Arlington's city property tax rate for the new fiscal year is $0.6298 per $100 of value. That is the same rate as last year. Even so, the city's share of the average homeowner's bill fell from about $1,574 to about $1,500. The reason is that homeowners protested their values in a year when the appraisal district did not reappraise homes at all.
The Tarrant Appraisal District's next residential reappraisal is in 2027, with January 1 as the appraisal date. Recent sales are part of the evidence it uses.
The bill fell without a rate cut
The Tarrant Appraisal District, known as TAD, appraises residential property in odd-numbered years. It did not reappraise homes in 2026, which left values frozen at a higher, earlier market level. On September 8, 2026, its board voted 5-4 to keep that schedule, so the next residential reappraisal is in 2027.
According to the Fort Worth Report, the 2026 cycle carried 2024 market values forward even though the market fell in 2025. Homes whose values rose in 2025 also stayed at their lower 2024 figures, so the effect was uneven from one owner to the next. Estimates of how many homes ended up overvalued depend on who is counting. A consultant's analysis cited in that article put it above 195,000. TAD Chief Appraiser Joe Don Bobbitt estimated about 190,000. In June he said about 60,000 of those were already held down by homestead caps, which would bring the potentially overvalued group closer to 130,000.
TAD estimated more than 272,000 homeowners protested in 2026, and about 95% settled without a formal hearing. In Arlington, City Manager Trey Yelverton told the council that protests cut about $5 billion of property value and that taxable home value in the city fell 1.23%. That is the second-largest drop this century.
The same shift appears on the school side. Arlington ISD's average residential taxable value dropped from $175,532 to $153,030. The district attributed the drop to the appraisal freeze, more homestead exemptions and resident protests.
Here are the adopted 2026 rates for the main taxing units on a bill for a home inside Arlington ISD:
| Taxing unit | Adopted rate per $100 | Change from last year |
|---|---|---|
| City of Arlington | $0.6298 | Unchanged |
| Arlington ISD | $1.096 | Up, driven by a voter-approved bond cent |
| Tarrant County | $0.1860 | Down from $0.1862 |
| Tarrant County College | $0.1200 | Up from $0.11228 |
| Tarrant County Hospital District, JPS | $0.159 | Down from $0.165 |
Arlington ISD's rate went up for the first time since 2020. Even so, the Fort Worth Report found the new rate was below the roughly $1.1155 needed to collect the same revenue as last year. Rates were mostly steady or higher. Bills went down because taxable values shrank.
The 2027 reappraisal schedule
TAD's 2027-2028 reappraisal plan sets January 1 as the appraisal date and requires values to reflect that date. For residential values, TAD relies on verified sales from sources that include buyers and sellers, brokers, Realtors and the MLS. Comparable sales generally must fall within 24 months of the appraisal date and are adjusted for when they sold.
TAD's proposed 2027 calendar sets out the timing:
| When | What TAD has scheduled |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2027 | Statutory appraisal date |
| January 2027 | Residential statistical analysis begins |
| February 2027 | Market adjustments |
| March 2027 | Final calculations |
| April 2027 | First residential homestead notices mailed |
| May 2027 | Notice mailings continue |
| June 2027 | Real property notice mailings continue |
Some board members disagree with the schedule. "This experiment that occurred in 2024 had good intentions, but I think there's a whole array of unintended consequences," board member Fred Campos said at the September meeting, as reported by the Fort Worth Report. Board member Callie Rigney said in the same article that the freeze helped most residents. The vote went 5-4, so the approach could come up again in future cycles.
Fees are rising while tax bills fall
If tax bills fell because values fell, the city still needs revenue from somewhere. Part of the answer is fees, and fees apply to every household account no matter what the owner won in protest.
Arlington's new water and sewer rates took effect October 1, 2026. The average residential monthly bill rises from $80.10 to $85.20, an increase of $5.10 or 6.37%. Residential trash and recycling goes from $22.71 to $23.49 a month. According to the Fort Worth Report, the trash increase followed a request from Republic Services, the city's contractor, to cover higher operating costs.
The city calculates that for the average homeowner, city property tax plus water, sewer and garbage comes out 40 cents a month lower, or $4.81 for the year. That figure is an average, and averages hide how the pieces fall. The tax savings are concentrated among owners whose values were frozen or reduced through protest. The fee increases apply to everyone.
The council also adopted a formal cost-recovery policy. Chief Financial Officer Spencer Slider described it as a way for staff to review city services and decide whether each should be paid for mainly by tax dollars or by fees on the people who use it. He used the city-owned Texas Rangers Golf Club as an example. For anyone estimating the cost of owning an Arlington home over several years, more of that cost may show up on utility and service bills rather than the tax rate.
What the 2027 roll will have to work with
MetroTex no longer publishes data for city boundaries, so the most recent figures are county-wide. In September 2026, Tarrant County had 1,634 single-family sales, down 9% from a year earlier. The median price held at $350,000, unchanged from a year earlier, while the average rose 13% to $479,856. Homes averaged 52 days on the market and sold for 95.1% of list price, with 3.5 months of inventory. In August 2026, the county median was $343,000, down 3% from a year earlier.
A flat median with fewer sales and homes closing below list price looks nothing like the 2024 market that set the values carried into 2026. In the months before January 1, buyers are negotiating prices that TAD can use as evidence for 2027.
FAQ
When are 2027 notices scheduled to go out? TAD's proposed calendar starts mailing residential homestead notices in April 2027, with more real property notices going out in May and June.
Is Arlington's 2027 tax rate already known? No. The rates in the table above are the adopted 2026 rates, and the 2027 rates have not been set.
Are the higher water and trash rates already in effect? Yes. Arlington's new water, sewer and refuse rates took effect October 1, 2026.
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Before acting, confirm your own exemptions, protest options and tax estimate with TAD, a tax professional or your lender.
If you're thinking about an Arlington home this fall, The Escalante Group can help. Contact Us to get started.
