DFW / North Texas
Wichita 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 · 11 practical · 5 good to know
The practical part
Wichita County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for Wichita 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
Wichita County · Freshwater Fishing
Lake Arrowhead Is Known for Catfish and Crappie
Lake Arrowhead, southeast of Wichita Falls, holds white crappie, largemouth bass, and large catfish under statewide fishing regulations.
Wichita County · State Park
Lake Arrowhead State Park: Camping and Fishing Near Wichita Falls
Lake Arrowhead State Park sits about 15 minutes south of Wichita Falls (in Clay County) and offers camping, fishing, hiking, and equestrian trails on a 16,200-acre lake.
Wichita County · Lake Park
Lake Wichita Park Holds the North-Shore Trail
Lake Wichita Park puts a long city trail, ballfields, disc golf, and shoreline fishing access on the north side of the reservoir.
Practical Agricultural Valuation Lowers Taxes on Farm and Ranch Land Land used for farming, ranching, or wildlife in Wichita County may be taxed on its productive value rather than its market value. Practical The License Rules Are Statewide, With a Lake Arrowhead Exception Most adults fishing public water need a Texas license, while hunting usually requires its own license at any age. Lake Arrowhead State Park has a handy exception for shore and pier fishing. Good to know Three Rivers Drain Wichita County—And Create Flood Risk The Red River, Wichita River, and Little Wichita River all flow through Wichita County, shaping land use, flood risk, and water supply.
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 Lake Arrowhead Is Known for Catfish and Crappie Lake Arrowhead, southeast of Wichita Falls, holds white crappie, largemouth bass, and large catfish under statewide fishing regulations.
- Practical Money & Taxes Agricultural Valuation Lowers Taxes on Farm and Ranch Land Land used for farming, ranching, or wildlife in Wichita County may be taxed on its productive value rather than its market value.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Lake Arrowhead State Park: Camping and Fishing Near Wichita Falls Lake Arrowhead State Park sits about 15 minutes south of Wichita Falls (in Clay County) and offers camping, fishing, hiking, and equestrian trails on a 16,200-acre lake.
- Practical Rules & Licenses The License Rules Are Statewide, With a Lake Arrowhead Exception Most adults fishing public water need a Texas license, while hunting usually requires its own license at any age. Lake Arrowhead State Park has a handy exception for shore and pier fishing.
- Good to know Outdoors Three Rivers Drain Wichita County—And Create Flood Risk The Red River, Wichita River, and Little Wichita River all flow through Wichita County, shaping land use, flood risk, and water supply.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Lake Wichita Park Holds the North-Shore Trail Lake Wichita Park puts a long city trail, ballfields, disc golf, and shoreline fishing access on the north side of the reservoir.
- Practical Outdoors The Hotter 'N Hell Hundred Bike Race Draws Thousands Each August Wichita Falls hosts a large annual bicycle event in late August, when temperatures typically top 100 degrees, drawing cyclists from across the country.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Lucy Park Bends With the Wichita River Lucy Park sits inside a bend of the Wichita River, with big shade trees, a waterfowl pond, and the west start of the city trail system.
- Practical Home & Property A Wichita County mailing address does not settle city-limit or ETJ rules City limits and the ETJ are different boundaries. A rural Wichita County tract may still need city plat review as well as county permits.
- Good to know Rules & Licenses Cattle and Wheat Farming Still Matter in Wichita County Wichita County has hundreds of farms and ranches, with stocker cattle, cows, calves, wheat, and small grains as the main products.
- Stories & local character Outdoors The Wichita River Trail Connects Lucy Park to Lake Wichita The Circle Trail follows the Wichita River and Holliday Creek, turning separate parks, water views, and lake edges into one long route.
- Practical Cars & Driving After a Private Car Sale in Wichita County, the Clock Is 30 Days Buy a car from a private seller here and a signed title isn't the finish line. You have 30 days to put it in your own name before penalties start stacking up.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Wee-Chi-Tah Turns the River Bottom Into an Off-Road Trail The Wee-Chi-Tah Trail gives Wichita Falls a free, volunteer-run route for walkers, runners, and mountain bikers.
- Practical Cars & Driving Disabled Parking Placards Are a One-Form Trip to the Wichita County Tax Office A disabled parking placard or plate in Wichita County comes down to one form, VTR-214, filed at the county tax office, with a doctor's section to complete.
- Good to know History & Culture The Waterfall That Named Wichita Falls Was Washed Away in 1886 A flood destroyed the original falls on the Wichita River in 1886, but the city built a 54-foot artificial waterfall in 1987 that now stands beside Lucy Park.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Wichita Bluff Gives the Circle Trail a River View The Wichita Bluff section adds a short concrete trail, a river overlook, and a little rise to the city's trail map.
- Practical Money & Taxes Homestead Exemption Can Lower Your Tax Bill If you own and live in your home in Wichita County, you file one form with the Wichita Appraisal District to cut what you pay in school taxes.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Midwestern State University Is the County's Public University Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls began as a junior college in 1922 and is now a public four-year university in the Texas Tech University System.
- Practical Cars & Driving Most Wichita County renewals no longer need a safety inspection As of January 1, 2025, most non-commercial vehicles registered in Wichita County can renew without a safety inspection or emissions inspection.
- Good to know Home & Property Parts of Wichita County Are in FEMA Flood Zones The Wichita River and its tributaries create flood risk in parts of the county, and FEMA flood maps identify which properties may require flood insurance.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Sheppard Air Force Base Shapes the Local Economy Sheppard Air Force Base, just north of Wichita Falls, is one of the largest military training bases in the country and a major economic driver for the county.
- Practical Cars & Driving New to Wichita County? Two Different Clocks Start the Day You Move Move to Wichita County and you've got 30 days to register your vehicle and 90 days to swap to a Texas driver license, two separate deadlines at two separate offices.
- Stories & local character History & Culture The 1918 Burkburnett Oil Boom Transformed the County Commercial oil production began near Electra in 1911 and exploded at Burkburnett in 1918, turning Wichita County into one of Texas's most active oil-producing areas.
- Practical Home & Property Rural Properties Need a Septic Permit Before Building Outside of city sewer areas in Wichita County, homes need an on-site sewage facility permit, and the Wichita Falls Health District handles local permitting.
- Good to know Home & Property Wichita County Has a Serious Tornado History More than 60 tornadoes have been recorded in Wichita County since 1900, including a catastrophic 1979 storm that killed 42 people.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Three Smaller Cities Anchor Different Parts of the County Burkburnett, Iowa Park, and Electra are incorporated cities in Wichita County with their own histories tied to oil, ranching, and the railroad.
- Practical Money & Taxes How Property Tax Works in Wichita County The Wichita Appraisal District sets your property value each year, and a separate tax office collects your bill.
- Stories & local character Home & Property Mineral Rights Are a Separate Property in Wichita County Wichita County has a long oil-producing history, and the mineral rights beneath a property may be owned separately from the surface land.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Wichita County Was Organized in 1882 After Decades of Sparse Settlement Texas created Wichita County in 1858, but the county had fewer than 500 residents until after 1880, when a railroad arrived and formal county government was established.
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