Homestead Exemption Can Lower Your School Tax Bill

Texas law requires school districts to give homeowners a $140,000 exemption on their main home. That means the school district taxes you on a lower value, not the full appraised amount. Other local taxing units in Mitchell County (the county itself or the hospital district, say) may offer their own optional exemptions on top of that.

To get the exemption, you file an application with the Mitchell County Appraisal District, not the tax office. You only need to file once as long as you keep living there. There is generally a deadline in the spring, but the Comptroller's page has current rules. Once approved, the exemption renews automatically each year.