Local · Trusted · Free
The Morning Impact — your neighborhood's most important stories, delivered every morning.
Houston’s tax rate will remain unchanged for 2026.
Houston City Council voted to approve a tax rate of $0.519190 per $100 valuation, which is the same rate that was adopted last year.
That means a property with a taxable value of $340,000 would owe about $1,765.25 annually in city property taxes under the approved rate.
Mayor John Whitmire emphasized that now is not the time to raise tax rates.
“Addressing the public's concerns about affordability, that is the concern,” Whitmire said. “Cost of gas, cost of rent, food. This is no time for the city of Houston to raise taxes—I'm committed that we will not do so.”
Although the rate remained unchanged, some council members asked whether the city would eventually have to raise the rate to afford improvements.
Council member Edward Pollard asked Finance Director Melissa Dubowski how much additional revenue the city could generate by raising the rate to $0.541650 per $100 of taxable value.
“I think the public needs to know if we did raise the tax rate, they should know how much extra they will pay,” Pollard said. “Then communicate what they would get: better trash, better homeless outreach, more public safety.”
Dubowski said raising the rate to that level would generate an additional $87 million in revenue.
“The difference between the 55 cents and the 51.9190 cents that we're proposing would translate for an average homeowner to about $9 a month,” she said. “That's based on a home that's about $340,000 in value. So about $100 a year, roughly.”
Other council members agreed that eventually there would need to be a conversation about raising the tax rate to address budget gaps.
Ultimately, the proposed rate passed unanimously.
The 2026 property tax bills are expected to be mailed in October and November, with most Harris County tax statements typically sent in November. Payments are due by Jan. 31, 2027.
