Celina Texas Property Tax Rates Currently vs 2024

Your property tax bill in Celina is not a single rate from one agency. It is the sum of several separate rates levied by different taxing entities, each of which sets its own rate independently. Every homeowner in Celina pays into a combination of the City of Celina, the applicable school district, Collin County, the Collin County Community College District, and in some cases a municipal utility district or special district tied to their specific subdivision.

Each of those rates is expressed in dollars per $100 of taxable value. So a combined rate of $2.00 per $100 on a home with a taxable value of $400,000 produces an $8,000 annual tax bill. The taxable value is not always the same as the market value; exemptions, most importantly the homestead exemption, reduce the taxable base and lower the bill.

The Combined Rate: What You Actually Pay

When a lender quotes you a mortgage payment on a Celina home, the tax escrow line reflects all of these stacked rates together. Most buyers focus on the purchase price and the interest rate, but in a high-growth city like Celina, where assessed values have climbed sharply over the past several years, the combined tax rate deserves just as much attention. A difference of even $0.10 per $100 in the combined rate translates to $400 per year on a $400,000 taxable value, or roughly $33 per month added to your payment.

How Appraised Value Affects Your Bill

The Collin Central Appraisal District sets the assessed value for properties in most of Celina. A small portion of Celina extends into Denton County, where the Denton Central Appraisal District handles assessments instead. Knowing which county your specific address falls in matters because the county-level rates differ slightly. You can confirm your county and current assessed value through the respective appraisal district's online portal.

Texas caps how much a homesteaded property's taxable value can increase in a single year at 10 percent, regardless of how much the market value jumped. For buyers purchasing a home that was previously homesteaded by someone else, the cap resets at the time of purchase, which can mean a significant increase in the first year's tax bill compared to what the previous owner paid. This is a detail worth understanding before you close. For more on how the Celina housing market is priced right now, see What Are Home Prices in Celina Texas Right Now in September 2026.

2. Current Property Tax Rates in Celina Texas as of September 2026

The property tax rates in Celina Texas currently reflect the fiscal year 2025 to 2026 rates adopted in September 2025. These are the rates that appear on tax bills issued in late 2025 and paid in January 2026, and they remain the operative rates through the end of the 2025 to 2026 fiscal year. The City of Celina formally adopted its FY 2025 to 2026 ad valorem tax rate through Ordinance No. 2025-95, which is publicly available on the City of Celina's website.

City of Celina Rate

The City of Celina adopted a rate of $0.4950 per $100 of taxable value for FY 2025 to 2026. This is a reduction from the prior year's city rate, continuing a deliberate effort by the city council to bring the municipal rate down even as the city's budget has grown. The $382 million budget adopted alongside this rate reflects the scale of growth Celina is managing, covering everything from road expansion along Preston Road and Punk Carter Parkway to new public safety staffing and parks infrastructure.

Celina ISD Rate

Celina ISD carries the largest share of the combined property tax rate, as is typical across most Texas communities. For FY 2025 to 2026, the Celina ISD maintenance and operations rate combined with the debt service rate produces a total school district rate of approximately $1.2646 per $100 of taxable value. School district rates in Texas are heavily influenced by the state's school finance formulas, which means local decisions account for only part of the total school rate.

Buyers should note that some newer master-planned communities in the Celina area sit within Prosper ISD rather than Celina ISD, depending on the specific subdivision's location. Confirming the school district assignment for any specific address is an important step before making an offer, both for the tax rate implications and for your own research into the district's programs and campuses.

Collin County and Other Taxing Entities

For the majority of Celina homeowners in Collin County, the additional taxing entities and their approximate FY 2025 to 2026 rates are as follows. Collin County levies approximately $0.1521 per $100. The Collin County Community College District adds approximately $0.0812 per $100. The Celina Crime Control and Prevention District adds a small additional increment. Homeowners in portions of Celina that fall within Denton County will see slightly different county-level figures.

Some subdivisions, particularly newer master-planned communities with amenity centers and private infrastructure, also carry a Municipal Utility District rate or a Public Improvement District assessment on top of the standard combined rate. These can add anywhere from $0.25 to over $1.00 per $100 of value depending on the district's outstanding bond debt. Always ask your agent to confirm whether a specific property sits within an MUD or PID before you make an offer. A detailed breakdown of rates by district is also available through MyTownView's Celina property tax breakdown.

Adding the primary entities together, a Celina homeowner in Collin County with no MUD or PID overlay is looking at a combined rate in the range of $1.98 to $2.05 per $100 of taxable value for the current fiscal year, depending on the exact mix of entities applicable to their address.

3. How Celina Property Tax Rates Compare to 2024

The property tax rates in Celina Texas in 2024 were modestly higher than they are today, and the direction of change is meaningful for buyers and sellers alike. The city's FY 2024 to 2025 city rate sat at $0.5250 per $100, compared to the current $0.4950 per $100. That is a reduction of $0.03 per $100, which on a $500,000 taxable value saves a homeowner $150 per year on the city portion alone.

What Changed and Why

Celina's rapid population growth is the primary driver behind the rate reductions. As more homes, commercial properties, and new developments are added to the tax roll, the city's total taxable value base expands. A larger base means the city can collect the same or greater total revenue even at a lower rate per $100. This is the math that allows fast-growing cities to lower their stated tax rate while still funding a larger budget.

Celina's population has grown from under 5,000 residents a decade ago to well over 40,000 today, with thousands of additional homes either under construction or in the planning pipeline across communities like Light Farms, Mustang Lakes, Cambridge Crossing, and newer sections along the Highway 380 corridor. Each new home added to the roll broadens the base and reduces the per-taxpayer cost of city services.

