Texas property tax answers · Updated June 2026
What happens at an ARB hearing in Texas?
The short answer
An Appraisal Review Board hearing is a short panel session, typically 15 to 30 minutes. You present your evidence, the appraisal district presents its own, and a panel of independent citizens votes on your value that day. Most protests never get there: in Harris County, only about 16 percent of 2024 protests reached a formal ARB determination. The rest settled earlier.
First, the odds you'll even need one
File a protest in Texas and the formal hearing is the last stop, not the first. Your district will offer an informal review with a staff appraiser before anything else, and that's where the bulk of cases end. In Harris County, only about 16% of 2024 protests went all the way to a formal ARB determination. Bring strong comparable evidence to the informal stage and you'll probably never see the panel.
The hearing itself, step by step
- You check in and wait for your slot. Hearings run on a schedule, usually 15 to 30 minutes per case.
- You're sworn in. The panel is made up of independent citizens, not district employees. A district appraiser attends to argue the district's side.
- You present first: your comp table, photos, repair bids. Bring enough copies for the panel and the appraiser. State the value you're asking for and the ground, market value under 41.41(a)(1), unequal appraisal under 41.43(b)(3), or both.
- The district presents its evidence, typically its own comp grid supporting the notice value.
- You get a short rebuttal. This is where verifiable comps shine: if their grid uses dissimilar homes, say so specifically.
- The panel votes and announces your value, usually on the spot. The decision is binding for the year, and if you disagree you can escalate to binding arbitration or district court.
How to walk in ready
Panels see dozens of cases a day. The protests that win are short, numeric, and checkable: a per-square-foot comp table from the district's own roll beats ten minutes of frustration about tax bills. Our free hearing kit gives you a word-for-word script. The $99 packet supplies the ammunition: real comps from your county's appraisal roll, the median math done, the unequal-appraisal argument written with your numbers, formatted to hand across the table. Check what the record shows for your address with the free check first.
See your over-assessment free, in 30 seconds
Search your address and see your exact over-assessment plus a real comparable from your county's appraisal roll. Free, no signup, no email. If the record shows a case, the $99 packet gives you the full comp table, the Section 41.43(b)(3) unequal-appraisal argument, and step-by-step filing instructions for your county. You file it yourself and keep 100% of the savings.
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