Allen Markel, REALTOR® · Texas Premier Realty

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How do I look up a MUD tax rate in Harris County?

Answered by Allen Markel, REALTOR®, Texas Premier Realty ·

Short answer

Find your MUD on the HCAD account page, which lists every taxing unit for the address, then read its rate on the Harris County Tax Office bill search or on the district's own tax rate notice. In our data, 37.6% of active Harris County homes (6,877 of 18,290 with a complete stack) carry a MUD line, and the median MUD line is $0.591 per $100. The middle 80% run from $0.288 to $1.416. Each $0.10 of MUD rate is $320 a year on a $320,000 home.

What are the steps?

Step one: open the address's HCAD account and note the taxing units and their codes, since a MUD may be named as 'HC MUD 165' or 'NW HC MUD 5'. Step two: look up the current-year rate for the unit on the tax office bill search, which shows the rate and the amount on the account. Step three: read the district's most recent tax rate notice or the notice to purchasers (Water Code sec. 49.452), which states the tax rate, the bonded debt and the district's contact details, and ask the seller for it during the option period. Step four: check whether the home also carries a water or other district line, as many have two. For a worked example on a $320,000 home: a MUD line of $0.288, the 10th percentile, is $922 a year; the median $0.591 is $1,891; and $1.416, the 90th percentile, is $4,531. The spread of $3,600 a year between the low and high ends is larger than the county hospital and flood control lines combined, which is why the MUD is the main line to compare.

How wide is the range, and how many districts exist?

Our tax stack shows 6,877 Harris homes with a MUD line. Their median is $0.591, the 10th percentile $0.288 and the 90th percentile $1.416, and the maximum in the county's rate table is $1.50. Harris County has about 610 special districts in our boundary table, of which 505 are MUDs, 53 municipal management districts, 35 water control and improvement districts, and 8 fresh water supply districts. The HCAD rate table has 486 water-type units with a rate, with a median of $0.51. The rate in the table is for 2025; the 2026 rate is set this fall. When a district appears in the HCAD account without a familiar name, look it up in the TCEQ directory to find its type and contact. Some districts are older and have paid off most of their debt, and others are new and carry large bonds. The notice to purchasers gives the current rate and the bond debt outstanding, which is the strongest sign of whether the rate is likely to fall.

Amounts and rules change every year. For the most current and accurate answer, contact the county office directly: the Harris Central Appraisal District (hcad.org, 713-957-7800) for values, exemptions and protests, and the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector (hctax.net, 713-274-8000) for tax bills and payments.

MUD lines on active Harris County listings (complete 2025 stack)
MeasureValue
Homes with a MUD line6,877 of 18,290 (37.6%)
10th percentile of MUD line$0.288 per $100
Median$0.591
90th percentile$1.416
Highest in HCAD table$1.50
Special districts in our county boundary tableabout 610 (505 MUDs)
Sources: listing_tax_rate.mud_rate; harris_jurisdiction_rates; mud_districts (TCEQ boundaries, county_fips 48201), queried 2026-09-25. (data as of September 25, 2026)

Common follow-up questions

Where do I find my MUD tax rate?

On the HCAD account and the Harris County Tax Office bill for your address.

How many Harris County homes have a MUD?

In our data, 37.6% of active listings with a complete stack.

What is the highest MUD rate?

$1.50 per $100 in the HCAD 2025 table.

Sources

Talk it through with Allen

A short call can turn a general answer into one for your address, your timeline and your numbers.

Call (832) 709-2540

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Answers describe transactions and public data. They are not legal, tax or financial advice.