Santa Rita Ranch, Liberty Hill: taxes, MUDs, schools, HOA fees and builders

Where is Santa Rita Ranch, and who runs it?

Santa Rita Ranch is a master-planned community in Williamson County with a Liberty Hill mailing address (ZIP 78642), about 35 to 40 miles north of downtown Austin by the developer's own description. Its information center is at 504 Exploration Circle, Liberty Hill, and the developer named on the community FAQ is Platform Ventures. The FAQ describes 4,000 acres with a planned build-out of 10,000 homes across five villages: Homestead, Saddleback, Tierra Rosa, Eldorado and Regency, the last a 55-and-over village, plus CASO, a for-rent section.

The community is not inside the Liberty Hill city limits. The Census Bureau counts it as its own census-designated place: the 2020 redistricting count for Santa Rita Ranch CDP was 3,152 residents in 1,041 housing units, 986 of them occupied, on 3.95 square miles of land, a small share of the 10,000 homes planned.

The tax list a builder publishes for its section carries no city line, which matters because the City of Liberty Hill's 2025 rate is $0.469407 per $100 and the City of Georgetown's is $0.353000. Which special districts and school district apply depends on the village, so the first thing to pin down for any lot is its exact set of taxing units on the Williamson Central Appraisal District record.

Sources: Santa Rita Ranch: New Home Community FAQs ↗ · Santa Rita Ranch: community site ↗ · U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 Census Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171), Texas ↗ · Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector: 2025 Tax Rates and Exemptions by Jurisdictions ↗ · Taylor Morrison: Santa Rita Ranch community information sheet (2025) ↗

What is the property tax rate in Santa Rita Ranch?

For a Liberty Hill ISD address in Williamson County MUD No. 19B, the 2025 adopted rates on the Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector's list add up to $2.554771 per $100 of taxable value, a figure we computed from the five lines in the table: Williamson County $0.369447, the county Farm-to-Market/Road levy $0.044329, Emergency Services District No. 4 (Liberty Hill) $0.074495, Liberty Hill ISD $1.238900, and MUD No. 19B $0.827600. That is $2,555 a year for every $100,000 of taxable value, or $12,774 on a $500,000 taxable value before any exemption.

Two things move that total. A Georgetown ISD section replaces the $1.2389 school rate with Georgetown ISD's $1.0506, and the MUD line depends on which of the No. 19 districts the lot sits in: the county list shows MUD 19 at $0.4899, 19A at $0.5367, 19B at $0.8276, 19C at $0.85, 19E at $0.7553, 19F at $0.83, and 19G and 19H at $0.85. A homestead exemption then cuts the taxable value; the county list shows a $140,000 school-district homestead exemption and a 5% county exemption with a $5,000 minimum. The Austin property taxes guide explains how the exemptions and the 10% homestead cap work.

Builder fact sheets carry older rates: Taylor Morrison's 2025 sheet for its section lists Liberty Hill ISD at 1.1669% and the county at 0.35567%, both below the 2025 adopted figures on the county's own list. Use the county list, and the parcel's record, for the number in your budget.

Sources: Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector: 2025 Tax Rates and Exemptions by Jurisdictions ↗ · Taylor Morrison: Santa Rita Ranch community information sheet (2025) ↗ · Williamson Central Appraisal District ↗

Which MUD is your lot in, and what does the notice say?

A municipal utility district is a taxing entity created to finance water, sewer and drainage for a new area; Santa Rita Ranch's lots sit in the Williamson County MUD No. 19 family, whose districts appear on the county tax list from 19 through 19H, and the county posts documents for MUD Nos. 19, 19B, 19F and 19G on its site. Texas Water Code §49.452 requires a seller inside such a district to give a buyer a written notice of the district, its tax rate and its bonded debt before the contract is signed. Ask for that notice for the specific lot, and read the debt figure, because the MUD tax repays it.

Utilities do not come from the MUD alone. Taylor Morrison's community sheet lists Georgetown Utility Systems for water and sewer and PEC for electricity; the City of Georgetown describes a 440-square-mile water service area covering parts of Williamson, Bell and Burnet counties, supplied by Brazos River Authority lakes, the Lower Colorado River Authority's Lake Travis and neighboring cities. The TCEQ Water Utility Database is where a district's official record lives, and a lot's district number is printed on its appraisal record. The new construction guide covers how MUD and PID taxes change the monthly cost.

