How do I look up land in Austin County, Texas?

Use esearch.austincad.org, the Austin County Appraisal District's property search, by owner, address, Property ID or the advanced fields. ACAD's home page also links an interactive map and a portal for online forms and online protests.

Does Austin CAD collect property taxes?

Yes, for the units on its Who We Collect For page: Austin County, the farm-to-market and road and bridge funds, the cities of Bellville, Sealy and Wallis, the Town of San Felipe, Brazos Country, Bellville, Brazos and Sealy ISDs, the three county ESDs, the Bellville hospital district and a public improvement district. Other units on the account may bill separately.

When are Austin County taxes late, and what does it add?

ACAD's Tax FAQ says taxes are delinquent on February 1. Its Penalties & Interest page lists the total penalty and interest as 7% in February, 9% in March, 11% in April, 13% in May, 15% in June and 18% in July, with a further 20% added on real property not paid in full by June 30 when it is sent for collection.

If I sold my Austin County land, who owes this year's tax?

ACAD's Tax FAQ says the person who owned the property on January 1 is personally liable for that year's tax even if they sold during the year, but the tax lien follows the property. That is why taxes are usually split or paid at closing.

How do I get a tax certificate in Austin County?

ACAD's Tax FAQ says a tax certificate is a certified document showing all delinquent taxes and may include current taxes. It costs $10.00 per certificate, paid in advance.

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Land value and size

How to Look Up Land Values on Austin CAD (Austin County)

By the Land Dreamz team · Published November 14, 2026 · 6 min read · Leer en español

Short answer: Austin County land is appraised by the Austin County Appraisal District (ACAD) in Bellville. Search it at esearch.austincad.org or on the interactive map. ACAD also collects taxes for the county, several cities, three school districts, the emergency services districts and others, and you can pay online. Its Tax FAQ says statements go out each October and taxes are delinquent on February 1; its penalty schedule adds 7% in February rising to 18% by July. The owner on January 1 is personally liable for that year's tax even after a sale, and the lien follows the land. A tax certificate showing delinquent taxes costs $10. Protest tools and the ARB hearing procedures are on ACAD's ARB page.

Austin County sits just west of Waller County, with Sealy on I-10, Bellville as the county seat and ranch land rolling out toward the Brazos and San Bernard rivers. Its appraisal district, the Austin County Appraisal District (ACAD), does more than set values: it also collects taxes for most of the local units. That makes its site the place to check both the value and, for many accounts, the tax picture before you sell. This guide covers both.

Find the tract

ACAD's property search is at esearch.austincad.org. Use By Owner, By Address or By ID, or open Advanced Search for abstract, subdivision, neighborhood, Geographic ID and tax year. The help page's tips:

Type the owner as last name, then first name. If that fails, try just the rarer of the two.
Rural addresses are often inconsistent; try only the street name, without Road or Lane.
The Property ID on your notice or tax statement is the quickest search.
Save a list of accounts as a CSV file, or email it, from the results page.

The home page also links an Interactive Map, the fastest route to acreage with no address, and an online forms and protest portal. The search disclaimer applies here too: acreage and legal descriptions are for appraisal district use only and should be verified before you use them in legal documents. In a sale, the deed or a survey settles acreage.

What the value is, and how the tax is figured

The value is a market value as of January 1 (Tax Code Section 23.01). ACAD's Tax FAQ then walks through how a bill is figured: exemptions and any homestead cap are subtracted, any productivity value is added for land under a special valuation, and the resulting taxable value is multiplied by each unit's rate per $100. That is repeated for every taxing unit on the account.

The productivity piece is the one that matters for rural land. Ranch and hay ground under an agricultural or wildlife valuation is taxed on what it produces, which can be far below what it would sell for. The home page posts ACAD's 2026 Ag Guidelines and a guide on how to file the ag application, and says ag and homestead applications take 4 to 6 weeks to process. If the use changes after a sale, Tax Code Section 23.55 adds a tax for each of the three years before the change, plus interest; our article on rollback taxes on ag land explains how buyers and sellers usually handle it. For the gap between a tax value and a real price, see appraisal value versus sale price.

ACAD collects, but not for everyone

ACAD's home page has a "Tax Office / Pay Taxes Online" button, and its Who We Collect For page lists the units it collects for: Austin County and its farm-to-market and road and bridge funds; the cities of Bellville, Sealy and Wallis, the Town of San Felipe and Brazos Country; Bellville, Brazos and Sealy ISDs; the three Austin County emergency services districts; the Bellville hospital district; and a public improvement district.

