How to protest property taxes in Texas

Before you file anything, find out whether your home is over-assessed, because a protest only succeeds if you can show your value is too high relative to comparable homes. The fastest way is to compare your assessed value to recent sales of similar homes on your block or in your subdivision. If your value sits above what comparable homes are assessed at, you have a case under the unequal-appraisal standard in Texas Tax Code Section 41.43(b)(3).

You can do this by hand using your county appraisal district's public search, or run your address through our free over-assessment calculator which pulls comparable sales automatically and shows your estimated annual overpayment in about 30 seconds. Our statewide over-assessment study found that 13% to 32% of homes in major Texas counties are assessed above comparable homes nearby, so the odds you have grounds are real.

To protest, you must file a Notice of Protest with your county appraisal district. Most homeowners use Comptroller Form 50-132, but nearly every large Texas county now accepts an online protest through its own portal (HCAD iFile, DCAD uFile, TAD Connect, and so on). When you file, check the boxes for both “value is over market value” and “value is unequal compared with other properties,” which preserves both arguments.

The regular deadline is May 15, 2026 (or 30 days after your notice is mailed, whichever is later). Missed it? See the late-protest section below — Texas Tax Code Section 41.44(b) keeps the door open for good cause into mid-July. Full deadline detail lives on our 2026 deadline page.

Evidence wins protests. The most persuasive evidence is a set of 3 to 7 comparable sales: homes in your neighborhood that are similar to yours in living area (within roughly 25% of your square footage), age (within about 10 years), and condition, and that sold or are assessed for less than your value. The appraisal review board compares your assessed value to the median of these comps, so choosing the right ones matters more than the number of them.

Supplement comps with anything that lowers your home's value: photos of foundation cracks, roof or flooding damage, contractor repair estimates, or a recent independent appraisal. Our calculator assembles your comps for you, and the $49 appeal packet turns them into a filed-ready evidence sheet and protest letter.

Most counties schedule an informal hearing with a district appraiser first. Bring your comps, stay factual, and lead with your strongest three. The large majority of cases settle here, which is why a clean evidence packet so often pays for itself in a single meeting.

If you do not settle informally, you present to the Appraisal Review Board (ARB), an independent panel of local citizens. You make your case, the district responds, and the board issues a binding decision. Hearings run 15 to 30 minutes. You can appear in person, by phone, by video, or by written affidavit (Form 50-283), so you never have to take a day off work to protest.

If the board lowers your value, you are done, and the reduction carries real money: at a 2% effective tax rate, a $40,000 value cut saves about $800 every year it holds. If you accept, your new value is locked in for the year.

Not satisfied? You have three appeal paths after an ARB decision: binding arbitration (a refundable deposit and a neutral arbitrator, the practical option for most homes), an appeal to district court, or, for higher-value properties, the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). In practice, most homeowners never need these, the overwhelming share of protests resolve at the informal or ARB stage.