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Find your Texas county appeal guide

Texas homeowners save an average of $774 per year by appealing, with success rates of 78-89% when armed with comparable sales evidence. Pick your county to see local ARB info, deadlines, and a free overassessment check.

Most searched right now: Harris County property tax protest, Bexar County property tax protest and Nueces County property tax protest.

Missed May 15? One route is still open

If your home is severely over-appraised (a homestead more than one-fourth over its correct value; other property more than one-third), Texas Tax Code § 25.25(d) allows a late correction motion until January 31, 2027. It carries a 10% late-correction penalty and turns on market value, so it is not for everyone, and we say plainly who it fits. See whether you qualify →

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How a Texas appeal actually works

Every statement below is cited to its primary source and shows the date we verified it. Where we could not confirm something from a primary source, we say so instead of guessing. Dataset last re-verified 2026-08-13.

Missed the main deadline? Texas has 9 remedies most homeowners never hear about

County pages rarely surface these. Each one is a distinct legal route with its own clock.

Sec. 25.25(c) motion to correct the appraisal roll - FIVE PRECEDING YEARS

The ARB, on motion of the chief appraiser OR OF A PROPERTY OWNER, may direct by written order changes in the appraisal roll FOR ANY OF THE FIVE PRECEDING YEARS to correct: (1) clerical errors that affect a property owner's liability for a tax imposed in that tax year; (2) multiple appraisals of a property in that tax year; (3) the inclusion of property that does not exist in the form or at the location described in the appraisal roll; or (4) an error in which property is shown as owned by a person who did not own the property on January 1 of that tax year. 'Clerical error' is defined at Sec. 1.04(18) as an error resulting from a mistake or failure in writing, copying, transcribing, entering or retrieving computer data, computing, or calculating, or that prevents the roll from accurately reflecting a finding or determination - but expressly NOT an error resulting from a mistake in judgment or reasoning. This is the highest-value overlooked remedy in the state: it reaches back five years and is not barred by having missed the May 15 protest deadline. Procedure: if the chief appraiser and owner do not agree to the correction before the 15th day after the motion is filed, the moving party is entitled on request to a hearing and determination by the ARB (Sec. 25.25(e)). The motion must describe the error being corrected. Hearing scheduling: a request made on or after January 1 but before September 1 must be heard not later than the 90th day after the ARB approves the appraisal records under Sec. 41.12; a request made on or after September 1 but before January 1 of the following tax year must be heard not later than the 90th day after the request. 15 days' written notice of hearing. The owner may elect to present evidence before, after, or between the cases of the chief appraiser and each taxing unit. The owner must comply with the Sec. 25.26 payment requirements or forfeit the right to a final determination. Sec. 25.25(g): within 60 days after receiving notice of the ARB's determination, the owner may file suit to compel the board to order the change.

When:

primary source · verified

Sec. 25.25(d) substantial-error correction - ONE-FOURTH for homestead, ONE-THIRD for non-homestead

CORRECTION TO A COMMON MISSTATEMENT: the threshold is NOT one-third across the board. VERBATIM Sec. 25.25(d): 'At any time prior to the date the taxes become delinquent, a property owner or the chief appraiser may file a motion with the appraisal review board to change the appraisal roll to correct an error that resulted in an incorrect appraised value for the owner's property. However, the error may not be corrected unless it resulted in an appraised value that exceeds by more than: (1) one-fourth the correct appraised value, in the case of property that qualifies as the owner's residence homestead under Section 11.13; or (2) one-third the correct appraised value, in the case of property that does not qualify as the owner's residence homestead under Section 11.13.' So a HOMESTEAD needs only a 25 percent over-appraisal, not 33 percent - a materially easier test, and the Comptroller's own protest page states it the same way. LATE-CORRECTION PENALTY: Sec. 25.25(d-1) requires the owner to pay each affected taxing unit a late-correction penalty equal to 10 percent of the taxes calculated on the corrected appraised value; the penalty is secured by the Sec. 32.01 tax lien and enforceable under Ch. 33. TWO HARD BARS under Sec. 25.25(d-1): the roll may not be changed if (1) the property was the subject of an owner-brought Ch. 41 protest, a hearing was conducted in which the owner offered evidence or argument, and the ARB determined the protest on the merits; or (2) the appraised value was established by a written agreement between the owner or the owner's agent and the appraisal district. PRODUCT IMPLICATION: filing a protest and actually presenting evidence at a hearing FORECLOSES the Sec. 25.25(d) remedy for that year. Sequencing matters and a naive 'always protest' funnel can destroy a more valuable remedy.

