blocks at 200 W. Wall Street, on land once used by the Midland County Courthouse and Centennial Plaza.
Midland · Trails
Midland's Trail Plan Is Mostly Still on Paper
Midland's trails page separates planned trails from route maps, so it is worth checking which layer you are looking at before you plan a ride or run.
Practical Mule deer and pronghorn also roam Midland County Midland County sits in the Trans-Pecos zone for mule deer and the Permian Basin permit zone for pronghorn, giving hunters two additional big game options. Practical White-tailed deer hunting in Midland County follows North Zone rules Midland County falls in the TPWD North Zone for white-tailed deer, with a general season running November through early January and a bag limit of three deer with no more than one buck and no more than two antlerless. Good to know Some parts of Midland County have flood risk from South Draw Even in dry West Texas, parts of Midland County lie in FEMA-mapped flood zones, and the county adopted a special flood framework for the South Draw area.
All 29 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 29 notes.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Beal Park Keeps a Windmill and Old Ranch Buildings Among the Ball Fields On the west side at 5200 W. Wall, this 112-acre park mixes sports and fishing with a working-windmill-and-elevated-tank corner that nods to the ranch land it used to be. Midland
- Practical Outdoors Mule deer and pronghorn also roam Midland County Midland County sits in the Trans-Pecos zone for mule deer and the Permian Basin permit zone for pronghorn, giving hunters two additional big game options.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Centennial Park turned the old courthouse blocks into Midland's downtown lawn Centennial Park fills two downtown blocks at 200 W. Wall Street, on land once used by the Midland County Courthouse and Centennial Plaza. Downtown Midland
- Practical Outdoors White-tailed deer hunting in Midland County follows North Zone rules Midland County falls in the TPWD North Zone for white-tailed deer, with a general season running November through early January and a bag limit of three deer with no more than one buck and no more than two antlerless.
- Good to know Home & Property Some parts of Midland County have flood risk from South Draw Even in dry West Texas, parts of Midland County lie in FEMA-mapped flood zones, and the county adopted a special flood framework for the South Draw area.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Midland's Trail Plan Is Mostly Still on Paper Midland's trails page separates planned trails from route maps, so it is worth checking which layer you are looking at before you plan a ride or run. Midland
- Practical History & Culture The city of Midland is both county seat and the business hub of the Permian Basin Midland is the county seat of Midland County and serves as the corporate and administrative center for the oil and gas industry across the broader Permian Basin region.
- Stories & local character Outdoors C.J. Kelly Park Has a Football Field and a Fishing Pond on the West Side This 66-acre park off League Drive is one of the few places in Midland where you can throw a line in the water, and it carries a full-size football field, not just diamonds. Midland
- Practical Rules & Licenses A Midland well question starts with whether a groundwater district exists TCEQ says part of southeastern Midland County is in a state groundwater concern area, but that area is not inside a local groundwater district.
- Good to know Rules & Licenses Midland County can ban outdoor burning when fire danger is high The Midland County Commissioners Court can restrict outdoor burning in unincorporated areas when drought or wind conditions raise the fire risk.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Hogan Park Is the Big Green Anchor on Midland's North Side At 620 acres off Wadley Avenue, Hogan Park is the city's catch-all outdoor space, with ball fields by the dozen, a golf course, a dog park, and room to wander. Midland
- Practical Money & Taxes Homeowners 65 and older get extra tax relief in Midland County Residents 65 or older can claim a larger homestead exemption that may also freeze their school district tax bill at its current level.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Windlands Park Shows You What Grows in Midland Without Much Water A 55-acre park on West Dengar with the usual fields and a walking track, plus a xeriscape demonstration plot that's a quiet lesson for any new homeowner facing a yard out here. Midland
- Practical Home & Property In Midland County, the mineral estate often belongs to a different owner Buying land in Midland County does not automatically mean you own the oil and gas beneath it. The mineral rights are often sold or retained separately.
- Good to know Home & Property Midland County has a hot, windy, and dry climate with cold winters Midland County sits at roughly 2,800 feet elevation with July highs near 96 degrees, January lows around 32 degrees, only about 13 to 14 inches of rain per year, and frequent high winds.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Midland's Two Dog Parks Sit Inside Hogan and Beal Hogan's Run on Wadley is a five-acre fenced run with separate small- and big-dog yards; Waggin' Trail sits over at Beal Park on West Wall. Midland
- Practical Home & Property Oil and gas drilling in Midland County is regulated by the Railroad Commission The Railroad Commission of Texas issues drilling permits and oversees oil and gas operations across the Permian Basin, and it runs a District 8 field office right in Midland.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Ancient human remains found near Midland hint at early inhabitants Fossilized human remains called Midland Minnie were discovered in Midland County and are tentatively linked to late Pleistocene-era people who lived in the region thousands of years ago.
- Practical Cars & Driving Register your vehicle through the Midland County Tax Office Vehicle registration in Midland County goes through the county tax assessor-collector's office, which also handles most title transfers.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Dove hunting straddles two zones in Midland County Interstate 20 divides Midland County into two dove hunting zones with slightly different season dates.
- Practical Cars & Driving Transfer a Vehicle Title Through the Midland County Tax Office A private vehicle sale in Midland isn't finished when the buyer drives off. The title moves at the county tax office on N. A Street, and it hinges on a signed title and one form.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Oil transformed Midland from a small ranching town into a regional city Midland County's first major oil production came in 1945, and by the 1950s the city had become the corporate headquarters of the Permian Basin petroleum industry.
- Practical Money & Taxes Two offices handle your property taxes in Midland County The appraisal district sets your property value; the tax office sends the bill and collects the money. They are separate offices with different jobs.
- Stories & local character History & Culture The Permian Basin beneath Midland County holds some of the deepest oil deposits in Texas Midland County sits atop the Midland Basin, part of the larger Permian Basin that formed when an ancient sea retreated and left thick layers of rock that trapped oil and gas.
- Practical Home & Property Water is scarce in Midland County — most homes rely on municipal supply or deep wells Midland County averages only about 13.5 inches of rain per year, and residents outside city limits often depend on water wells that draw from deep aquifers.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Midland County got its name from the railroad running halfway across Texas Midland County was organized in 1885 and named for its location at the midpoint of the Texas and Pacific Railway between Fort Worth and El Paso.
- Practical Money & Taxes You can challenge your property appraisal in Midland County Every property owner has the right to protest if they think the Midland Central Appraisal District valued their property too high.
- Practical Outdoors Midland County has quail hunting through the statewide season The statewide quail season runs November 1 through February 28, with a daily bag limit of 15 birds, and an Upland Game Bird Endorsement is required.
- Practical Money & Taxes Seven different taxing entities share your Midland County tax bill Your total property tax bill in Midland County is the sum of rates set by seven separate taxing entities, not just one.
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