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Texas · Greater Austin · Austin Metro North · #90 Most Populous County in the US
Williamson County, Texas
Austin's fastest-growing northern suburb - Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, and the technology corridor where Dell, Apple, and Amazon have anchored major campuses. Property tax, courts, public records, probate, and senior services for Williamson County residents.
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Williamson County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Office: Williamson County Office of Emergency Management – 911 Tracy Chambers Lane, Georgetown, TX 78626; confirm current phone via wilcotx.gov/218/Emergency-Management.
Alerts: WarnCentralTexas.org – Regional Notification System (RNS) covering the 10-county CAPCOG region.
Emergency Communications: Serves as Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for roughly 600,000 Central Texans and about 30 partner law enforcement/fire agencies.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-35 and SH-29 serve Georgetown, the county seat, in the fast-growing Austin metro area
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Williamson County has been among the fastest-growing counties in Texas, with projections suggesting up to 1.5 million new residents by 2060. Georgetown itself was named the fastest-growing city in the nation in 2022 and 2023.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Georgetown Building/Permits – confirm current contact via georgetown.org; for unincorporated Williamson County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Georgetown, founded 1848 and named for early settler George Washington Glasscock, is genuinely and officially the “Red Poppy Capital of Texas,” certified by the Texas Legislature in 1990. The tradition traces to a real, documented WWI story: local soldier Henry Purl “Okra” Compton sent red poppy seeds home from the battlefields of France/Belgium to his mother, who planted them at her home (now 507 East 7th Street); the poppies spread naturally throughout Old Town and still reseed themselves each year – one of relatively few places in the U.S. where this happens. The annual Red Poppy Festival draws tens of thousands of visitors each April. Georgetown’s 1911 Williamson County Courthouse anchors what’s locally regarded as the “Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas,” and in 1997 Georgetown became the first Texas city designated a Great American Main Street City by the National Trust. Southwestern University, founded 1840, is genuinely the oldest university in Texas.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Williamson County Veteran Services – Accredited VSO Michael Hernandez (Retired Army Veteran); confirm current address/phone via wilcotx.gov/785/Veteran-Services. A Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans’ Assistance grant allows the office to offer one-time financial assistance to eligible Williamson County veterans, current/surviving spouses, and dependent children.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Notes: The Georgetown-Williamson County Veterans Memorial Plaza, established May 26, 2003 in Sun City Texas (a Georgetown community), honors local veterans and hosts annual Memorial Day observances.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Georgetown Public Library – 402 W 8th St, Georgetown, TX 78626; other cities in the county (Round Rock, Cedar Park, etc.) operate their own library systems.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Downtown Georgetown’s historic square, centered on the restored 1911 Neoclassical Williamson County Courthouse (designed by Austin architect C.H. Page, restored to original design in 2006 after 1960s alterations), anchors a genuinely well-preserved Victorian/pre-WWI historic district – the Williamson County Courthouse Historical District, with 46 contributing structures, is a National Register of Historic Places listing (1977). The Grace Heritage Center, in the historic 1881 Grace Episcopal Church, adds further local history. The real red poppy heritage (see above) makes Georgetown’s downtown a genuine seasonal destination each spring.
Notes: Genuine, extensively documented Victorian-era architecture and a distinctive, moving WWI-remembrance floral tradition.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Williamson Central Appraisal District – confirm current phone via wcad.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter – an open-intake shelter serving Round Rock, Cedar Park, Hutto, Leander, and unincorporated Williamson County (NOTE: does NOT serve the cities of Georgetown or Taylor, which operate their own animal services); intakes nearly 8,000 animals annually. Confirm current phone/address via wilcotx.gov/168/Shelter-Info. Adoption requires being 18+ with valid ID; adoptions are first-come, first-served with no holds.
Notes: A real regional coverage gap worth knowing – Georgetown and Taylor residents should contact their own city’s animal services rather than the county shelter.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
No county-wide landfill or transfer station was confirmed in this search – confirm current household waste disposal options directly with the County Judge’s office or your specific municipality.
NOTES: Williamson County is the first county in this batch (Williamson, Wilson, Winkler, Wise, Wood, Yoakum, Young). Georgetown’s genuine “Red Poppy Capital” heritage and its status as one of America’s fastest-growing cities are both distinctive, checkable local facts. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Williamson County
Williamson County has been one of the fastest-growing large counties in the United States for over a decade – a 1,124-square-mile county north of Austin containing Round Rock (home to Dell Technologies’ global headquarters and the Round Rock Express minor league baseball team), Georgetown (the county seat and one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas in its own right, home to Sun City Texas – one of the largest active-adult communities in the country), Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville, Hutto, Taylor, and Liberty Hill. The technology corridor along I-35 and US-183 has attracted major corporate investment: Apple’s second campus in Austin flows into the Cedar Park and Leander markets; Amazon’s operations center near Round Rock draws significant employment; and Dell’s headquarters in Round Rock anchors the county’s tech identity.
Significant storm and flood events in 2025 prompted Williamson County to raise its tax rate to fund recovery and infrastructure needs – adding to the already rising total bills for homeowners in one of Texas’s most active real estate markets. County government is a four-member Commissioners Court plus County Judge, with elected offices for the Tax Assessor-Collector, District Clerk, County Clerk, Sheriff, District Attorney, and Constables.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Texas property tax is administered by the Williamson Central Appraisal District (WCAD) at 625 FM 1460, Georgetown, TX 78626 (512-930-3787). WCAD appraises all real and business personal property at 100% of market value as of January 1. Notices of Appraised Value typically arrive in April. Tax bills are mailed in October, due by January 31. Delinquent after February 1, with 7% penalty and interest applied immediately.
