Sources: the county's adopted rate, the previously proposed rate, the revenue impact, the fund balance and the vote via Houston Public Media, September 10, 2026; no new revenue and voter approval rates for each unit via the Fort Bend County Truth in Taxation summary, read September 13, 2026; Fort Bend ISD's planned rate of $0.9969 as published on the district's budget page and matching the voter approval rate in the county's Fort Bend ISD rate summary. Sugar Land's adopted rate, its maintenance and operations and debt service split, its no new revenue and voter approval rates and the 3.4 percent figure come from the City of Sugar Land property tax page, read September 21, 2026; the September 15 votes, the $541.49 million budget, the capital and general fund figures and the $2.19 million revenue change via Community Impact. The 60 percent requirement is Texas Tax Code Section 26.05(b). Adopted rates post to the county's database as each unit certifies them. This is general information, not tax advice. Your bill depends on your appraised value and exemptions.
The three rates that make up most of a Fort Bend County tax bill are now set, or nearly so, and they went three different directions.
Fort Bend County Commissioners Court adopted a general fund rate of 40.7 cents per $100 on September 10, half a cent below the 41.2 cents it had proposed and half a cent below last year. Fort Bend ISD has published a planned rate of $0.9969, six cents below the $1.0569 it charged last year, because the temporary disaster pennies it added after Hurricane Beryl are coming back off. And Sugar Land adopted $0.371116 on September 15, about 1.2 cents above the current $0.358827, after the two cent version it proposed failed on a four to three vote.
I previewed all three in the September tax rates post three weeks ago, when the county's vote was genuinely in doubt. This is the follow up: what actually passed, what it does to a bill, and the one line on your statement that none of these votes touch.
Key takeaways
- Fort Bend County adopted a general fund rate of 40.7 cents per $100 on September 10, 2026, down from a proposed 41.2 cents, which was last year's rate held flat.
- The half cent cut is worth about $6.4 million in foregone revenue and about $5 a year per $100,000 of taxable value; county leaders put it at roughly $15 for the median homestead.
- The rate passed 4 to 0 with one commissioner walking out before the vote; the $841 million budget passed 3 to 2 on party lines.
- Fort Bend ISD's planned 2026 rate of $0.9969 is exactly its voter approval rate, six cents under last year's $1.0569, worth about $60 a year per $100,000 of taxable value.
- Sugar Land adopted $0.371116 on September 15, worth about $12 more per $100,000 of taxable value. Its proposed $0.381116 drew four yes votes to three no and still failed, because Texas requires 60 percent of a council to raise a rate above no new revenue and four of seven is not 60 percent.
- Your MUD or LID rate is set separately by that district and is not part of any of these votes.
The county: 40.7 cents, and how it got there
Answer first: Commissioners Court adopted a general fund rate of 40.7 cents per $100 of taxable value on September 10, half a cent below the 41.2 cents proposed, after interim County Judge Daniel Wong pushed the reduction on affordability grounds. The county says the cut costs about $6.4 million in projected revenue while leaving the adopted budget unchanged and roughly $94 million in the general fund balance.
The number is easy. The path to it was not. Texas law requires four of the five members of a commissioners court to be present to adopt a tax rate, and the county's two Democratic commissioners had been boycotting meetings since late June over a dispute about whether Wong's interim appointment had expired. Through August the real question was not what the rate would be but whether anyone could legally set one. If no rate had been adopted, state law would have defaulted the county to the lower of the no new revenue rate or last year's rate.
They showed up. The rate passed 4 to 0, with Commissioner Dexter McCoy leaving the room after a heated exchange and not voting. The $841 million budget then passed 3 to 2, with Commissioners Grady Prestage and McCoy dissenting.
Wong's framing, quoted by Houston Public Media, was that affordability is not just a national issue, it is a Fort Bend County issue, and that the county could fund the budget, maintain substantial reserves and ask taxpayers for $6.4 million less. Whether you read that as fiscal restraint or as an election year gesture, the arithmetic is the same. Half a cent per $100 on $100,000 of taxable value is $5 a year.
One thing to watch. The county's drainage district levies its own separate rate, proposed at one cent, and its adopted figure had not posted to the county's rate database when I checked on September 13. Your county line on the bill is the general fund plus drainage, so expect roughly 41.7 cents combined if the drainage penny held.