Compare that with the full list of taxing units on ACAD's site, which also includes Columbus, Brenham and Burton ISDs and two Austin County MUDs. If your land sits in one of those, check where that unit's bill comes from. A tract near the county line can owe a school district that ACAD does not collect for.

Due dates, penalties and the lien

ACAD's Tax FAQ says statements are mailed each October and are due on receipt. Taxes become delinquent on February 1. Its Penalties & Interest page shows how fast a late bill grows. Total penalty and interest:

February: 7%
March: 9%
April: 11%
May: 13%
June: 15%
July: 18%

Real property not paid in full by June 30 is sent for delinquent collection and picks up an additional 20% of the total taxes, penalties and interest. The FAQ adds that failing to receive a statement does not change the tax, the due date or the lien.

Two FAQ answers matter directly to sellers:

The lien. State law places a tax lien on property every January 1. It is not enforced while taxes are paid on time.
Selling mid-year. The person who owned the property on January 1 is personally liable for that year's tax even after selling, but the lien follows the property. That is why the year's taxes are prorated or paid at closing.

Before a sale, order a tax certificate. ACAD's FAQ says it is a certified document showing all delinquent taxes, possibly current taxes too, with penalties and interest; it costs $10 per certificate, paid in advance. ACAD also posts a Delinquent Tax Statement Request Form. If back taxes are part of your situation, our guides on looking up the taxes owed and property tax payment plans cover the next steps.

Mailing a payment? ACAD's home page warns that, under the USPS postmark rule effective December 24, 2025, a machine-applied postmark reflects when mail is processed at a regional facility, not when you dropped it off, which can push the date back by days. Mail early, or pay online.

Inherited land

ACAD's Heir Property Information page points heirs who live on an inherited home to the homestead exemption rules for heir property. For land that is still in a late parent's name, the bigger question is title. Our guides on land still in a parent's name and the affidavit of heirship explain the usual routes.

Protesting the value

Tax Code Section 41.44 sets the protest deadline: May 15, or 30 days after the notice is delivered, whichever is later. ACAD's portal takes online protests, and its ARB page posts the protest and appeal procedures, the hearing procedures (including a version for telephone hearings) and the Comptroller's videos on presenting your case. For land, bring sales of comparable tracts, photos of access or drainage problems and a survey if the acreage is wrong. Our guide on protesting a land value has a checklist.

ACAD's office is at 906 E. Amelia St. in Bellville, open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

How we use it

With an Austin County tract we read the ACAD account for the owner, acreage and any productivity value, check which units ACAD collects for on that account, and get a current balance before we talk numbers. Then we look at access, flood maps along the rivers and creeks, and nearby sales. See how we buy in the county on our Austin County page, and if you own land across the line, our WCAD guide covers Waller's district.

This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. The appraisal district and county tax office are the official sources for your account.

Common questions

How do I look up land in Austin County, Texas?: Use esearch.austincad.org, the Austin County Appraisal District's property search, by owner, address, Property ID or the advanced fields. ACAD's home page also links an interactive map and a portal for online forms and online protests.
Does Austin CAD collect property taxes?: Yes, for the units on its Who We Collect For page: Austin County, the farm-to-market and road and bridge funds, the cities of Bellville, Sealy and Wallis, the Town of San Felipe, Brazos Country, Bellville, Brazos and Sealy ISDs, the three county ESDs, the Bellville hospital district and a public improvement district. Other units on the account may bill separately.
When are Austin County taxes late, and what does it add?: ACAD's Tax FAQ says taxes are delinquent on February 1. Its Penalties & Interest page lists the total penalty and interest as 7% in February, 9% in March, 11% in April, 13% in May, 15% in June and 18% in July, with a further 20% added on real property not paid in full by June 30 when it is sent for collection.
If I sold my Austin County land, who owes this year's tax?: ACAD's Tax FAQ says the person who owned the property on January 1 is personally liable for that year's tax even if they sold during the year, but the tax lien follows the property. That is why taxes are usually split or paid at closing.
How do I get a tax certificate in Austin County?: ACAD's Tax FAQ says a tax certificate is a certified document showing all delinquent taxes and may include current taxes. It costs $10.00 per certificate, paid in advance.

Sources

Each source was opened and read on November 14, 2026. Rules and rates change: check the source for the current version.

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