The Property Tax Almanac
Jefferson County · Texas

Property Tax in Jefferson County

A calculator and field guide for Beaumont-area homeowners — and for anyone considering a move to Jefferson County. Covers the property tax rates, exemptions, and payment schedules — including the 5 taxing entities that make up your bill.

Median Effective Rate
1.53%
tax bill ÷ market value
Median Home Value
$169,500
reference estimate
Typical Annual Bill
$2,600
before exemptions
Appraisal District
JCAD
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Jefferson County, home to Beaumont and some 0.3 million Texans, has a property tax structure composed of 5 overlapping taxing entities. A homeowner inside Beaumont pays the school district, city, county, and several additional special districts — each with their own rate. This guide explains every line, how to calculate your bill, and which exemptions you are almost certainly leaving on the table.

How the bill is built

Your annual property tax bill is the product of two numbers: your property's taxable value (its appraised value minus any exemptions you qualify for) and the combined tax rate levied by every entity whose jurisdiction includes your parcel. In Jefferson County, the combined rate reaches approximately 2.22% for a typical Beaumont address, with the single largest line — school district tax — representing roughly half the bill.

The calculator to the right lets you input your appraised value and toggle the most common exemptions. The breakdown below uses the rates stored in this county record. Confirm the applicable tax year and rates with Jefferson County Appraisal District before using the estimate.

Jefferson County rate breakdown (per $100 AV, Beaumont district)

Taxing entityRate
Beaumont ISD0.9348
City of Beaumont0.6597
Jefferson County0.3570
Jefferson County Drainage District #60.1842
Port of Beaumont Authority0.0803
Combined total2.2160

Data record updated August 17, 2026. This is an editorial update date, not a tax year or a guarantee that every figure has been independently verified.

Sources and scope: Check rates and parcel details with Jefferson County Appraisal District. Figures may refer to different source years; a county-seat rate does not apply to every address. How we use data and estimates.

Note: Jefferson County has the lowest median home value of any large Texas county in this almanac at $169,500, which produces a median annual bill of $2,600 — the cheapest absolute property tax of any Texas county covered here despite an effective rate of 1.53% that sits above the state median.
Note: The county is the heart of the Golden Triangle refining complex. The ExxonMobil Beaumont refinery and the Motiva Port Arthur refinery — the largest in North America — mean an unusually large share of the tax base is industrial rather than residential, and both cities run substantial industrial-district agreements with plant operators in place of full ad valorem taxation.
Note: Drainage districts are a real and often-overlooked line on a Jefferson County bill. Drainage District #6 covers the Beaumont area at 0.184235 per $100, while Drainage District #7 covers Port Arthur, Nederland and Groves at 0.292525 — a meaningful difference between otherwise similar homes a few miles apart. Port authority levies apply on top.
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Exemptions you should actually file

Residence Homestead — everyone who owns their primary residence

Texas exempts the first $140,000 of your home's value from school district property tax — raised from $100,000 by Proposition 13, approved by voters in November 2025. Homeowners aged 65 or older, and those who are disabled, get a further $60,000 off (up from $10,000 under Proposition 11), for a combined $200,000. The exemption must be filed with JCAD by April 30 of the tax year for which you want it to apply. There is no fee. You need a Texas driver's license or ID showing the property address and proof of ownership.

Over-65 or Disabled — additional $10,000 school, plus tax ceiling

Homeowners who are 65 or older receive an additional $10,000 school district exemption, and their school district taxes are frozen at the amount owed the year they turned 65. They cannot go up even if rates or appraisals increase.

100% Disabled Veteran — full exemption

Veterans with a 100% service-connected disability pay zero property tax on their primary residence. Partial disability ratings receive partial exemptions on a sliding scale.

Protesting your appraisal

The single highest-ROI hour a Beaumont-area homeowner can spend each year is filing a protest with JCAD, which must be submitted by May 15 (or 30 days after you receive your notice, whichever is later). Roughly half of all Texas homeowners who protest receive some reduction in their appraised value.

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Cities and towns in Jefferson County

This guide lists 12 selected communities in or associated with Jefferson County. It is not a complete municipal directory. Local taxing districts can differ between communities and individual addresses.

Data: US Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census. Populations rounded. Cities marked as "split" straddle a county border — the portion inside Jefferson County is subject to Jefferson County's tax rolls, while the portion outside is subject to the adjacent county's.

City or town Type Population (2020)
Beaumont County seat city 113,300
Port Arthur city 55,800
Nederland city 18,400
Groves city 17,000
Port Neches city 13,700
Central Gardens Census-designated place 4,000
Fannett Census-designated place 1,700
Hamshire Census-designated place 1,400
Beauxart Gardens Census-designated place 1,300
Bevil Oaks city 1,100
China city 1,000
Nome city 300

About city-level property tax rates: The rate breakdown and calculator on this page use a representative district around Beaumont. Other cities in Jefferson County may pay into different school districts, city rates, and special districts — so their combined rates can differ, sometimes substantially. Always verify the specific rates for your address with the Jefferson County Appraisal District before relying on any estimate.

Frequently asked questions

When are Jefferson County property taxes due?

Texas property tax bills are mailed in October for the current tax year and are due by January 31 of the following year. Payments postmarked February 1 or later begin accruing penalties and interest.

What if I think my appraisal is too high?

File a Notice of Protest (Form 50-132) with JCAD by May 15 or 30 days after your notice is mailed, whichever is later. You'll first have an informal meeting; unresolved cases go to the Appraisal Review Board.

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About Jefferson County

Beyond the property tax — a few things you might not know about the place.

Weird fact
The Spindletop gusher blew in just south of Beaumont on 10 January 1901, throwing oil more than 150 feet in the air and flowing at a rate that exceeded every other producing well in the world combined. Beaumont’s population roughly tripled within months, and the modern American petroleum industry effectively dates from that morning.
Hometown hero
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Raised in Beaumont, she won two golds and a silver in track at the 1932 Olympics, then took up golf and won 10 major championships, and was voted the greatest female athlete of the first half of the 20th century by the Associated Press.
Biggest annual event
South Texas State Fair
A ten-day fair each spring at Ford Park in Beaumont, running since 1943 and drawing several hundred thousand visitors from across southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.
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About this site's data and estimates. The Property Tax Almanac is an independent editorial reference. It is not affiliated with any government agency, tax assessor, or tax preparation service. The calculators and data on this site are informational and are not a substitute for advice from a qualified tax professional, attorney, or your official county assessor or appraisal district.

Accuracy, sources, and scope. Source years and review coverage vary. A record’s update date is not confirmation of its tax year. Reviewed guides identify their official sources and calculation limits; other records may have incomplete source documentation. See our methodology and review process.

How to use these estimates. Read the scope of each tool: it may use a representative district, a historical rate, or hypothetical inputs. County benchmarks are not a parcel-specific tax quote. Confirm the taxable value, taxing districts, applicable year, exemptions and additional charges with the responsible local office before relying on an estimate.

No legal or tax advice; no warranty. Nothing on this site constitutes legal, tax, financial, investment, or real estate advice. The Property Tax Almanac, its authors, and its publisher make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability of the content on this site. Any reliance you place on the information is strictly at your own risk. We are not liable for any loss or damage — including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage — arising from the use of this site or from decisions made based on its content.

Found an error? Property tax rules are complex and change often. If you spot an inaccuracy, please use our correction instructions — corrections help every reader who comes after you.

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