Tarrant v. Denton Dispute Continues

The dispute between Tarrant and Denton counties may not be over yet. Tarrant County officials that had been counting on a financial windfall, when it was decided that over 3,000 acres of prime real estate belonged in Tarrant, not Denton County. Back in December, the Texas Supreme Court declined to hear the case, effectively ruling that the land belonged to Tarrant County. The Supreme Court sent the case back to district court. A surveyor was then retained to draw the final boundary, placing the land in Tarrant County. However, since the work has not been completed yet, Denton County reasoned that the land was still theirs, so the Denton County Appraisal District sent the property owners tax notices. However, the Tarrant Appraisal District stated that also intended to send appraisal notices to the affected property owners, leaving them with tax bills from both counties. Tarrant County was threatening another lawsuit.

The case began with a 1986 agreement between Tarrant, Denton, Dallas & Collin Counties which fixed the northwest corner of Dallas County. In 1997, Tarrant County sued Denton County arguing that since the border between the two counties called to begin, “at the northwest corner of Dallas County” the agreement effectively fixed their common border as well. The case eventually made to the Appeals Court which ruled in favor of Tarrant County. The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case left the Appeals Court ruling in force, awarding the land to Tarrant County.