Property Tax Around Lake Buchanan

Burnet County's Base Rate Sets the Floor

Burnet County's 2025 base county tax rate runs 0.2863 per $100 of assessed valuation, a genuinely modest starting point. School district and city rates layer directly on top of this county figure for most Lake Buchanan addresses, meaningfully shaping the final bill.

Burnet CISD and Marble Falls ISD Carry Different Rates

Burnet Consolidated ISD runs 0.871 per $100 valuation, while Marble Falls ISD runs slightly higher at 0.8855. For a $325,000 home, that difference works out to a modest but real annual gap, so confirm the exact school district for a specific address before comparing carrying costs across otherwise similar listings.

City Rates Add a Further Layer Where Applicable

Within incorporated city limits, additional rates apply: City of Burnet runs 0.6131 while City of Horseshoe Bay runs a notably lower 0.26775 per $100 valuation. A property outside any city limits avoids this layer entirely, meaningfully lowering the total bill for buyers considering an unincorporated parcel near the lake.

Llano ISD Serves the Kingsland Area at Its Own Rate

Properties near Kingsland, at the lake's southern tip, typically fall within Llano ISD rather than Burnet CISD or Marble Falls ISD, and Llano County maintains its own separate appraisal district and rate structure entirely. Confirm which county and district actually serve a specific Kingsland-area address before assuming Burnet County figures apply.

A Worked Example for a $325,000 Home

A $325,000 home in Burnet CISD, within Burnet city limits, would combine roughly 0.2863 (county) plus 0.871 (Burnet CISD) plus 0.6131 (city) for a combined rate near 1.77 per $100 valuation, working out to approximately $5,753 per year before any homestead exemption. The same home outside city limits in Marble Falls ISD would combine closer to 0.2863 plus 0.8855 for roughly 1.172 per $100, or about $3,809 per year, a genuinely large difference driven by city limits and school district choice.

Homestead Exemptions Meaningfully Lower the Bill

Texas's statewide homestead exemption reduces the school district portion of a primary residence's taxable value, and Burnet and Llano County taxing entities may offer additional local exemptions on top of that. Confirm current exemption amounts directly with the relevant appraisal district before finalizing a budget.

Over-65 and Disability Exemptions Add Further Relief

Homeowners 65 or older, or those with a qualifying disability, can access additional exemptions and a school-tax freeze locking in the school district portion of their bill, a genuinely valuable protection for retirees settling near Lake Buchanan on a fixed income for the long term.

Agricultural Valuation Can Apply to Larger Rural Parcels

Given how rural much of this area remains, some larger parcels near Lake Buchanan may qualify for an agricultural or wildlife-management valuation, substantially lowering the taxable value compared with a standard residential assessment. Confirm current eligibility directly with the appraisal district, since losing this valuation after a change in use can trigger a meaningful rollback tax liability.

New Construction Can Trigger a Real Reassessment

Given ongoing development in some communities near the lake, a newly built or substantially renovated home can see a meaningful reassessment jump once construction is complete and recorded, so budget conservatively for new construction rather than assuming the builder's initial estimate reflects the eventual full tax bill.

Appealing Your Assessed Value Is a Real Option

Property owners in both counties can formally protest their assessed valuation with the relevant appraisal district if they believe it exceeds fair market value, a process worth pursuing directly if a new purchase's assessment appears notably higher than comparable recent sales nearby.

Compare This Rate Structure Against Other Highland Lakes

Burnet and Llano County's combined rates run meaningfully lower than Travis County's near Lake Travis and Lake Austin, reflecting the more moderate overall cost of living throughout the upper Highland Lakes chain. Buyers weighing Lake Buchanan against those downstream reservoirs should factor this real tax advantage into their overall cost comparison.

Community College Rates Are a Smaller but Real Factor

Depending on which district serves a specific address, a small community college rate may apply on top of county, school, and city rates. This add-on still meaningfully affects a precise total bill calculation, so confirm the exact taxing entities for any address under serious consideration before finalizing your overall budget.

LCRA Parkland Reduces the Effective Taxable Shoreline

Given how much of Lake Buchanan's shoreline sits within LCRA-owned public parkland rather than private residential lots, the taxable residential footprint around this reservoir is genuinely smaller than a lake with continuous private development, a factor worth understanding when comparing total county tax revenue and services across different Highland Lakes communities further downstream.

What This Means for Your Search

Property tax around Lake Buchanan depends heavily on which county, school district, and city serve a specific address, with Burnet CISD and Marble Falls ISD running fairly close together but city limits and Llano County adding real variation. Confirm the exact taxing entities and current exemption eligibility directly with the relevant appraisal district before finalizing your budget for any specific property near this reservoir, and don't assume figures from one Highland Lake automatically transfer to another nearby community.