Wastewater is where the published sources differ by section. The City of Liberty Hill's wastewater page lists a Santa Rita Wastewater Upper Middlebrook Treatment Plant among its facilities, and on February 25, 2026 the City approved a $5 million contract with the engineering firm Garver for final design and construction of the North Fork Wastewater Treatment Plant, whose treated water will be reused for irrigation within Santa Rita Ranch, with construction due by spring 2029, Community Impact reported. Taylor Morrison's sheet for its section lists Georgetown Utility Systems for water and sewer, so confirm the sewer provider on the MUD notice and the first utility bill for the specific lot.

Sources: Texas Water Code §49.452, Notice to Purchasers ↗ · Williamson County: Williamson County MUD No. 19B document ↗ · Taylor Morrison: Santa Rita Ranch community information sheet (2025) ↗ · City of Georgetown: Water utility ↗ · TCEQ Water Utility Database (water districts) ↗ · Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector: 2025 Tax Rates and Exemptions by Jurisdictions ↗ · City of Liberty Hill: Wastewater ↗ · Community Impact: Liberty Hill approves $5M contract for wastewater treatment facility (March 5, 2026) ↗

Which school district serves which part of Santa Rita Ranch?

Santa Rita Ranch spans two districts. The developer's FAQ says Liberty Hill ISD serves the Homestead and Saddleback villages and Georgetown ISD serves Tierra Rosa, and it names six on-site campuses: Santa Rita Elementary, San Gabriel Elementary, Tierra Rosa Elementary, Santa Rita Middle School, Divine Savior Academy and Kids 'R' Kids Daycare & Preschool. Taylor Morrison's sheet for its own section lists Liberty Hill ISD with Tierra Rosa Elementary, Santa Rita Middle School and Legacy Ranch High School.

Zones are moving. Liberty Hill ISD's board adopted new attendance zones on February 16, 2026 for the 2026-27 year, ahead of Lariat Trails Elementary and Legacy Ranch Middle School opening in August 2026, Legacy Ranch High School in fall 2026 and Saddleback Elementary in August 2027; Community Impact reported that most students east of Ronald Reagan Boulevard attend Santa Rita Middle School and that Saddleback Elementary will draw from the Saddleback subdivision. Check the address in each district's own campus finder before relying on any assignment, and expect it to change again as campuses open. This guide does not rate schools.

Sources: Santa Rita Ranch: New Home Community FAQs ↗ · Taylor Morrison: Santa Rita Ranch community information sheet (2025) ↗ · Community Impact: Liberty Hill ISD rezones schools ahead of 4 new campuses opening in 2026, 2027 (February 19, 2026) ↗ · Liberty Hill ISD ↗ · Georgetown ISD: Attendance Zones ↗

What are the HOA fees, and what do they cover?

The community association is managed by Goodwin & Co, and its fee page lists a Master fee of $116 a month plus a section fee where one applies: Ventana $198, Mirabeau $159 and Augustine $183 a month, each on top of the Master fee, and a $340 transfer fee at resale. The developer's FAQ adds a Regency 55+ fee of $195 a month and says the fees cover maintenance of common areas and amenities, community events and programming, and resident access to pools, parks and trails.

Before writing an offer, read the governance documents and the current Master Association budget; Taylor Morrison's sheet says they are in the sales documents, and Texas Property Code Chapter 209 gives a buyer the right to resale certificates and the governing documents. Fee schedules change with the budget, so treat the figures here as the September 27, 2026 published amounts.

Sources: Santa Rita Ranch: HOA rules and fees ↗ · Santa Rita Ranch: New Home Community FAQs ↗ · Taylor Morrison: Santa Rita Ranch community information sheet (2025) ↗

Which builders are selling, and from what prices?

The developer's builders page listed sixteen entries on September 27, 2026, each with a starting-price phrase in the developer's words, from Pulte Homes "from the Mid $300s" and Toll Brothers Active Adult 55+ "from the $300s" to Sitterle Estate Homes "from the $1M+", plus CASO Santa Rita Ranch as a for-rent option at $2,449 to $2,975 a month. The table reproduces the list in the developer's order; it is a marketing summary, not an offer, and the price for any lot is whatever the builder's contract says.

