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Date: April 24, 2007
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
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Each year, the City of Fort Worth and the State of Texas allow approximately 18 percent of the total
assessed value of property in Fort Worth to be fully or partially exempted from the property tax. Exemptions
Tall into a number of categories, some of which are controllable by the City Council, provided the policy is
changed prior to May I of each year. Those exemptions currently being claimed by Fort Worth property
owners over which the City Council exercises no discretionary power are: Agricultural, Freeport, Foreign
Trade Zone, Disable Veterans, Scenic Land, Solar and Wind Powered Energy Devices, Pollution Control
Devices, Prorated Absolutes, Commercial Housing Development, and Nominal Value Personal Property.
The City Council has the option on an annual basis, if changed prior to May 1, to increase or decrease the
following exemptions:
1 General Residence Homestead Exemption: An exemption • not less than $5,000 and not to
exceed 20 percent of the appraised value. The current value is 20 percent.
2. Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption: This is in addition to the General Residence Homestead
Exemption for owners who are aged 65 and older, • their surviving spouses. The current value is
$40,000.
3. Disabled Homestead Exemption: This exempts $40,000 of homestead value for property owners
who are 100 percent disabled and unable to work due to their disability, as determined by Social
Security standards and confirmed by a physician.
4. Historic Sites Exemption: This exempts part or all of the assessed value of property designated by
the Texas Historical Commission • local governing body as an exempt historical site. The practict
in Fort Worth has been to exempt the increase in value resulting from renovation or preservation of a
historical site, with each case presented to the City Council on an individual basis.
The total value of property exempted from Property Taxes is $7.25 billion which includes all exemptions
listed under Deferred Special Use Value Loss and Partial Exemption Value Loss categories.
On March 20, 2007, City Council approved Ordinance #17452 implementing a Senior/Disabled Tax Freeze
effective in 2008, with funding implications beginning with the FY2008-09 budget,
Charles R, Boswell,
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS