Leander, TX homes for sale: tax rates, PIDs, new construction and schools

What should you know before looking at Leander, TX homes for sale?

Leander is where much of northwest Williamson County's new building happens. The Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimates put Leander at 91,132 residents on July 1, 2025, up from an April 2020 base of 59,235, a 53.8% increase (computed). Over the same period Cedar Park, next door, grew 1.8% (computed). The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey shows the City of Leander authorized 1,701 single-family homes in 2023, 1,190 in 2024 and 951 in 2025, more than Round Rock, Cedar Park or Liberty Hill in each year.

The City of Leander describes itself as about 25 miles north of Austin, along U.S. 183 and the 183A Toll Road, and notes that Austin Community College's San Gabriel Campus is in Leander. Part of the city lies in Travis County: the Census counts 12,521 of Leander's 2025 residents there.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau: Vintage 2025 population estimates, Texas incorporated places (sub-est2025_48) ↗ · U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey: South Region places, 2023 annual ↗ · U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey: South Region places, 2024 annual ↗ · U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey: South Region places, 2025 annual ↗ · City of Leander: The Leander Advantage ↗

What is the property tax rate in Leander, TX?

A home in the Williamson County part of Leander and in Leander ISD pays five taxing units. On the Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector's 2025 list those are Williamson County at $0.369447 per $100 of taxable value, the county's FM/Road fund at $0.044329, the City of Leander at $0.417282, Leander ISD at $1.086900 and Austin Community College at $0.103400: $2.021358 per $100 in total (computed). Leander ISD is part of ACC's taxing district, according to the college.

That combined rate was higher than Round Rock's $1.782276 and Cedar Park's $1.964076 for 2025, and slightly below the $2.046485 for a City of Austin and Austin ISD home (all computed). A Leander home in Travis County pays Travis County at $0.375845 and Travis Central Health at $0.118023 in place of the two Williamson County lines, for $2.10145 in Leander ISD (computed).

On the county's 2025 list the City of Leander grants a homestead exemption of 1% with a $5,000 minimum, and school districts exempt $140,000. The Austin property taxes guide explains how rates and exemptions become a bill.

Some Leander addresses also pay the Upper Brushy Creek Water Control and Improvement District, a flood-control district, at $0.017 per $100 for 2025. Its notice to purchasers says the district lies wholly or partly within the city limits or extraterritorial jurisdiction of Leander and six other cities without saying which parts. The district says to look for it among the taxing units on the WCAD record, and those records list it for every Williamson County community in the new-construction table on this page except Bar W Ranch West.

Sources: Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector: 2025 Tax Rates and Exemptions ↗ · Travis County Tax Office: tax rates by taxing unit, 2026 and prior years (spreadsheet) ↗ · Austin Community College: ACC District and Service Area ↗ · Upper Brushy Creek WCID: Notice to Purchaser of Special Taxing or Assessment District (revised May 2021) ↗ · Upper Brushy Creek WCID: FAQs ↗

How are Leander property taxes changing for 2026?

The City of Leander's rate is unchanged: the Travis County Tax Office list, updated September 25, 2026, posts it at $0.417282 for 2026, the same as in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Williamson County adopted a total county rate of $0.421547 per $100 on September 1, 2026, its no-new-revenue rate, up from $0.413776 for 2025. Austin Community College's 2026 rate is $0.103643.

Leander ISD is the open line. The district adopted $1.1169 per $100 for 2026, above its $1.0869 voter-approval rate, and called a voter-approval tax rate election for November 3, 2026. The district says the rate stays at $1.0869 if voters reject it, and puts its 2026 average taxable value at $460,292, with a district bill of about $5,141 a year on that value if the election passes.

Sources: Travis County Tax Office: tax rates by taxing unit, 2026 and prior years (spreadsheet) ↗ · Williamson County: County budget and tax rate for tax year 2026, September 1, 2026 ↗ · Williamson County Approves FY25-26 Budget and Sets Tax Rate ↗ · Leander ISD: Board Calls Nov. 3 School Funding Election ↗

Where is new construction in Leander, and what are its PIDs?

New homes in Leander often come with a public improvement district. The City of Leander lists three: Oak Creek, created July 17, 2014; Crystal Springs, created March 16, 2017; and Deerbrooke, created June 15, 2017, each financed with special assessment revenue bonds. The City says annual PID assessments are included in each homeowner's consolidated property tax bill collected by the county tax office, and no separate statement is mailed.

Some new neighborhoods are in a municipal utility district instead or as well. The Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector's 2025 list includes MUDs listed as Leander #1, #2 and #3, each at $1.00 per $100, and 73 MUDs countywide ranging from $0.18 to $1.00 with a median of $0.69 (computed). A $1.00 MUD would add more than the city's own rate. The community table on this page lists eight Leander communities with builders selling in September 2026 and the districts on each one's appraisal record.

