What Are the HOA Fees and Property Tax Rates Like in the Mueller Neighborhood in Austin in 2026

Mueller is not a standard subdivision with a single HOA. It is a 711-acre mixed-use community developed by Catellus on the footprint of Austin's old municipal airport, which closed in 1999. The master developer created a layered governance structure, which means most owners pay into both a master community association and, depending on their specific product type, a sub-association for their building or block. Understanding that structure is the first step toward budgeting accurately.

A Master-Planned Community With Layered Fees

The Mueller Community Association (MCA) is the umbrella organization that governs the entire development. Every property owner in Mueller, whether they own a single-family bungalow on Berkman Drive, a townhome near the Farmers Market plaza, or a condominium above retail on Manor Road, pays MCA dues. On top of that, condo and townhome owners typically pay a second fee to their building's sub-association, which covers the shared walls, roofs, and common areas specific to that structure.

What the Mueller HOA Actually Covers

The MCA fee funds the parks, trails, and open green spaces that are central to Mueller's identity. That includes maintenance of the 140-acre Bartholomew District Park adjacent to the community, the network of hike-and-bike paths that connect the neighborhood internally, the two swimming pools (one on the east side and one on the west side of the development), and the community programming that runs through the Mueller Foundation. It also covers the landscaping of the shared streetscapes and medians that give Mueller its distinct walkable character.

2. HOA Fees in Mueller Austin in 2026

HOA fees in Mueller vary by property type, and knowing the difference before you shop will prevent sticker shock. The MCA assesses dues based on the square footage or unit type of your home, and sub-association fees vary builder by builder and building by building. Here is what buyers are seeing in September 2026.

Single-Family Home HOA Fees

Single-family detached homes in Mueller pay only the MCA master fee. As of September 2026, that fee runs approximately $180 to $220 per month depending on the home's square footage tier. Homes under roughly 1,800 square feet tend to land near the lower end of that range, while larger homes on the north end of the development near Aldrich Street approach the higher end. These are community-wide dues; there is no separate sub-association for most detached single-family products in Mueller.

Condo and Townhome HOA Fees

Condo and townhome buyers in Mueller face a two-layer fee structure. The MCA master fee still applies, typically in the $150 to $200 per month range for attached units. On top of that, sub-association fees for condo buildings generally run an additional $200 to $450 per month, depending on the building's age, number of elevators, amenity package, and reserve fund status. A buyer purchasing a two-bedroom condo on the west side of Mueller near the H-E-B and the Alamo Drafthouse should budget a combined HOA obligation of roughly $350 to $650 per month in 2026. Always request the sub-association's reserve study and financials before closing; a building with a thin reserve fund is a risk regardless of how attractive the monthly fee looks.

What Is and Is Not Included

The MCA fee covers parks, pools, trails, and community landscaping. It does not cover your individual utilities, trash pickup (that comes from the City of Austin), or any interior maintenance. For condo sub-associations, coverage varies: some include water and sewer in the monthly fee, others do not. A few of the newer buildings near the Mueller Lake Park area include exterior insurance in the sub-association fee, which can meaningfully affect how you compare total costs across buildings. Read the governing documents carefully and ask your agent to walk through the fee schedule line by line before you make an offer.

For a broader look at how Mueller's costs fit into Austin's overall market picture, the Austin, Texas Real Estate Market Guide on this site covers price trends and neighborhood context across the city.

3. Property Tax Rates in Mueller Austin in 2026

Mueller sits entirely within the City of Austin's jurisdiction and Travis County, so the property tax rate is the combined levy from all taxing entities that overlap that address. In 2026, the effective combined rate for a Mueller address is approximately 1.80% to 1.95% of the appraised value set by the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD). That rate stacks together the City of Austin, Travis County, Austin Independent School District, Austin Community College, and several smaller special districts.

How Travis County Property Taxes Are Calculated

Texas property taxes are calculated on the appraised value assigned by the county appraisal district, not on the price you paid. TCAD appraises Mueller properties annually, and those values have tracked closely with actual sale prices over the past several years given how transparent and active the Mueller resale market is. The formula is straightforward: take the appraised value, subtract any applicable exemptions, and multiply the resulting taxable value by the combined rate. You can run your own estimate using the Austin Property Tax Calculator for Travis County, which lets you input a specific address or assessed value to see a current-year projection.

The Effective Rate You Should Use for Budgeting

The combined effective rate for a Mueller address in 2026 breaks down roughly as follows across the major taxing entities:

• City of Austin: approximately 0.4457% in 2026, slightly down from prior years following voter-approved rate compression measures.
• Travis County: approximately 0.3474%, covering county services, roads, and the county court system.
• Austin ISD: approximately 0.7892%, the largest single component of the bill for most Mueller homeowners.
• Austin Community College: approximately 0.0969%.
• Other special districts (hospital, MUD, etc.): typically 0.05% to 0.10% combined for a Mueller address.
• Combined effective rate: approximately 1.74% to 1.90% before exemptions, depending on the exact parcel.

Always verify the exact rate for a specific address with TCAD or your lender's escrow department, because rates can shift slightly from parcel to parcel based on which special districts overlap that lot.

