Property tax appeals · Texas
How Texas Property Tax Appeals Work
Texas gives every property owner the right to challenge the appraisal district’s value, every year. There is more than one way to do it, and more than one chance if the first one doesn’t work. Here is how the process runs and which option fits your property.
- 10+ years protesting Texas property taxes
- 5-star rated on Google, 100+ reviews
- Veteran-owned
- No savings, no fee
The Texas Property Tax Appeal Process, Step by Step
January 1: the value date.
The appraisal district values your property as of January 1. Everything after this is an argument about that number.
Spring: the notice.
Most districts mail notices of appraised value in April and May. Business personal property renditions are due April 15.
The protest deadline.
You have until May 15, or 30 days after the notice is mailed, whichever is later. A protest filed on time preserves every option that follows.
The informal meeting.
Most protests start with a meeting with one of the district’s appraisers. Many settle here. Before agreeing to anything, compare the offer to your own opinion of value, not to the notice.
The Appraisal Review Board.
If the informal meeting doesn’t resolve it, the protest goes to a formal hearing before the Appraisal Review Board (ARB), a panel of local residents appointed to hear protests. The district presents its evidence, you present yours, and the panel decides. The ARB then issues a written order.
See how protests work in your county
Post-ARB remedies.
If the ARB order still leaves the value too high, you have 60 days from receiving it to choose one of two further appeals: binding arbitration or a lawsuit in district court. You can’t do both.
Missed the protest deadline.
If last year’s value wasn’t protested and was far too high, Section 25.25(d) may still correct it. The motion must be filed before the taxes become delinquent, which means by January 31. February 1 is too late. For the 2026 tax year, the deadline is January 31, 2027.
Your Appeal Options
Every protest is built on one or both of two arguments. Two remedies are available after the ARB, and one correction is available if the protest deadline was missed.
Protest arguments
Market value.
The district’s value is higher than what the property would sell for on January 1. This is the argument most protests make, and it’s built on sales, income, and condition evidence.
Unequal appraisal.
Your property is valued higher than comparable properties, after adjustments. You can win this even when the market value is correct.
Post-ARB remedies
Binding arbitration.
An independent arbitrator appointed through the Texas Comptroller decides the value. Available for residence homesteads and for property valued at $5 million or less on the ARB order.
Litigation.
A lawsuit in district court. No value limit. We handle these together with our preferred property tax attorney.
Missed the protest deadline
Section 25.25(d) correction.
Corrects last year’s value if it wasn’t protested and was more than one-third too high (one-fourth for a homestead). File by January 31 of the following year. It carries a 10% late-correction penalty, so it only makes sense when the overvaluation is large.
Which Appeal Fits Your Property
Most of the time the choice is made for you by the calendar and the property.
- Before the protest deadline: file a protest. Argue market value, unequal appraisal, or both. There’s no reason to give up either argument at the start.
- After an ARB order you disagree with: arbitration if the property qualifies and the dispute is about value. Litigation if it’s above the arbitration limit, if several years or properties are involved, or if the case needs discovery.
- After a missed deadline: 25.25(d), filed by January 31 of the following year, if the overvaluation clears the threshold by enough to cover the penalty.
We review every option before we file and tell you which ones are worth pursuing, including when the answer is to stop.
What We Do at Each Stage
We file on time, every year.
Once you’re signed up, we file your protest each year, so no deadline is missed.
We build our own opinion of value.
Before any meeting or hearing, we know what the property is worth and why. We use the method that fits the property: income, sales, or both.
We request the district’s evidence.
Before the hearing, we get the evidence the district intends to use and look for where its assumptions don’t match your property.
We attend the meetings and hearings.
You don’t have to be there.
We tell you when to keep going.
After the ARB, we’ll tell you whether arbitration or litigation is justified by the savings, and what’s involved.
Results by Appeal Method
Commercial land tract
- Notice value
- $19,362,600
- Final value
- $12,548,820
Retail
- Notice value
- $12,272,540
- Final value
- $8,616,000
Retail
- Notice value
- $9,562,700
- Final value
- $7,900,000
Retail
- Notice value
- $7,993,680
- Final value
- $6,500,000
Industrial
- Notice value
- $4,721,040
- Final value
- $3,500,000
Residential
- Notice value
- $2,227,880
- Final value
- $1,392,742
Past results don’t guarantee future outcomes. Every property is different.
Texas Property Tax Protest FAQs
What is the deadline to protest property taxes in Texas?
May 15, or 30 days after the notice is mailed, whichever is later. If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, it moves to the next business day.
Can a protest raise my value?
The Appraisal Review Board can’t raise your value above what the district noticed as a result of your protest.
Is a protest the same as an appeal?
In practice, yes. Owners, consultants, and appraisal districts use the two words interchangeably. Either way, it starts with a protest filed with the appraisal district. If the Appraisal Review Board’s decision still isn’t right, it can continue to binding arbitration or district court.
Do I have to attend the hearing?
No. We file the protest, prepare the evidence, and attend the meetings and hearings for you.
What if I missed the deadline?
If last year’s value was more than one-third too high (one-fourth for a homestead), a 25.25(d) motion may still correct it. It must be filed by January 31. For the 2026 tax year, that’s January 31, 2027. Either way, sign up now and we’ll protest next year on time.
What does it cost?
No savings, no fee. There’s nothing to pay up front.
Protest With the Evidence on Your Side
Sign up in minutes. We’ll file every year, build the case, and handle the hearings. No savings, no fee.