On a newly built home in Cimarron, the most misleading number in the file is often last year's property tax figure. Texas law values taxable property "as of January 1." If the house didn't exist on that date, the bill didn't count it. Your lender may estimate escrow from that number, and your title company may prorate from it. The first full-year bill will come from a different number.
One public appraisal record for a home in Cimarron Canyon #2 shows the gap is about the difference between taxing a lot and taxing a $600,000 home.
One lot, three January firsts
The El Paso Central Appraisal District record for this home follows a single property from dirt to finished house. The deed history shows Cimarron Hunt Communities LLC selling the lot to a builder in December 2023, and the finished home selling to its current owner in November 2024.
Here is how the appraisal district valued it each January 1:
- 2024: $0 in improvements and $66,642 in land. The house went up during that year, but on January 1 the record shows only the lot.
- 2025: $459,648 in improvements plus $128,157 in land, for $587,805.
- 2026: $484,843 in improvements plus the same $128,157 in land, for $613,000.
The building record lists the main living area, 2,394 square feet, as built in 2024, with two covered patios added in 2025.
Think about what that meant at the closing table in November 2024. The tax year being prorated was 2024, and in 2024 the parcel was appraised as a $66,642 lot. To get a sense of scale, apply the 2026 combined rate to that land value and you get roughly $1,828 a year. That's a hypothetical, since 2024 rates differed, but it shows the size of the figure a buyer might have anchored on. The appraised value then rose nearly ninefold in one January. A buyer who budgeted from the 2024 bill was budgeting for a vacant lot.
What the house pays now
The 2026 record shows the full stack of jurisdictions on this parcel and the appraisal district's estimate for each.
| Taxing entity | 2026 rate per $100 | Taxable value | Estimated tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of El Paso | 0.798000 | $608,000 | $4,851.84 |
| El Paso County | 0.451133 | $608,000 | $2,742.89 |
| Canutillo ISD | 1.146800 | $473,000 | $5,424.36 |
| El Paso Community College | 0.110187 | $613,000 | $675.45 |
| University Medical Center | 0.236904 | $613,000 | $1,452.22 |
| Total | 2.743024 | $15,146.76 |
With no exemptions, the record estimates $16,814.74. The school line has the biggest gap between appraised and taxable value: $613,000 appraised, $473,000 taxable. That $140,000 difference matches the school district residence homestead exemption in Texas Tax Code §11.13(b). EPCAD marks these estimates as unofficial and directs owners to the City of El Paso Consolidated Tax Office for official figures.
So a property whose lot-only year might have shown a bill in the low thousands now carries an estimated bill above $15,000. The house is the same one the buyer toured in 2024, and the 2025 roll was the first to count it.
The 10% cap doesn't cover the first jump
Texas homeowners hear a lot about the homestead cap. Under §23.23 of the Tax Code, a qualifying homestead's appraised value for a year can't exceed the prior year's appraised value plus 10%, plus the market value of any new improvements.
Two parts of that rule matter for a new build. The limit begins on January 1 of the tax year after the owner first qualifies for a homestead exemption. And a "new improvement," meaning value added since the last appraisal, is added at full market value instead of being capped. On a home that was a bare lot the prior January, most of the value on the roll is new construction.
On the Cimarron Canyon record, the 2026 "HS Cap" line reads $0. The value rose about 4.3% from 2025 to 2026, below the 10% limit, so there was nothing to trim. The cap starts to matter only after the house is fully on the roll and fully valued. Through the land-to-house transition, it stays out of the picture.
The rates moved in different directions this year
Valuation is half of the bill. The other half is the five rates in the table, and the 2026 adoptions show why a lower rate doesn't guarantee a lower bill.
The City of El Paso adopted $0.798000 per $100 on August 18, 2026, up from $0.759649. The ordinance itself says "the tax rate will effectively be raised by 5.81 percent" and puts the added maintenance and operations cost at about $35.06 on a $100,000 home.
