Denton County

‘Please be patient:' Denton Central Appraisal District working through backlog of homestead exemptions

According to the chief appraiser, the district has a backlog of 11,000 applications

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When a Denton County homeowner reached out to NBC 5 for help with his homestead exemption we went looking for answers.

According to the viewer, he filed his paperwork in April 2024 and was still waiting for the exemption to be approved.

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“It still has not been processed causing me to overpay on my property taxes for the last 9 months,” he wrote to NBC 5.

We visited the Denton Central Appraisal District Wednesday and met with Chief Appraiser Don Spencer.

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According to Spencer, the district has a backlog of 11,000 homestead applications they’re working to verify.

Spencer said the growth of Denton County and the influx of new residents, plus limited staffing and outdated software led to the backlog.

“We get about 20,000 to 25,000 homestead exemption applications a year and we have a very small staff,” Spencer said. “As more properties are added to the appraisal roll, we need more people to help processing and maintain records.”

Spencer said right now he has a staff of four people dedicated to homestead exemptions.

The district’s lobby closes early on Wednesdays so employees can focus on the backlog.

In Texas, homeowners can file for an exemption that will give them a break on their property taxes. The backlog means some Denton County homeowners are paying more in taxes while they wait on their exemption to be processed.

Spencer said his office invested in new software that went online in November and it’s helping to speed things up, but working through the backlog remains a challenge.

He understands it can be frustrating for those homeowners waiting on a tax break and encourages them to reach out to his office or stop by to get an update on the status of their paperwork.

“Please be patient with us. We’re doing our best with the resources we have,” Spencer said.

Once a homestead exemption is verified, Spencer said it is submitted to the Denton County Tax Assessor so they can begin the process of a refund on any property tax overage that was paid.

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