Due to ongoing repairs, only select departments are open at the Dallas County Records Building today. If you need in-person assistance, please call to confirm operational status before traveling to the building. We encourage you to visit our website for the latest information and daily operations.
In observance of Labor Day, Dallas County offices will be closed on Monday, September 7, 2026.
Dallas County is under a Burn Ban starting July 27, 2026, in effect for 90 days.
DALLAS COUNTY ADOPTED A TAX RATE THAT WILL RAISE MORE TAXES FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS THAN LAST YEAR'S TAX RATE.

THE TAX RATE WILL EFFECTIVELY BE RAISED BY 22.02 PERCENT AND WILL RAISE TAXES FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS ON A $100,000 HOME BY APPROXIMATELY $29.08.

Agriculture and Natural Resources Blog

Matthew Orwat
County Extension Agent – AG/NR
Email: matthew.orwat@ag.tamu.edu

New World Screwworm: Emerging Pest

June 9, 2025

The New World screwworm has been making headlines lately, and in Texas, it’s top of mind for many. In May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended importations of cattle, horses and bison from Mexico into the U.S. to prevent New World screwworm movement north following detection in Veracruz, Mexico.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts have released an updated fact sheet publication about the New World screwworm to provide Texans with key information.

Texas is no stranger to the New World screwworm, but it’s been about 50 years since the fly wreaked havoc in the Lone Star state. The fly is most notorious for laying eggs in open wounds of living, warm-blooded animals. Then, once hatched, the larvae feed on the living tissue of the host.

The screwworm larvae, or maggots, feed off the living tissue of mammals. (Heather Walden/University of Florida).