How to Protest Property Tax Assessments in Texas: The Complete Guide

A new Realtor.com analysis found that a majority of Texas homeowners may be paying more in property taxes than they owe due to over-assessed values. 

The company’s April 2025 report found that 51% of homes in Texas could benefit from protesting their tax assessments, with a median potential savings of $606 per year, per home. 

Nationally, about 40.5% of properties are potentially over-assessed, with a median savings of $539 annually for successful protests.

Here are some key findings from the Realtor.com analysis:

• Overassessment in Texas: More than half of Texas properties were flagged as being potentially over-assessed, the highest share of any state in the study. 
• Median savings: Texas homeowners could save a median of $606 per year by successfully protesting their current assessments. 
• Rising tax burdens: From 2023 to 2024, the median property tax bill in Texas rose 7.8%, outpacing the national median increase of 2.8%. During that same period, assessed values rose by 10% statewide. 

Summary: This guide explains why Texas homeowners should consider challenging their property tax assessments and how the process works.

Why Texas Homeowners Should Act

Because the state of Texas has no income tax, it relies heavily on property taxes to fund schools, infrastructure, and public safety.

In recent years, rising home prices across the Lone Star State have led to bigger and bigger tax bills—even without rate hikes. This has created an additional financial burden for many homeowners.

Additionally, the practices that individual counties use to appraise properties and communicate increases to homeowners are often insufficient.

In Harris County, for example, the Central Appraisal District appraises nearly two million properties using automated models, a process that critics claim lacks transparency.

Meanwhile, Bexar County only sends appraisal notices when home values go up by $1,000 or more. This means many property owners never receive alerts about potential overvaluations. 

This practice could leave hundreds of thousands of homeowners unaware of opportunities to contest their assessments before the May 15 deadline. 

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How to Protest Property Taxes in Texas

Texas state law gives property owners the right to appeal valuations through their local county appraisal districts and, if necessary, to an Appraisal Review Board (ARB).

While the process can vary from one county or district to the next, it usually involves the following steps:

1. File a Notice of Protest

Complete and submit Form 50‑132 (Notice of Protest) online or by mail to your county appraisal district. The usual deadline for filing is by May 15 or within 30 days of receiving your appraisal notice, whichever is later.  Filing is free, and certified mail is recommended to confirm receipt. 

2. Prepare and Submit Evidence

Gather documentation such as recent repair estimates, professional appraisals, and sales of comparable properties in your neighborhood. Upload these materials through the appraisal district’s online portal to strengthen your case. 

3. Attend an Informal Review

After filing, you are entitled to an informal meeting with an appraisal district representative. During this meeting, you can negotiate a settlement offer without a formal hearing.

4. Request a Hearing with the ARB

If you cannot reach a satisfactory agreement informally, you may request a formal hearing before the Appraisal Review Board. ARB hearings are scheduled after the informal process concludes. 

5. Further Appeals

If the ARB decides against you, you can appeal to district court or seek binding arbitration. In many Texas jurisdictions, property owners can even present sworn affidavits in lieu of appearing, but this will depend on county rules.

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Building Your Case: How to Gather Evidence

Filing a protest is usually the first step in this process. But the real work is providing enough evidence to convince your appraisal district to lower your property’s assessed value.

You need to show them why their valuation is too high. The stronger and more relevant your evidence, the better your chances of success.

Why Evidence Matters

In Texas, appraisal districts use mass appraisal techniques to value thousands or millions of properties within a county. This can lead to situations where they overlook specific issues with your home or fail to account for local market nuances.

Your evidence provides the detailed, specific information needed to correct their assessment. You are essentially providing the proof they need to justify a reduction.

Effective Forms of Evidence

The most persuasive property-tax protest packages combine hard numbers (appraisals, repair bids, sales data, etc.) with clear documentation such as dated photos or county records.

A comprehensive approach to evidence gathering and presentation will give you an edge at both informal reviews and formal hearings.

Anything that suggests your home might be overvalued for tax purposes qualifies as evidence. Here are the most effective types of evidence and how to gather them:

1. Comparable Sales (Comps)

This is often the most powerful type of evidence. Find sales of properties similar to yours that sold recently (ideally within the last 6-12 months) for less than your property’s assessed value.

Look for homes sold within a half-mile radius, and with similar lot size, square footage, age, and amenities. The best comps are similar, recent, and nearby.

(For more on this, see the “Tips for Pulling Comps” below.)

2. Photos of Property Condition Issues

Document any problems that negatively affect your property’s value compared to neighbors or the general market.

You could take photos of foundation issues, roof damage, outdated kitchens/bathrooms, mold or water damage, cracks in walls, needed major repairs, etc.

Take clear, well-lit photos that highlight the area in question. Provide brief descriptions for each photo explaining the issue and why it reduces value.

3. Contractor Estimates for Repairs

If your property needs significant repairs (like a new roof, foundation work, or major renovations), get written estimates from qualified contractors.

These estimates provide concrete evidence of the cost required to bring your property’s condition up to par, directly impacting its market value. Repair bids show “what it would cost today” to bring your home to market condition.

If possible, include the full written estimate on the contractor’s letterhead, outlining the work needed and the estimated cost.

4. Professional Appraisal Report

Texas homeowners can also hire a licensed appraiser to provide an estimated market value of the home. This could support your case by providing a professional’s unbiased opinion.

If you had a recent appraisal done for refinancing or another purpose, and the appraised value is lower than the district’s assessment, you could include a copy of that.

Getting an appraisal specifically for a tax protest can be costly ($400 – $600 on average). So be sure to weigh the potential tax savings against this upfront cost.

