What does the Harris County Flood Control District tax fund?

What is the rate and how much is it in dollars?

The HCAD table shows the district's rate at $0.03105 per $100 for 2023, $0.04897 for 2024 and $0.04966 for 2025. At the county median sale price of $320,000 that is $99, $157 and $159 a year before exemptions. The tax is the same for every property in the county, which is why it does not explain differences between two homes. Because the median total rate is 2.254%, the flood-control line is 2.2% of a typical bill. The largest lines are school district tax and the county, then the hospital district at $0.18761. For a sense of scale, the flood control line adds about $13 a month on the median-priced home, while the school district line adds about $250 a month at a $1.0669 rate. The comparison shows why the rate rise matters less to one household than to the district's budget.

What does the district do with the money, and does the tax change a home's flood risk?

HCFCD maintains the county's bayous, channels and stormwater detention basins, plans and builds projects to reduce flood damage across more than twenty watersheds, runs a voluntary home buyout program for flood-prone properties, and runs flood warning and public mapping tools. The property tax is one source; the 2018 bond program, approved by county voters after Hurricane Harvey, funds a set of projects that the district publishes by watershed with status and schedule. Federal and state grants add to it. The district's website lists projects for the Cypress Creek watershed, Buffalo Bayou and others. Verify the current project list and budget on the district's site, which is the authoritative source. Not directly. The tax funds work that changes conditions across a watershed over time, while a specific home's risk depends on its elevation, lot drainage and location. In our data, 9.4% of active Harris County listings are in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, and the mapped share differs by city. Check the address on the FEMA Map Service Center, read the seller's disclosure and get an insurance quote.

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.

Common follow-up questions

Sources

• Harris County Flood Control District
• Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD)

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