El Paso County lowered its rate to $0.451133 from $0.458889. That's the no-new-revenue rate, meaning roughly the rate that brings in the same revenue as last year on the same properties. Yet KFOX14 reported that the county estimates the average taxable home value rose nearly 6%, from $216,881 to $229,637. That puts the average homeowner's county portion at about $1,035.97, or $40.73 more for the year. County Budget Director Carmen Arrieta-Candelaria told KFOX14 that owners whose values didn't rise could see "a little bit of a drop," while owners whose values went up would pay more.
Canutillo ISD reported a 2026–27 rate of $1.1468, down from $1.1525. EPCC adopted $0.110187 at its September 23, 2026 meeting, and the hospital district behind University Medical Center adopted $0.236904 on August 24.
For the owner of a resale home with a steady value, these changes come out to a few dollars here and there. For the owner of a home that went from lot to finished house, they barely register. The jump in value outweighs every rate change in the table.
The school district line also depends on the parcel. This record lists Canutillo ISD. El Paso ISD adopted a combined $1.0745 for 2026–27. Which district applies to a given address appears in that parcel's EPCAD taxing table, which is the place to check, not the subdivision name.
Where the gap shows up: escrow
Most buyers don't write a property tax check. Their servicer pays the bill from escrow, which is funded through the monthly payment. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains that when taxes go up or down, a payment that includes escrow can change too.
The adjustment comes through an annual escrow analysis. The CFPB describes it as the servicer recalculating next year's monthly deposits and checking for a shortage, surplus, or deficiency. A shortage means the escrow balance came in below the target balance, and the CFPB's servicing guidance describes repayment options that include, in specified cases, spreading it over at least 12 months.
That's how the January 1 snapshot ends up in a household budget. If escrow was sized for a lot-only bill, the first full-house bill drains it. The next analysis then adds a shortage repayment on top of a higher monthly deposit, so the monthly payment can rise twice in the same statement.
Timing makes this concrete right now. The City says property tax bills go out every October, are due January 31, and become delinquent February 1. January 31, 2027 is a Sunday, and Texas Comptroller guidance moves deadlines that fall on a weekend to the next business day, so check the date printed on your own bill. The City also says bills for a handful of other jurisdictions with rates still pending, including Ysleta ISD, Socorro ISD, and the Tierra del Este PID, are targeted for the first week of December. None of those appear on the Cimarron parcel above.
Questions to settle before you close
- Which January 1 does the tax figure in your file reflect? Pull the parcel on EPCAD's property search and compare the roll value history with the year built. If improvements show $0 for the year being prorated, the figure is a lot-only number.
- What value is your lender using for escrow? Ask whether the estimate uses the prior-year bill or a figure based on your purchase price and the current combined rate for that parcel.
- Is the homestead exemption filed? The Comptroller says exemption applications generally go to the appraisal district before May 1, and EPCAD's exemptions page lists the forms and notes there is no filing fee. Under §11.13(c), owners 65 or older or disabled qualify for an additional $60,000 school district exemption.
- How does your title company handle proration on a new build? Ask how they treat a tax year when the home wasn't on the roll as of January 1.
For more on what changes when the seller is a builder, see our guide to new construction options in Cimarron and our new construction services.
FAQ
Does this apply to a Cimarron resale? Less so. Once a house has been on the roll for a full January 1 at completed value, the prior-year bill reflects a finished home. The gap is widest on homes bought new or within about a year of completion, like the Cimarron Canyon example above.
Will the homestead cap limit my first year's increase? Under §23.23, the cap begins the tax year after you first qualify, and new improvements are added at market value. How that applies to a specific home is a question for EPCAD or a tax professional, and the parcel's roll history shows how it has been valued so far.
Where do I find the official amount owed? The City of El Paso Consolidated Tax Office issues official bills and accepts payments. EPCAD estimates are labeled unofficial.
This post is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice, so please confirm the details of your own purchase with your lender, title company, or a tax professional.
If you're buying a new build in Cimarron or already own one, Adel Reyes and the Cornerstone Realty team can walk you through the parcel record next to your purchase numbers. When you want a current read on what the home is worth, request your free home valuation.
