Brownsville landlord startup checklist: 60.35¢ city rate, $923 rents, $50-plus-$12 registration

Brownsville’s figures, read in September 2026: the Cameron Appraisal District’s 2025 table gives the City of Brownsville a rate of 0.603504 per $100 (maintenance 0.355526, debt 0.247978), Cameron County 0.424393, Brownsville ISD 0.831460 and Texas Southmost College 0.111809 (Cameron CAD 2025 adopted tax rates); the Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 estimate puts the median gross rent at $923, owner-occupancy at 61.7% and the median home value at $139,900 (Census QuickFacts); HUD’s FY2026 fair market rents for the Brownsville-Harlingen MSA run $666 / $757 / $948 / $1,264 / $1,310 for zero to four bedrooms (HUD FY2026); and the city’s multifamily inspection program registers buildings of four or more units at $50 plus $12 a unit (Multi-Family Housing Inspection Program).

Step 1 — The Cameron CAD record

Cameron Appraisal District gives the owner of record, the appraised value and, importantly here, the list of taxing units — because Brownsville stacks more of them than most cities. Read the record for a navigation district, a drainage district, South Texas ISD and any municipal utility district; each appears as a line on the bill.

Step 2 — Budget the stack

CAMERON CAD 2025 ADOPTED RATES RELEVANT TO A BROWNSVILLE RENTAL (PER $100)
Taxing unit	2025 rate	Applies when
City of Brownsville	0.603504	Inside the city limits
Cameron County	0.424393	Always
Brownsville ISD	0.831460	Most city addresses (Los Fresnos CISD 0.880272 on the north side, by record)
Texas Southmost College District	0.111809	Always
South Texas ISD	0.049200	County-wide magnet district
Brownsville Navigation District	0.025589	By record
Drainage District #1	0.026983	By record (other drainage districts 0.062551–0.157615)
Paseo de la Resaca MUD #1 / #2 / #3	0.275 / 0.250 / 0.285	Only if the record shows the MUD

A city address in Brownsville ISD with the college, South Texas ISD, the navigation district and Drainage District #1 pays about $2.07 per $100 before any MUD — on the Census median value of $139,900 that is roughly $2,900 a year, with no homestead exemption on a rental. “Cameron Appraisal District does not set tax rates,” the table notes (Cameron CAD); the 2026 rates post in the autumn.

Step 3 — One utility account

BPUB bills electricity, water and wastewater on one account and asks a renter for the lease or a landlord’s authorisation letter (BPUB — Start service). Decide before listing whether the landlord’s or the tenant’s name goes on it; for a house the tenant’s name is usual, and the lease should say the tenant applies before move-in. The Brownsville lease guide has the clause.

Step 4 — Price with the Census and HUD

$923 is the lowest median gross rent among the twenty Texas cities covered on this site, and HUD’s two-bedroom FMR of $948 sits just above it (Census, HUD FY2026). Voucher standards are metro-wide for the Brownsville-Harlingen MSA, not ZIP-level. A landlord pricing a two-bedroom near $950 is inside the voucher band; one pricing at $1,200 should expect a mostly unsubsidised market.

Step 5 — Register a building of four or more

Since December 2012 the city’s multifamily inspection program “requires rental property owners to register their units with the City of Brownsville and undergo a yearly inspection”; “the annual registration fee is $50 plus $12 per unit, and inspections must be conducted prior to issuance of license”; “mobile home parks, duplexes and single family residences are not included” (Multi-Family Housing Inspection Program, registration application). A fourplex registers; a duplex does not. The Brownsville registration guide sets out the rest.

Step 6 — Vouchers: HACB

The Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville explains that once a family finds a unit, “the PHA must inspect the dwelling and determine that the rent requested is reasonable,” and that the payment standard “does not limit and does not affect the amount of rent a landlord may charge”; it publishes landlord information, direct-deposit and payment-standard pages (HACB). Under Local Government Code §250.007 the decision to accept vouchers is the landlord’s apart from veteran protections; write it in the criteria — and remember Chapter 56’s eleven grounds when writing the rest.

Step 7 — Wind cover before June

Cameron County is in TWIA’s designated area; a policy through the association requires a windstorm certificate for the structure (TWIA eligibility). Ask a licensed agent whether the market will write wind for the address and what the deductible is before the first tenant, not after the first named storm.

What changes in Brownsville

City tax rate of 60.3504¢ per $100, inside a stack that reaches about $2.07 with county, ISD, college and districts.
Median gross rent of $923 — the lowest of the twenty cities — and metro-wide FMRs from $666.
A single BPUB account for power, water and sewer.
Buildings of four or more units register at $50 plus $12 a unit and are inspected yearly.
A TWIA county: wind insurance is a startup item.

Frequently asked questions

What is the City of Brownsville property tax rate?

0.603504 per $100 for 2025 on Cameron CAD’s adopted-rates table (Cameron CAD); the 2026 rate follows the autumn adoption.

What is the median rent in Brownsville?

$923 median gross rent for 2020–2024 per the Census Bureau (QuickFacts); HUD’s FY2026 two-bedroom FMR is $948 (HUD).

Which Brownsville rentals must register with the city?

Multifamily buildings of four or more units — $50 plus $12 per unit a year with an inspection before the licence; duplexes, single-family homes and mobile home parks are excluded (City of Brownsville).

Who runs the voucher program in Brownsville?

The Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville, which inspects the unit and checks rent reasonableness before paying (HACB).

Sources

Rules change and the right answer can depend on the home, the city, the lease and the timing. These are the official pages this guide relies on; check them before signing, charging a fee, sending a notice or making a legal decision.

General information for U.S. landlords, with a Texas focus. This guide is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Consult a qualified professional for your situation. Written by the rentalfreelease.com Editorial Team; last reviewed September 19, 2026.