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Texas Property Tax GuideProtest and Lower Your Texas Property Tax.
Texas has no state income tax, so local property taxes carry the load, and the bill shows it. The average Texas homeowner pays around $3,800 in property taxes per year at one of the highest effective rates in the country. The state also gives you the right to protest your appraisal every single year. Most homeowners never do.
How the Texas Property Tax Protest Works
Every Texas homeowner gets a Notice of Appraised Value each spring. You have 30 days, or until May 15, whichever is later, to file a protest. Texas uniquely lets you challenge on two grounds: market value (your appraisal is too high) and equal and uniform (similar homes are appraised lower than yours).
- Review your Notice of Appraised Value. Compare the appraised value to what similar homes have actually sold for in the last 12 months.
- File form 50 132 (Notice of Protest) online through your county's appraisal district portal. Check both "market value" and "equal and uniform."
- Informal hearing: A district staff appraiser reviews your evidence and may offer a reduction on the spot.
- ARB hearing: If you reject the informal offer, you get a 15 minute formal hearing before the Appraisal Review Board.
- Binding arbitration or district court if still unsatisfied (homes under $5M).
Key Texas Counties, Deadlines & Portals
- Harris County (Houston): HCAD online portal, iFile. Deadline May 15.
- Dallas County: DCAD uFile portal. Deadline May 15.
- Travis County (Austin): TCAD online protest system. Deadline May 15.
- Bexar County (San Antonio): BCAD portal. Deadline May 15.
- Tarrant County (Fort Worth): TAD online protest. Deadline May 15.
- Collin County: CCAD. Deadline May 15.
Texas quirk: equal and uniform. Even if your market value is right, you can win a reduction if a statistically significant sample of comparable homes is appraised lower than yours. This is unique to Texas and very powerful.
When You Probably Qualify for a Reduction
- Your appraised value jumped more than 10% from last year
- Recent sales of comparable homes on your street are below your appraisal
- Your home has unrepaired foundation, roof, plumbing, or flood damage
- Similar homes in your neighborhood are appraised meaningfully lower
- You purchased your home recently below the current appraisal
Get a Texas Protest Report in 48 Hours
We pull your appraisal district records, run both market value and equal and uniform comparables, and produce a filing ready protest report for $50 flat. Or use our concierge service, we only get paid if we save you money.
Start My Texas Protest →Texas Property Tax Protest FAQ
Will protesting raise my appraisal?
No. A Texas protest can only reduce your appraised value, never raise it. The worst outcome is no change.
Do I have to show up in person?
No. Most counties let you submit evidence online and attend the ARB hearing by phone or video.
What is the homestead cap?
Texas caps annual increases in the assessed value of your homestead at 10% per year (regardless of market value). A successful protest that lowers market value can also reset this cap downward.
Can I protest every year?
Yes. Texas homeowners have the right to protest their appraisal every single year, regardless of prior year outcomes.
Can I protest a rental or commercial property?
Yes. Texas protest rights apply to all real property classes, single family, multi family, commercial, and vacant land.