For the 55-and-over Regency village, Toll Brothers' page on the same date listed homes from $363,995 in its Garden Collection to $701,995 in its Orchard Collection, 1,599 to 3,568 square feet across 15 designs, with a clubhouse, pool, nine pickleball courts, bocce courts and a fitness center. For context, Unlock MLS reported a $399,900 median sale price across Williamson County in August 2026 with 4.6 months of inventory and an average close-to-list of 93.6%; a builder's incentives and lot premiums put the effective price above or below the sticker in ways a county median never shows.

Sources: Santa Rita Ranch: home builders ↗ · Toll Brothers: Regency at Santa Rita Ranch ↗ · Unlock MLS: August 2026 Central Texas Housing Report, released September 15, 2026 ↗

What amenities does the developer list?

The developer's amenities page names seven amenity centers: The Ranch House, with two 18-foot dual waterslides, a leisure and lap pool, a kids' splash zone, a lookout deck and a great lawn; Ranch Camp, with two pools, Happy's splash pad, two pickleball courts and Happyland Play Park; The Hub, a family clubhouse with a pool, cabanas, a BBQ barn and a catering kitchen; The Paddock, with a lap pool, indoor and outdoor pickleball courts and a trike track; The Green Play Park; the Wellness Barn fitness center; and the Regency clubhouse for the 55+ village. The FAQ sums it up as nine resort-style pools, three splash parks and a dog park.

Parks and trails on the same page include Sister Park, Farm House Park, Marriage Park, Hideaway Park, Chris' Exercise Park, Ed's Lakes 1 and 2 for catch-and-release fishing, the Headwaters Preserve on the San Gabriel River, and community nature trails; no trail mileage is stated.

Opening dates are on public record for two centers. Community Impact reported that Ranch Camp, an 8-acre center, was completed when the 1-acre Happyland Play Park with three ziplines opened on October 21, 2025, and that The Paddock, a 5-acre complex with a 3,522-square-foot clubhouse, two pools and indoor and outdoor pickleball in the Saddleback village, opened in May 2026. The Ranch House, The Hub, The Green, the Wellness Barn and the Regency clubhouse are listed without dates, and all of them are funded by the association fees above.

The developer's trails page describes “miles of tried-and-true nature and hiking trails” and names Trail Lake, the Ranch House Trail Head, the Headwaters Preserve, Bark Park and C.A.'s Lake, but neither the developer nor the builder pages we checked publish a total trail mileage, so none is given here. Walk the trail from the lot you are considering and ask the association which segments are finished.

Sources: Santa Rita Ranch: amenities ↗ · Santa Rita Ranch: New Home Community FAQs ↗ · Community Impact: Liberty Hill's Santa Rita Ranch opens new playground (October 20, 2025) ↗ · Community Impact: The Paddock open in Santa Rita Ranch's Saddleback neighborhood (June 12, 2026) ↗ · Santa Rita Ranch: hiking trails and parks ↗

What should you do before the first model-home visit?

Sign a written buyer agreement with your own agent before you register at any sales office; Texas has required the agreement before a showing since January 1, 2026, and many builders honor an agent only if named at first contact, so the order matters. Then ask the builder for three documents before you fall for a floor plan: the MUD notice for the lot, the association's governing documents and budget, and the builder's own contract, which is usually not the TREC form.

Pull the lot on the Williamson Central Appraisal District site to see its taxing units, and check the FEMA Flood Map Service Center for the parcel, since the community's parks follow the San Gabriel River headwaters; our Austin flood map post shows what to look for. Test the drives you will actually make, SH 29 toward Georgetown and I-35, Ronald Reagan Boulevard toward Leander and the 183A toll road, and US 183 south, at the hours you would make them, rather than trusting anyone's minutes. Compare the builder's lender incentive against an outside quote at Freddie Mac's 7.03% average for the week of September 24, 2026.

If you want the numbers run for a specific lot and builder, bring the address and the builder's sheet to David; he can pull the parcel's taxing units, the district notice and a payment scenario before you register.

Sources: Texas Occupations Code §1101.563, Written Agreement Required ↗ · Williamson Central Appraisal District ↗ · FEMA Flood Map Service Center ↗ · Freddie Mac: Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week of September 24, 2026 ↗ · Santa Rita Ranch: New Home Community FAQs ↗