Selling a house in Cedar Hill, Texas

Dallas County or Ellis County: where your Cedar Hill lot falls

About 49,618 people lived in Cedar Hill in 2024, by the Census Bureau's estimate. The city reaches into two counties, Dallas County and Ellis County, and the Census places most residents on the Dallas County side. The appraisal district and the deed records follow that county line.

The city's property tax page lays out the split. The Dallas Central Appraisal District sets market and taxable value for every property in Dallas County, and the Ellis Central Appraisal District does the same for Ellis County. If you are not sure which applies, look up the address in each district's property search; your recorded deed also names the county.

• Dallas County lots: value and exemptions through DCAD; deeds, liens and releases recorded by the County Clerk's Recording Division at 500 Elm Street, Suite 2100, in Dallas.
• Ellis County lots: value and exemptions through the Ellis Central Appraisal District, 109 S. Jackson Street in Waxahachie; deeds recorded by the Ellis County Clerk's recording division.

Either way, a value protest is filed with your appraisal district's Appraisal Review Board, which also hears it.

One collector for city taxes

Cedar Hill's property tax page says the Dallas County Tax Office collects all property taxes for the City of Cedar Hill, including homes in Ellis County, and gives the office's number as (214) 653-7811. The tax office's own jurisdictions list names the City of Cedar Hill, the Cedar Hill school district and two Cedar Hill public improvement districts, PID #4 and PID #5, among the units it collects for.

The city page explains the calendar. Taxes are due when you receive the statement, usually around the first of October. You typically have until January 31 to pay, and on February 1 unpaid bills turn delinquent and start adding penalty and interest.

On the Ellis County side, other units can bill on their own statement. The Ellis County Tax Office sells tax certificates only at its Waxahachie office, for $10 each. Whatever county you are in, ask each collector on your statements for a payoff good through the day you plan to close.

Code rules for an empty house, and weed liens

Cedar Hill splits the city into five code districts, with one officer assigned to all violations in each, according to the Code Enforcement page. If you are selling a house that sits empty, these rules from the city's common code violations list matter most:

• Weeds and grass must stay below 12 inches, and clippings cannot pile up on a street, sidewalk or other public way.
• A fence cannot lean more than 25 degrees out of vertical. Broken, damaged or missing parts must be replaced within seven days with matching material.
• Cars may be parked in the front or side yard only on a driveway or another improved surface such as concrete. A vehicle that has not run for more than 30 days counts as a junk vehicle and cannot be kept in public view.
• Outside storage outside an enclosed structure for more than seven days in a row is unlawful under Section 9-26(p).

If the city has already mowed or cleaned the lot and filed a weed lien, the city's Weed Liens page directs payoff and release requests to its Code Support Specialist at 972.291.5100, ext. 1101. Get the payoff figure to your title company early.

Rental registration and utility accounts

Cedar Hill's single-family rental registration covers rented houses, duplexes and townhomes. An owner registers each rental unit every year and again when the owner changes. The city lists these fees:

• Initial registration or change in ownership: $50.00. Renewal: $25.00. Late renewal: $75.00.
• Residential Rental Certificate of Occupancy (RRCO), due at every tenant change: $25.00. The tenant needs the RRCO to open water service, and a code officer inspects the outside of the house within 30 days after it is issued.

Water, sewer and trash accounts run through the city's Utility Services department. Its Residential Water Service page says an owner who requests new or transferred service must upload proof of ownership (a deed of trust, settlement statement or sales contract) and a valid ID, and a new residential account carries a $90 deposit. If you are moving within Cedar Hill, have those papers ready. Questions about the old account can go to the billing contact the page lists, ubilling@cedarhilltx.com.

Estates, evictions and foreclosure postings

Settling an estate. Under Estates Code section 33.001, probate is filed in the county where the person who died lived, not automatically where the house is. If that was Dallas County, the case goes to one of Dallas County's three probate courts at 600 Commerce Street. If they lived in Ellis County, it is filed in Ellis County.

A tenant who will not leave. Evictions are filed in the justice court for the precinct where the property sits (Property Code sections 24.004 and 24.0041). Dallas County's justice of the peace page links a map to find the right district.

A posted foreclosure. Sales are held on the first Tuesday of the month at the courthouse of the county where the land is, in the area the commissioners court designates (Property Code section 51.002). For Dallas County, the clerk's foreclosure notices page lists postings by city and month, with Cedar Hill among the cities. Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas has offices in Dallas and in Waxahachie; its site explains how to apply and who is eligible.

Selling your Cedar Hill house to Cash Home Advisors

Whether your lot is on the Dallas County or the Ellis County side, you can sell your Cedar Hill house to Cash Home Advisors as-is, without making repairs. We pay all closing costs, and we can close in 7–14 days. Se habla español.

Fill out the short form or read how it works. Related reading: selling a house that needs repairs and the risks of an empty rental.

Local offices for this area

• Dallas Central Appraisal District
• Ellis Central Appraisal District
• City of Cedar Hill Property Tax (collected by the Dallas County Tax Office)
• Dallas County Clerk, Recording Division
• Ellis County Clerk, Recording Division
• City of Cedar Hill Weed Liens (payoff and release)

ZIP codes we buy in: 75104

Neighborhoods: Bear Creek Ranch, Bent Creek, Brookview, Cedar Trails, Cedarwood Place, Cresthaven Village, Greenbriar Estates, Hidden Lakes, Highlands North, Highlands South, Kingswood, Lake Ridge at Joe Pool Lake, Meadowbrooke, Sherwood Forest, Sleepy Hollow, South Hills, Stonehill Estates, Winterhaven Estates