Fort Bend ISD: the disaster pennies come off
Answer first: Fort Bend ISD has published a planned total rate of $0.9969 per $100 for the 2026 tax year, which is six cents below last year's $1.0569 and exactly equal to the district's voter approval rate in the county's database. The drop reverses the seven cents the district added in 2025 under the disaster pennies provision tied to Hurricane Beryl.
Last September the district raised its rate from about $0.9869 to $1.0569 to fund salary increases, using a state law that lets a district add pennies after a declared disaster without a voter approval election. The chief financial officer said at the time the increase was temporary and the rate would revert. The district's published plan for 2026 is $0.9969, a penny above the old baseline but six cents under last year.
In May the district told its board the average home's yearly bill would fall by about $84 once the rate decrease was set against rising values. Per $100,000 of taxable value, six cents is $60 a year. If your home is worth more than the district's average, your savings are larger; if the homestead exemption takes a bigger bite of your value, they are smaller.
I have not seen a report of the board's formal adoption vote as of this writing. School boards in Texas typically adopt in September, and the county's database still shows the district's adopted rate as not yet provided. The planned figure comes from the district itself, and it matches the voter approval rate the county calculated, which is the ceiling a district can adopt without an election.
The district's finances are also why the campus closures and secondary rezoning fights have been so sharp this year. A district giving back six cents while running a deficit is a district that will keep looking at buildings.
Sugar Land: the first vote failed, then the rate came down a penny
Answer first: Sugar Land adopted a rate of $0.371116 per $100 on September 15, up from $0.358827. That is a penny less than the $0.381116 the city had proposed, because the proposed rate went to a vote, got four members in favor and three against, and failed anyway. The adopted increase is about 1.23 cents, or roughly $12 a year per $100,000 of taxable value.
The reason a four to three vote lost is the part worth understanding, and it applies to every city in Texas. Under Section 26.05(b) of the Tax Code, a rate above the no new revenue rate needs a record vote in which at least 60 percent of the governing body votes yes. Sugar Land's council has seven seats, a mayor, two at large members and four district members. Sixty percent of seven is 4.2, so it takes five. Four is a majority and a majority is not enough. The council then landed on $0.371116, which is still above the no new revenue rate of $0.355381 and now well under the voter approval rate of $0.381586.
The adopted rate splits into $0.220157 for maintenance and operations and $0.150959 for debt service. Against last year's $0.358827 that is an increase of $0.012289 per $100, which the city puts at 3.4 percent, and on the median homestead at a taxable value of $369,495 the city figures a bill of about $1,371, up $4.90 a month.
Compare that to the $12 per $100,000 further down and you will notice the two do not multiply out, and the difference is worth knowing. The per $100,000 figure isolates the rate change alone, holding your value still. The city's monthly figure is the change in what the median homestead actually pays, which moves with the rate and with the appraised value under it. That is the whole reason a rate cut can still arrive as a bigger bill.
Alongside the rate, council adopted a $541.49 million budget for fiscal year 2027 on a four to three vote, with about $142 million in the general fund and $138.96 million for capital projects. The new fiscal year runs October 1 through September 30, 2027. One loose end to watch: dropping the rate a penny cost the city about $2.19 million of expected revenue, and City Manager Mike Goodrum said staff would amend the budget to match. So the $541.49 million figure is the number council voted on, not necessarily the number the year ends up running on.
Two things about where this landed. First, the city is still the only one of the three units going up, and it is still the smallest move of the three. On a $400,000 taxable value the city's increase is about $49 a year, while the school district's decrease is about $240. Second, the original proposal would have stopped roughly half a cent short of the voter approval rate, the line above which the city would have had to put the rate on a ballot. The council chose not to go near it.
What it does to a bill, per $100,000
Answer first: for every $100,000 of taxable value, the county cut is worth about $5 a year, the school district cut about $60, and the Sugar Land increase costs about $12. Netted together, a Sugar Land homeowner inside Fort Bend ISD comes out about $53 a year lower per $100,000 before any change in appraised value.
| Taxing unit | 2025 rate | 2026 rate | Change | Per $100,000 of taxable value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Bend County general fund | $0.412 | $0.407 adopted Sept 10 | down 0.5 cent | about $5 less |
| Fort Bend County drainage | $0.010 | $0.010 proposed, adopted figure not yet posted | flat as proposed | no change |
| Fort Bend ISD | $1.0569 | $0.9969 planned, equals voter approval rate | down 6 cents | about $60 less |
| City of Sugar Land | $0.358827 | $0.371116 adopted Sept 15 | up 1.23 cents | about $12 more |
| Your MUD or LID | varies | set by the district | not part of these votes | varies by section |
Two cautions on that table. The per $100,000 figures ignore exemptions, and the homestead exemption applies differently to each unit, so your school district savings on a homesteaded property are computed on a lower taxable value than your county savings. And the rate is only half of the bill. If your appraised value rose more than the rate fell, your bill can still go up. That is the piece the homestead exemption post and the protest guide exist for, and protest season for 2026 values is already closed. The lever you have now is the exemption.