Texas Property Code §5.014 requires a seller to give a written PID notice before the contract, and its text warns that an assessment has been levied against the property. Texas Water Code §49.452 requires a notice before a binding contract for property in a MUD. The new construction homes in Austin guide explains both.

Sources: City of Leander: Public Improvement Districts (PID) ↗ · Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector: 2025 Tax Rates and Exemptions ↗ · Texas Property Code §5.014, Notice for public improvement districts ↗ · Texas Water Code §49.452, Notice to Purchasers ↗ · Travisso: Builders ↗ · Travis Central Appraisal District: Travisso lot, taxing jurisdictions ↗ · Palmera Ridge: Builders ↗ · Williamson Central Appraisal District: 2021 Caritas Dr (Palmera Ridge Sec 8), taxing entities ↗ · D.R. Horton: Bar W Ranch ↗ · Williamson Central Appraisal District: 2313 Bronc Buster Way (Bar W Ranch West Ph 10), taxing entities ↗ · D.R. Horton: Rosenbusch Ranch ↗ · Williamson Central Appraisal District: 2140 Ghost Rider Ct (Rosenbusch Ranch Ph 2), taxing entities ↗ · Pulte Homes: Horizon Lake ↗ · Williamson Central Appraisal District: 624 Leeward Pass (Horizon Lake Ph 4), taxing entities ↗ · Drees Custom Homes: Hilltop Ranch ↗ · Williamson Central Appraisal District: 2992 Heritage Heights Rd (Hilltop Ranch), taxing entities ↗ · David Weekley Homes: Leander Estates ↗ · Williamson Central Appraisal District: 3172 Green Grange Ln (Leander Estates Ph 1), taxing entities ↗ · Drees Custom Homes: Northline ↗ · Williamson Central Appraisal District: 224 John Webster St (Northline), taxing entities ↗

Can you take the train from Leander to downtown Austin?

Yes. CapMetro's Route 550, the MetroRail Red Line, runs 10 stations from Downtown Austin to Leander, according to CapMetro. CapMetro lists service Monday through Thursday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 5 a.m. to midnight and Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight, and a standard single ride of $3.50.

The schedule matters for a commute plan. Check the current timetable and the drive or bike route from a specific address to Leander Station before counting on rail, since the station is a fixed point and Leander covers a wide area. Drive times on U.S. 183 and the 183A Toll Road vary with the hour, so test them at the time you would travel.

Sources: CapMetro: CapMetro Rail (Red Line) ↗

Which school districts serve Leander homes?

The City of Leander's education page names Leander ISD as the city's school district and notes Austin Community College's San Gabriel Campus in Leander. The district's boundary and the city limit are drawn separately, so the district and the city do not cover the same ground.

This page does not rate schools. To find the campuses assigned to a specific address, use Leander ISD's Attendance Zones page, which has an address look-up. Then confirm the school district named on the property's appraisal district record, which decides the school tax; an address near the city's edge can fall in a different district than its mailing city suggests.

Sources: City of Leander: Education ↗ · Leander ISD: Attendance Zones ↗ · Williamson Central Appraisal District: Property Search ↗

How do you check a specific Leander address before making an offer?

Start with the appraisal district: the Williamson Central Appraisal District property search for most of the city, or the Travis Central Appraisal District search for the Travis County part. The record lists every taxing unit on the parcel, including any PID or MUD, plus the school district and the current owner's exemptions.

Next, search the address in FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, run it through Leander ISD's attendance zone look-up, and ask for the PID and MUD notices. ZIP 78641 covers about 97% of Leander's land area in the Census Bureau's 2020 relationship file, but Leander fills only about 29% of that ZIP (computed), so a 78641 listing can be outside city limits. The Austin-area homes for sale hub compares Leander with its neighbors.

Sources: Williamson Central Appraisal District: Property Search ↗ · Travis Central Appraisal District: Property Search ↗ · FEMA Flood Map Service Center ↗ · Leander ISD: Attendance Zones ↗ · U.S. Census Bureau: 2020 ZCTA to place relationship file ↗

How do taxes change after you buy, and why have your own agent before touring models?

The Williamson Central Appraisal District says that under SB 8, an owner who buys after January 1 and has a Texas ID or driver license showing the property address may qualify for the general residence homestead exemption for the applicable part of that tax year once they own and live in the home. WCAD lists April 30 as the deadline for many exemptions. Budget from the current market value and current rates, not the seller's bill.

Texas Occupations Code §1101.563 requires a written buyer agreement before a license holder shows any home, and TREC says it must disclose in conspicuous language that broker compensation is not set by law and is fully negotiable. Builders set their own agent rules: KB Home's published policy requires the agent to accompany the client at the first visit and confirm then that a written buyer-broker agreement has been signed. Ask every sales office for its policy before you sign in.

Sources: Williamson Central Appraisal District: First Time Property Owners ↗ · Texas Occupations Code §1101.563, Written Agreement Required ↗ · TREC: What changes in 2026 about buyer/tenant representation in Texas ↗ · KB Home: For Real Estate Agents (broker cooperation policy) ↗