Homestead Exemption and How It Reduces Your Bill

Texas offers a general homestead exemption that removes $100,000 from your home's appraised value for school district tax purposes, following the increase that took effect in 2023 and remains in place in 2026. On a Mueller home appraised at $750,000, that exemption alone saves roughly $790 per year on the AISD portion of the bill. The City of Austin and Travis County each offer an additional 20% homestead exemption on their portions. You must file for the exemption with TCAD, and you must have owned and occupied the home as your primary residence on January 1 of the tax year. If you close on a Mueller home in September 2026, your first eligible filing year is January 1, 2027, for the 2027 tax year.

Homeowners aged 65 and older or those with qualifying disabilities can file for an additional over-65 or disability exemption, which freezes the school district portion of the tax bill at the level it was in the year the exemption was first granted. That freeze is a significant long-term benefit for buyers who plan to stay in Mueller for many years.

4. What Mueller Homes Are Worth Right Now and How That Affects Your Tax Bill

Your property tax bill is a direct function of what TCAD says your home is worth, so understanding current Mueller price ranges is essential to estimating your annual tax obligation. In September 2026, Mueller is one of the more actively traded Central Austin communities, with a wide range of product types that produce a correspondingly wide range of assessed values.

Current Price Ranges in Mueller

• Smaller single-family cottages and bungalows (roughly 1,200 to 1,600 sq ft): typically listed and closing in the $580,000 to $720,000 range in September 2026.
• Mid-size single-family homes (1,600 to 2,400 sq ft): the most active segment, with sales clustering between $720,000 and $950,000.
• Larger single-family and custom homes near Mueller Lake Park: $950,000 to $1.3 million and above, with some architect-designed homes exceeding that range.
• Townhomes: generally $480,000 to $680,000 depending on finish level and location within the development.
• Condominiums: one-bedroom units start near $350,000; two-bedroom units with parking typically fall between $450,000 and $650,000.

For context on how these prices compare to other parts of Austin, the Austin Neighborhoods Compared guide on this site covers housing stock, price ranges, and amenities across multiple Central Austin communities.

How Appraisal District Values Compare to Sale Prices

TCAD has historically appraised Mueller properties at values close to, and sometimes above, actual sale prices, because the neighborhood's resale activity gives the district strong comparable data. In 2026, buyers should not assume they can use a purchase price significantly above the TCAD value to reduce their tax estimate; in Mueller, the appraisal district tends to catch up quickly. If you believe your TCAD appraisal is too high, you have the right to protest it annually, and many Mueller owners do exactly that. The protest deadline is typically May 15 each year, or 30 days from the date your notice of appraised value is mailed, whichever is later.

5. Total Monthly Cost of Ownership in Mueller: Putting It All Together

Knowing the individual numbers is useful, but what most buyers actually need is a realistic all-in monthly cost figure to compare against their budget. Here is how the HOA fees and property taxes stack up in practice for a typical Mueller purchase in September 2026.

Sample Cost Breakdown for a $750,000 Home

Using a $750,000 single-family home as the example, and assuming a homestead exemption is in place:

• TCAD appraised value: approximately $750,000 (assumes TCAD tracks the sale price).
• Homestead exemption reduction (school district): $100,000 removed from taxable value for AISD purposes.
• Effective annual tax bill (estimated): approximately $12,600 to $13,500 after exemptions, or roughly $1,050 to $1,125 per month in escrow.
• MCA master HOA fee: approximately $190 to $210 per month for a home in this size range.
• Combined HOA plus tax escrow: approximately $1,240 to $1,335 per month before mortgage principal, interest, and homeowners insurance.

For a condo buyer, add the sub-association fee on top of these figures. A $500,000 condo with a $350 per month combined HOA and a tax bill of roughly $8,500 to $9,000 per year produces a non-mortgage monthly overhead of approximately $1,060 to $1,100.

How Mueller Compares to Other Central Austin Neighborhoods

Mueller's HOA fees are higher than most Central Austin neighborhoods that are not master-planned, because you are paying for a significant amenity infrastructure including two pools, miles of maintained trails, and active park programming. Neighborhoods like Bouldin Creek or Travis Heights have no mandatory HOA at all, so the monthly overhead there is purely taxes and insurance. On the other hand, some high-rise condo buildings downtown or in the Rainey Street corridor carry sub-association fees that exceed Mueller's combined structure. The property tax rate itself is essentially the same across the City of Austin's jurisdiction, so a $750,000 home in Mueller and a $750,000 home in Barton Hills will carry a nearly identical tax bill; the difference is in the HOA layer.

If you are also weighing a purchase in other Central Austin communities, the Barton Hills market guide on this site covers that neighborhood's pricing and ownership structure in detail.

For additional context on Mueller's overall value proposition and what the community looks like on the ground, the Living in Mueller, Austin buyer's guide provides a useful overview of the neighborhood's layout, retail, and walkability from a local perspective.

One more thing worth noting: Mueller was built with a 25% affordable housing requirement, meaning a portion of the homes were sold through income-restricted programs at below-market prices. Those homes carry the same MCA fees and the same tax rate structure, but their TCAD appraised values are lower, which produces a lower annual tax bill. If you are purchasing a market-rate home, you will not qualify for those programs, but understanding that they exist helps explain why you occasionally see Mueller addresses with dramatically lower tax histories in public records.

If you are trying to decide whether now is the right time to buy in Mueller or elsewhere in Austin, the article Is Right Now a Good Time to Buy a House in Austin, Texas? walks through current market conditions and what they mean for buyers in September 2026.