Protest process: File Form 50-132 (Notice of Protest) with WCAD by May 15 or 30 days after your notice, whichever is later. File online at wcad.org, by mail to 625 FM 1460, Georgetown TX 78626, or in person. WCAD schedules an informal meeting with an appraiser first; unresolved protests proceed to the Appraisal Review Board (ARB). ARB hearings last approximately 15–20 minutes. If still unsatisfied, appeal to District Court, SOAH arbitration, or binding arbitration.
WCAD-specific issues to know:
New construction overvaluation: Georgetown and Liberty Hill are among the fastest-growing cities in Texas. WCAD applies builder sale prices to new construction without fully adjusting for builder incentives, temporary rate buydowns, and lot premium markups – creating systematic overvaluation in new developments. If you purchased new construction in the past 3 years, compare your WCAD value to your purchase price net of builder incentives.
Master-planned community averaging: Large developments see neighborhood-wide valuations that miss lot-by-lot differences in view, location, backing, and condition.
Post-Austin correction dynamics: As Austin’s market corrected from pandemic peaks, communities in Williamson County were affected differently – Round Rock and Cedar Park more than Georgetown and Liberty Hill. WCAD’s mass-appraisal models may not fully capture these micro-market differences.
Sun City seniors (Georgetown): Georgetown’s large over-65 active adult community qualifies for over-65 exemptions, but should still protest market value to protect against future assessment resets when the exemption changes or transfers.
Texas homestead exemption (2025): $140,000 school district exemption. Over-65 additional $60,000 plus school district tax freeze. 100% disabled veterans receive full exemption. Homestead exemption: file once with WCAD; Williamson County does not require re-filing.
Texas has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax.
OWNWELL CTA: WCAD notices arrive in April – protest deadline May 15. New construction and master-planned community overvaluation are specific local issues. Combined rates 1.8%–2.4%. Ownwell manages the WCAD protest with no upfront cost.
Recommended
WCAD notices arrive in April - protest deadline May 15. New construction and master-planned community overvaluation are specific local issues. Combined rates 1.8%–2.4%. Ownwell manages the WCAD protest with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
The Williamson County District Court at 405 Martin Luther King Street, Georgetown, TX 78626 (512-943-1212) handles felony criminal, major civil, and family matters. The Williamson County Clerk at 405 Martin Luther King Street (512-943-1515) maintains all land records, vital records, and marriage licenses. Williamson County has two Probate Courts handling wills, estates, guardianships, and trusts.
Texas probate (Texas Estates Code) is practical and accessible – independent administration, muniment of title, TOD deeds, and small estate affidavit procedures allow efficient estate transfers without excessive court involvement. Texas has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax.
Senior Services: The Williamson County and Cities Health District and the Capital Area Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging (512-916-6000) coordinate senior programming, home-delivered meals, transportation, SHIP Medicare counseling, and connections to Texas STAR+PLUS Medicaid long-term care programs. Georgetown’s Sun City Texas community has its own robust internal senior services infrastructure.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
405 Martin Luther King St, Georgetown, TX 78626
(512) 943-1515
DISTRICT CLERK
405 Martin Luther King St, Georgetown, TX 78626
(512) 943-1212
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Williamson County Clerk’s Office, Georgetown (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Williamson County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
County Clerk, Williamson County PO Box 647, Jarrell, TX 76537 (512) 943-1515
Williamson County is part of the Austin metropolitan area, seated in Georgetown, one of the fastest-growing counties in Texas.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Texas probate law is governed by the Texas Estates Code. Probate jurisdiction in Texas is split between statutory probate courts (in larger metro counties) and county courts (in smaller counties, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Williamson County, probate matters are heard in County Court or a County Court at Law.
Small Estate Affidavit (Tex. Est. Code § 205.001) – available ONLY when the decedent died WITHOUT a will (intestate), the estate (excluding homestead and exempt property) does not exceed $75,000, and assets exceed debts. At least 30 days must have passed since death. The affidavit must list every asset and debt, establish the family history showing who the heirs are, and be sworn to by the heirs and two disinterested witnesses; a judge then reviews and approves it under § 205.003.
Independent Administration – used when a will exists (or all heirs agree) and the estate has debts; minimal court supervision after the executor is appointed. This is the most common and efficient path in Texas when available.
Muniment of Title – available when a valid will exists, there are no unsecured debts (other than a mortgage), and there’s no other need for a full administration; transfers title without appointing an executor.
Dependent Administration – required for complex, contested, or disputed estates; involves ongoing court supervision and approval of most actions.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files an Application for Probate of Will and Issuance of Letters Testamentary (or Letters of Administration, if intestate) with the Williamson County Clerk.
The original will (if one exists), a certified death certificate, and information about heirs and the proposed executor are included with the application.
The court holds a hearing and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors and gathers, inventories, and appraises the estate’s assets.
The personal representative pays valid debts and expenses.
Remaining assets are distributed to beneficiaries or heirs, and the estate is closed.
What it costs
Filing fees in Texas typically run $250–$400 depending on the county; confirm current Williamson County fees directly.
Texas law allows a statutory executor fee of 5% of all sums actually received and paid out in cash, with specific exceptions. The court may also approve reasonable attorney fees paid from the estate.
Small estate affidavits typically cost $600–$1,900 total when factoring in filing and related fees.
Texas does NOT impose a state estate tax or a state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax may apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
508 South Rock St, Georgetown, TX 78626
(512) 943-1300
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
301 SE Inner Loop, Georgetown, TX 78626
(512) 943-1630
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health District
100 West Morrow St, Georgetown, TX 78626
(512) 943-3600
HHSC Office
512 South Rock St, Georgetown, TX 78626
(512) 943-3200
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
No standalone public health department was confirmed in this search – confirm current arrangements directly with the County Judge’s office.
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