Karnes County property taxEstimate your bill and protest your appraisal.
Your bill starts from the value Karnes County’s appraisal district puts on your home. Below are the 2025 rates for every unit that taxes Karnes County homes, a worked example, and the 2027 protest dates. Then put in your own numbers.
Opens the calculator set to Karnes County.
- Rates
- 2025
- School districts
- 8
- Cities
- 4
- Special districts
- 6
- Protest deadline
- May 17, 2027
2025 tax rates, Karnes County
Per $100 of taxable valuePart 1 Units that tax every home in the county
- 01Karnes County$0.241058
- 02Karnes County Hospital District$0.072406
Part 2 The largest school district
- 03Karnes City ISD$0.7960
The district that covers the most taxable value in Karnes County. 7 other districts tax part of the county; they're listed below.
Part 3 Example: a $300,000 homestead in Karnes City ISD, outside city limits
| Unit | Taxable | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Karnes County | $300,000 | $723 |
| Karnes County Hospital District | $300,000 | $217 |
| Karnes City ISD | $160,000 | $1,274 |
Estimated yearly tax
$2,214
Each $10,000 cut from this appraisal saves about $111 a year.
An example value, not a typical Karnes County home. The school line subtracts the $140,000 state homestead exemption. It leaves out city and special district taxes and any local-option exemptions the county or school district offers, so your bill can differ.
Estimate My TaxSource Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Tax Rates and Levies (https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/rates/). Adopted 2025 rates.
Checking Karnes County…
Tax Code 41.44
Protesting in Karnes County.
State law sets the protest rules, so they’re the same in Karnes County as in every Texas county. You file with the appraisal district, not the county.
- 01Apr 2027
Your notice arrives
It lists a market value and an appraised value. You’re taxed on the appraised value, less your exemptions.
- 02May 17, 2027
Protest deadline
File Form 50-132, the Notice of Protest, by May 15 or within 30 days after your notice was delivered, whichever is later. May 15 is a Saturday in 2027, so the deadline moves to Monday, May 17. Many districts take protests online.
- 03May to Jul
Informal meeting
Most districts offer a meeting with a staff appraiser before the hearing, and many protests settle there. Take an offer only if it matches your evidence.
- 04Summer
Review board hearing
If the meeting doesn’t settle it, the appraisal review board, a panel of local citizens, hears both sides and rules.
Tax Code 41.43(b)(3)
Equal appraisal
You can protest that your home is appraised unequally. The board has to rule for you unless the district shows your appraised value is at or below the median of a reasonable number of comparable homes, adjusted for their differences. Every home’s appraised value is public, so you can build this case without sale prices.
Tax Code 23.23
The 10% homestead cap
Once your home has a homestead exemption, its appraised value can’t rise more than 10% a year, plus the value of new improvements. The market value on your notice can rise faster. Check that the appraised value respects the cap.
Where you file
Karnes County appraisal district.
Every Texas county is served by an appraisal district, which sets values. The taxing units set the rates. Your notice, the protest form, and the hearing all go through the district.
- Website
- karnescad.org
- Phone
- 830-780-2433
- Office
- 915 S. Panna Maria Ave., Karnes City, TX 78118-4105
Source Texas Comptroller, county directory, listing updated May 10, 2024. Confirm the details with the district before you file.
Every school district and city.
Which ones tax your home depends on where it sits. Your notice lists them. Rates are 2025, per $100 of taxable value. Karnes County also has 6 special districts in the rates file, including 3 watershed districts, 1 groundwater conservation district and 1 emergency services district. The calculator lists them.
| District | Rate |
|---|---|
| Falls City ISD | $1.0769 |
| Karnes City ISD | $0.7960 |
| Kenedy ISD | $0.9771 |
| Nixon-Smiley CISD | $1.0746 |
| Nordheim ISD | $0.8604 |
| Pawnee ISD | $0.6189 |
| Pettus ISD | $1.03459 |
| Runge ISD | $0.6669 |
| City | Rate |
|---|---|
| Falls City | $0.161972 |
| Karnes City | $0.608079 |
| Kenedy | $0.496084 |
| Runge | $0.393168 |