5. County Records and Property Data

Print your county appraisal district’s property record for your home and verify lot dimensions, zoning, and plat‐map info. Any discrepancies—such as incorrect square footage or missing exemptions—could be grounds for value adjustments.

To get started, you’ll need to find the property search database for your county. You can find it through Google (example: “Travis County Texas appraisal district property search”).

Other Tips for Your Evidence Package

• Know your deadlines: May 15 is the typical statewide deadline. Missing it generally forfeits your right to protest until the next tax year, but there may be exceptions.
• Start early: Don’t wait until the May 15th deadline is looming. Begin gathering evidence as soon as you receive your Notice of Appraised Value.
• Be organized: Group similar types of evidence together (e.g., all comparable sales together, all photos together).
• Be thorough but concise: Include enough detail to make your point, but don’t overwhelm the appraiser or ARB with unnecessary paperwork.
• Use online tools: Many appraisal districts in Texas offer online dashboards for tracking protests and evidence submissions, streamlining the process.
• Make copies: Keep a copy of everything you submit for your own records.
• Monitor notices: Even if you don’t receive an annual property tax notice, you can check your appraisal district’s website for value updates and protest windows.
• Get expert help: Consider using a tax protest company or real estate attorney, especially if you have a high-end property or a complex land-use classification.

Proactive engagement is the key to success. This includes filing on time, providing strong evidence, and following through with hearings.

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Tips for Using Comparable Sales

We talked about the importance of using comparable sales (comps) to challenge or protest property tax assessments in Texas.

Comps are one of the most effective types of evidence you can gather. They provide a real-world benchmark for what similar homes are actually selling for.

Example: If your home is assessed at $500,000 but similar homes nearby have sold for $460,000, those comps can help you argue that your assessment is inflated.

Fortunately, the process for gathering comps is straightforward:

1. Use multiple reliable websites.

You can find comparable sales data on the following websites.

• County Appraisal District Portals (e.g., Bexar CAD, Harris CAD): This is often the most up-to-date source for assessed values and sale history.
• Redfin & Zillow: Filter for “Sold” within 180 days, sort by proximity, and download PDF reports of each comparable sale.
• Realtor.com: Their “Recently Sold” searches include sale dates and price trends. This resource is free and widely used by appraisers.
• PropertyShark & Eppraisal: These sites provide a deeper dive by offering deed records and assessor data, all in one place.

2. Find properties that closely match your own.

Here are some dictionary definitions for “comparable” as an adjective:

• capable of or suitable for comparison
• similar in size, amount, or quality to something else
• having features in common with something else to permit comparison

These are the types of home sales you want to find. You want to identify recently sold properties that are similar to your own, in terms of size and location. 

Here are some of the features that make a good comp:

• Date of sale: Sold within 180 days of January 1 (your tax-valuation date).
• Location: Same neighborhood or subdivision, ideally within half a mile.
• Size and layout: Within ±10% of your home’s square footage and bed/bath count.
• Lot size and topography: A half‐acre lot on flat terrain isn’t comparable to a hillside parcel.

3. Document your process and findings.

Keep a simple spreadsheet with comp addresses, sale dates, sale prices, and URLs/screenshots of each listing and county record.

Annotate which comps you’ve adjusted for (e.g., + $10,000 for pool, – $5,000 for outdated HVAC, etc.). Use this to show the ARB your valuation changes are logical.

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Glossary of Texas Property Tax Terms

We’ve covered a lot of terminology in this guide, and it really only scratches the surface. Here’s a mini-glossary of terms you should know when protesting property taxes in Texas.

• Appraisal District: Often called the Central Appraisal District or CAD. This is the local government office that determines the value of all properties in a county for tax purposes.
• Appraisal Review Board (ARB): A panel of citizens appointed by the county commissioners court that hears and decides formal protests of property valuations.
• Assessed Value: The dollar amount assigned to your property by the appraisal district, which is used to calculate your property tax bill. This is typically a percentage of the property’s market value.
• Binding Arbitration: A faster, simpler alternative to going to court if you disagree with your property’s assessed value. Instead of a judge, a neutral third party (arbitrator) reviews the evidence from both sides and makes a decision. That decision is final.
• Exemption: A legal deduction from your property’s assessed value that lowers your taxable amount and reduces your tax bill. A common example in Texas is a homestead exemption for primary residences.
• Formal Hearing: A proceeding before the Appraisal Review Board if you can’t reach an agreement informally. Each side presents evidence before the ARB makes its decision.
• Informal Review: A meeting with an appraisal district representative, held after you file a protest, where you can present evidence and negotiate a reduction without a formal hearing.
• Market Value: The estimated price your property would fetch if sold on the open market. It’s based on recent sales of comparable homes, condition, location, and other value-influencing factors.
• Millage Rate: Another way to express the tax rate. “Mills” are one‑tenth of a cent per dollar of assessed value. For example, 25 mills means $25 of tax per $1,000 of assessed value.
• Notice of Appraised Value: The annual statement sent by the appraisal district showing your property’s current appraised (assessed) value and explaining your right to protest.
• Notice of Protest (Form 50‑132): The official form you file with your county appraisal district to begin the protest process. It must be submitted by May 15 or within 30 days of the notice of appraised value. Available on the Texas Comptroller website.
• Tax Rate: The percentage (or decimal) set by taxing entities such as school districts and cities. When applied to your assessed value, this rate determines your total tax owed.

Disclaimer: This information is intended for a general audience that might not apply to all situations, it does not constitute tax advice. Texas homeowners who believe they are overpaying for property taxes should conduct thorough research and consider using a professional advisor.