For a Richmond, Katy or Fulshear address, swap Lamar CISD or Katy ISD in for Fort Bend ISD, drop the Sugar Land line unless you are inside the city, and pay close attention to the last row. In a new district the MUD line alone can be larger than the county and city lines combined, which is the subject of the MUD notice guide.
The line none of these votes touch
Answer first: your municipal utility district or levee improvement district sets its own rate through its own board, and that rate is not affected by the county, school district or city votes. In newer sections of the county it is often the largest single change year to year, and in either direction.
Everything above is the public part of your bill, the part that gets a hearing and a headline. The district line gets neither. It is set by a five member board most homeowners have never heard of, at a meeting most homeowners never attend, and in a new community it can move by more than all three of the rates above combined.
If you own in an established Sugar Land neighborhood, your district rate is probably low and stable and this is a footnote. If you bought new construction in the last few years, or you are about to, it is the whole story. Look up your district's adopted rate for 2026 when it posts. The appraisal district publishes the table. The district name is on your statement.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Fort Bend County tax rate for 2026?
Fort Bend County Commissioners Court adopted a general fund rate of 40.7 cents per $100 of taxable value on September 10, 2026, half a cent below the proposed and prior year rate of 41.2 cents. The county drainage district levies a separate rate, proposed at one cent. Combined, the county's share of a bill is about 41.7 cents per $100 if the drainage rate is adopted as proposed.
Why did the Fort Bend County tax rate vote take so long?
Texas law requires four of five commissioners present to adopt a tax rate. The county's two Democratic commissioners had been boycotting meetings since late June over whether interim County Judge Daniel Wong's appointment had expired, leaving the court without the quorum needed to set a rate. They attended the September 10 meeting, the rate passed 4 to 0 with one commissioner leaving before the vote, and the $841 million budget passed 3 to 2.
What is the Fort Bend ISD tax rate for 2026-27?
Fort Bend ISD has published a planned total rate of $0.9969 per $100 for the 2026 tax year, six cents below the 2025 rate of $1.0569. The decrease reverses the temporary seven cent disaster pennies increase the district adopted in 2025 after Hurricane Beryl. The planned rate equals the district's voter approval rate as calculated by the county. Confirm the board's adopted figure with the district.
What is Sugar Land's adopted tax rate for 2026?
The City of Sugar Land adopted $0.371116 per $100 of taxable value for tax year 2026 on September 15, up from $0.358827. That splits into $0.220157 for maintenance and operations and $0.150959 for debt service, and the city calls it a 3.4 percent increase, about $4.90 a month on the median homestead. The city had proposed $0.381116, which failed on a four to three vote.
Will my Fort Bend property tax bill go down in 2026?
It depends on your taxing units and your appraised value. Per $100,000 of taxable value, the county cut is worth about $5 a year and the Fort Bend ISD decrease about $60, while Sugar Land's adopted increase adds about $12. A homeowner whose appraised value rose significantly can still see a higher bill despite lower rates, and a homeowner in a new municipal utility district may see the district line move more than all three rates combined.
Does the county tax rate vote affect my MUD tax?
No. A municipal utility district or levee improvement district sets its own rate through its own board, independent of the county, school district and city. That line on your bill is governed by the district's debt and its tax base, and in newer communities it is often the largest single line.
When are 2026 Fort Bend property tax bills sent?
Fort Bend County typically mails tax statements in October after all taxing units have adopted their rates, with payment due by January 31 of the following year. Rates adopted in September apply to the appraised values set earlier in 2026.
Bottom line
The county cut half a cent, the school district is giving back six, and Sugar Land asked for two more and got one. Net, a Sugar Land homeowner inside Fort Bend ISD is looking at rates about $53 a year lower per $100,000 of taxable value than last year, before appraisal changes and before exemptions do their work.
That is real, it is modest, and it is not the number that decides whether your bill goes up. Your appraised value does, and in a new community, your district does.
If you want to know what your actual 2026 bill will look like once the district rates post, send me your address. I will pull every unit on it, apply the exemptions you qualify for, and give you the number before the statement does.