What the City Budget Tells Us

The $382 million FY 2025 to 2026 budget adopted by Celina city council is a substantial number for a city this size. It reflects investment in road capacity, public safety, parks, and the municipal infrastructure needed to keep pace with the development boom. The fact that the city reduced its tax rate while adopting this budget signals that the growth itself is generating enough new revenue to fund services without raising the per-property burden.

For context, Celina ISD's rate also saw modest adjustments between 2024 and the current year, largely tied to state recapture formulas and the district's debt service obligations from recent bond programs that funded new school campuses. The district has opened multiple new campuses in recent years to accommodate enrollment growth, and the associated bond debt is reflected in the ISD's debt service component of the tax rate.

Community Impact reported in September 2025 that Celina lowered its property tax rate while adopting a $382 million budget, a combination that underscores how the city's expanding tax base is absorbing growth costs. This is a positive signal for buyers who want to see a city managing its finances responsibly as it scales.

4. What Celina Property Taxes Mean for Your Monthly Payment

Translating the rate into a real monthly number is where property taxes become concrete for buyers. Using a combined rate of $2.00 per $100 as a working estimate for a standard Celina address in Collin County with no MUD or PID overlay, here is how the annual and monthly tax burden scales across common Celina price points.

Estimating Your Annual Tax Bill

On a home with a taxable value of $350,000, a $2.00 combined rate produces a $7,000 annual tax bill, or roughly $583 per month added to your mortgage payment in escrow. On a $500,000 taxable value, that rises to $10,000 per year, or about $833 per month. On a $700,000 taxable value, the annual bill reaches $14,000, or approximately $1,167 per month. These figures assume no MUD or PID overlay; if your home sits within one of those districts, add that district's rate to the calculation.

The taxable value used in this calculation is not necessarily the purchase price. It is the value assigned by the appraisal district, which may be lower than what you paid, particularly in a market where prices have moved quickly. However, as noted earlier, the 10 percent annual cap on homesteaded value increases does not apply to you in your first year of ownership. Budget conservatively by using the purchase price as your starting taxable value estimate until you receive your first appraisal notice.

Homestead Exemptions That Can Lower Your Bill

Texas offers a general homestead exemption that reduces the taxable value of your primary residence for school district purposes by $100,000 as of 2023 legislation, which remains in effect for the current tax year. This is a significant reduction. On a home appraised at $500,000, the school district portion of your tax is calculated on $400,000 instead of $500,000 after the exemption, which at the Celina ISD rate saves approximately $1,264 per year on that entity alone.

The City of Celina also offers a local homestead exemption of 20 percent of appraised value. Collin County and the community college district offer their own exemptions as well. Homeowners who are 65 or older or who have a qualifying disability are entitled to additional exemptions and a tax ceiling on the school district portion of their bill. You must apply for the homestead exemption through the Collin Central Appraisal District; it is not automatic. Applications are typically due by April 30 of the tax year.

If you are considering a purchase in Celina and want to understand how the full cost of ownership fits into your budget alongside the purchase price and current market conditions, the article on Celina TX Housing Market Trends: A Mid-2026 Data Breakdown for Buyers and Sellers provides useful context on where prices and inventory stand right now.

5. Property Taxes in Context: Celina vs Nearby Cities

Celina's combined property tax rate is competitive with other fast-growing cities in the northern Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs, though the comparison requires care because every city has a different mix of taxing entities. The most meaningful comparison is always the total combined rate for a specific address, not just the city rate in isolation.

Prosper, Frisco, and McKinney Comparison

Prosper, which borders Celina to the south along the Collin-Denton county line, has a city rate that has historically run slightly higher than Celina's. Prosper ISD's rate is also a factor for homes that fall within that district, including some Celina-addressed properties. Frisco, further south along the Dallas North Tollway, has seen its city rate decline as its tax base matured, and its combined rate is now in a similar range to Celina's for most addresses. McKinney, the Collin County seat located roughly 20 miles southeast of Celina via US-380, carries a combined rate that also falls in a broadly comparable range.

The key variable that often makes Celina's effective tax burden higher than the headline combined rate suggests is the prevalence of MUD and PID districts in newer subdivisions. Many of the master-planned communities that have driven Celina's growth were originally developed with MUD financing, meaning the developer used bond debt to build water, sewer, and road infrastructure, and homeowners repay that debt through the MUD tax rate over time. As those bonds are retired, the MUD rate decreases or the MUD dissolves. Buyers in newer sections should ask specifically whether a MUD or PID applies and what its current rate and projected retirement timeline are.

Why Celina's Rate Matters for Buyers Relocating to the Area

Buyers relocating from states without a state income tax sometimes arrive in Texas expecting that the absence of income tax means a lower overall tax burden. Texas offsets the lack of a state income tax with higher property taxes than most states. The combined rate in Celina, even after the city's recent reductions, is higher in absolute terms than what many out-of-state buyers are accustomed to. Building the full combined rate into your affordability calculation before you start touring homes prevents surprises at closing and in your first year of ownership.

For buyers relocating to Celina from out of state or from other parts of Texas, the commute picture and overall cost structure are both worth examining together. The article on How Long Is the Commute from Celina Texas to Downtown Dallas During Rush Hour covers the distance and timing in detail, which is a useful complement to the tax picture when you are weighing the full cost of living in Celina.

Buyers who are also evaluating whether to buy new construction or an existing home in the Celina area should be aware that new construction in MUD-financed communities often carries a higher effective rate in the early years of the subdivision's life. The buyer's guide on What to Know Before Buying a Home in Your Area: A Celina, Texas Buyer's Guide addresses this and other due-diligence steps in more detail.