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Property Tax Relief For Some Travis County Wildfire Victims

Travis County homes destroyed by wildfires, like this one in Steiner Ranch, may qualify for a partial property tax exemption.
Photo by Erika Aguilar, KUT News
Travis County homes destroyed by wildfires, like this one in Steiner Ranch, may qualify for a partial property tax exemption.

Was your home obliterated by wildfires this year? If the answer is "yes," Travis County and Pflugerville ISD say they will “grant property tax relief. ”  In other words, they won’t tax you for something that no longer exists.

Well, sort of.

You will have to pay tax on 18 percent of the home’s value, if it was burned down to the foundation. You also have to pay tax on the land. The discount is calculated according to the number of days your home existed before it was razed by nature’s wrath.

To their credit, Travis County and Pflugerville ISD are the only local jurisdictions to offer devastated homeowners a tax break, according to a press release from the Travis County Central Appraisal District.

Check out that press release for a list of homes they’ve identified as having burned down (or “suffered improvement damage”, in the bureaucratic parlance). If your home is not on that list but did burn, you should call their customer service department at 512-834-9138.

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @KUTnathan.