Tax Basics |
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Every property in the state of Texas is under the jurisdiction of a county appraisal district. This appraisal district (not the tax office) is responsible for appraising property, responsible for granting any exemptions and they also are responsible for maintaining property tax records. This includes name and ownership changes and mailing address changes. Sometimes a property can be under the jurisdiction of two appraisal districts. This happens when a taxing authority is so large that it overlaps two counties. When this happens, the property owner will have to making changes to property tax records, apply for exemptions and protest property values with two appraisal districts.
Clear Creek ISD is one of those taxing authorities that overlap two counties. Therefore, all Galveston and Harris County properties taxed by CCISD are under the jurisdiction of Galveston CAD.
Galveston CAD is the only authority that can make changes to, grant exemptions and appraise property for the CCISD School tax purpose. Call Galveston CAD toll free at (866) 277-4725. |
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Changes to Tax Records |
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The only authority that can make any changes to the CCISD Tax Rolls is the Galveston CAD. They certify and record any changes and report these changes to the tax offices that fall under their jurisdiction. We cannot change misspellings of names or street addresses. Galveston Central Appraisal District (866) 277-4725. |
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If you sold your property or are no longer operating your business, you should call the Galveston CAD so that they can remove you from the tax rolls, otherwise taxes will continue to be assessed. If you or your business has moved, contact them so they can change your mailing address. |
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Contact the Galveston County Appraisal District For: |
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Wrong Name or Address, Ownership Changes, Exemptions, Protest of Property Value |
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Galveston Central Appraisal District: (866) 277-4725 |
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Tax Bills and Due Dates |
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Tax bills are mailed in October. You have until January 31 to pay this bill without any penalty or interest. If December is approaching and you have not received a tax bill, you can print a copy from this site. Some taxpayers pay their tax bill by December 31 for income tax purposes. Consult your financial professional about payment dates. |
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Generally, you should expect bills from the city, county and school district. You may also have utility districts or other taxes. Some taxes may be consolidated into your county tax. You should have most if not all of your tax bills by Thanksgiving. |
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In the state of Texas any tax agent, mortgage company or tax service must request your tax bill annually, even if they had requested your tax bill in the past. If your mortgage company requests your tax bill, the original bill will be sent directly to the mortgage company. If your mortgage company did not request your bill before tax bills were printed, the original tax bill will go to the property owner. Sometimes, mortgage companies do not request tax bills until after we print and mail the original tax bills. We will honor any mortgage company's request for a tax bill. |
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If you receive a bill and your mortgage company is to pay your taxes, you should write your loan number on the bill and forward it to your mortgage company's escrow tax department. By doing this, you can confirm that your mortgage company has received your bill. |
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Texas Property Tax Code Sec 31.01 states that failure to receive a bill does not change the due date or waive the penalty and interest. It is the property owner's responsibility to know when taxes are due. We will make a reasonable attempt to mail bills to the address provided us by the Galveston CAD. |
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If ownership changes or mailing address changes have not been made with the Galveston CAD, you may want to do so immediately, to insure that all bills will be mailed to the correct owner and address. As stated earlier, Galveston CAD is the only authority that can change CCISD tax records. We cannot change misspellings. |
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More Information |
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We honor U.S. Postal Service Postmarks; metered mail dates will not be considered. If you are mailing your payment on December 31 or January 31, we suggest you have the post office hand stamp the date on your envelope to insure a valid postmark. The same applies for the end of each month thereafter. |
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We have encountered incidences where the taxpayer had drop their mail at the post office after regular business hours and the mail was postmarked with the next business day’s date. |
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Make your check payable to CCISD Tax Office. Your portion of the tax bill and your cancelled check may serve as your receipt. |
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New Property Owners |
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As a new property owner you will want to familiarize yourself with your property records. You should contact the Galveston CAD (this includes all Harris County properties within the CCISD boundaries) to have your new ownership recorded and verify the correct mailing address. Also, check your property value and apply for any exemptions that you may be entitled to. This may or may not have been done for you at closing, but it is in your best interest to verify that these things were done and are correct. |
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If you have purchased a new home at any time during the year, you will be responsible for paying the taxes. Do not assume that the title company, mortgage company or previous owner paid the taxes. Please check your closing papers as to the disposition of any taxes due you from previous owner. Please note that the current owner is responsible for all taxes due on the property. |
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Paying Your Own Taxes |
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If you had a mortgage company in the past or have purchased a home that may have had a mortgage company paying taxes and you will be now be paying your own taxes, you will want to call all of your tax offices and have them “remove” the mortgage code and advise them you will be paying your own taxes. |
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This insures that tax bills will be mailed to you. Sometimes mortgage companies do not update their files regularly, and may unknowingly request your tax bill. If you have not received a tax bill you can print a bill from this site. Your portion of the tax bill and your cancelled check may serve as your receipt. |
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You should have your tax bills by Thanksgiving. You have until January 31 to make payment without penalty and interest. Some taxpayers pay their tax bill by December 31, for income tax purposes. |
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Mortgage Company Paying Taxes |
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If your mortgage company is to pay your taxes, you will want to verify that indeed they did set up an escrow account for you and that they are aware of all the tax offices that will be taxing your property. Taxes vary from state to state and many mortgage companies (not familiar with Texas taxes) may inadvertently overlook some taxes, especially school taxes. In Texas, school taxes are usually the highest taxes. |
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In the state of Texas any tax agent, mortgage company, or tax service must request your tax bill annually, even if they had requested your tax bill in the past. If your mortgage company requests your tax bill, the original bill will be sent directly to the mortgage company. |
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If your mortgage company did not request your bill before tax bills were printed, the original tax bill will go to the property owner. Sometimes mortgage companies do not request the tax bills until after we print and mail the original tax bills. We will honor any mortgage company's request for a tax bill. |
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If you receive a bill and your mortgage company is to pay your taxes, you should write your loan number on the bill and forward it to your mortgage company's escrow tax department. By doing this, you can confirm that your mortgage company has received your bill. |
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