When:

primary source · verified

Sec. 25.25(c-1) personal property rendition-error correction - current year plus two preceding years

The ARB, on motion of the chief appraiser or a property owner, may order changes in the appraisal roll or related records for the CURRENT tax year and either of the TWO PRECEDING tax years to correct an inaccuracy in the appraised value of the owner's tangible personal property resulting from an error or omission in a Chapter 22 rendition statement or property report. Barred for any year in which: the owner failed to timely file the rendition and was penalized under Sec. 22.28; the property was the subject of an owner protest determined on the merits after the owner offered evidence or argument; the property was the subject of a previous Sec. 25.25 motion that was agreed, determined, or forfeited; or the value was set by written agreement with the district.

When:

primary source · verified

Sec. 41.411 protest of failure to give notice

A property owner is entitled to protest before the ARB the failure of the chief appraiser or the ARB to provide or deliver any notice to which the owner is entitled. Sec. 41.44(c): the owner is entitled to a hearing if the notice is filed BEFORE the taxes on the property become delinquent. Sec. 41.44(c-3): notwithstanding (c), an owner who files a Sec. 41.411 protest on or after the delinquency date but not later than the 125th day after the owner claims to have first received written notice of the taxes is entitled to a hearing SOLELY on whether one or more taxing units timely delivered a tax bill; if the ARB finds all taxing units failed to timely deliver a bill, the delinquency date is postponed to the 125th day after the date at least one taxing unit first delivered written notice. This is the escape hatch for owners who never received a Sec. 25.19 notice.

When:

primary source · verified

Sec. 41.44(b) late protest for good cause

A property owner who files a notice of protest AFTER the Sec. 41.44(a) deadline but BEFORE the ARB approves the appraisal records is entitled to a hearing and determination of the protest if the owner shows good cause as determined by the board for failure to file on time. Comptroller guidance confirms the ARB can grant a late protest hearing on a showing of good cause, and warns that failing to show good cause, or filing after the ARB approves the appraisal records, may result in losing the right to protest.

When:

primary source · verified

Sec. 41.44(c-1) and (c-2) late protest for Gulf of Mexico workers and deployed military

Sec. 41.44(c-1): an owner who files after the deadline but before delinquency is entitled to a hearing if the owner was continuously employed in the Gulf of Mexico - including on an offshore drilling or production facility or on a vessel - for not less than 20 days during which the deadline passed, evidenced by a letter from the employer or supervisor, or a sworn affidavit if self-employed. Sec. 41.44(c-2): an owner who files after the deadline but before delinquency is entitled to a hearing if the owner was serving on full-time active duty in the United States armed forces OUTSIDE the United States on the day the deadline passed, evidenced by a valid DoD military identification card and a deployment order.

When:

primary source · verified

Limited Binding Arbitration (LBA) to compel procedural compliance

After filing a notice of protest, if the owner believes the ARB or chief appraiser failed to comply with a procedural requirement relating to the protest, the owner may file an LBA request to compel compliance. Distinct from Regular Binding Arbitration, which reviews value.

Tex. Tax Code Ch. 41A (limited binding arbitration provisions) · primary source · verified 2026-08-12

Sec. 42.29 attorney's fee recovery for a prevailing owner

A property owner who prevails in a district court appeal under Sec. 42.25 (excessive appraisal) or Sec. 42.26 (unequal appraisal), in an appeal of an ARB determination of a Sec. 25.25 motion, or in an appeal of a denial of certain exemptions, may be awarded reasonable attorney's fees. The award may not exceed the GREATER of $15,000 or 20 percent of the total tax-liability reduction; and notwithstanding that, may not exceed the LESSER of $100,000 or the total tax-liability reduction.

When:

primary source · verified

Joint motion to correct agreed by the chief appraiser

The owner may ask the chief appraiser to agree to a joint motion to correct. If the chief appraiser and the owner or the owner's authorized representative agree on the late change, the ARB will approve the change. Note the interaction with Sec. 1.111(e): an agreement between the owner or the owner's agent and the chief appraiser is FINAL if it relates to a matter that may be protested to the ARB, or that may be corrected under Sec. 25.25. A Sec. 1.111(e) written agreement also defeats the Sec. 41.43(a-3) clear-and-convincing burden escalation in the following year and bars a Sec. 25.25(d) correction. Settling informally has downstream costs.

Tex. Tax Code Sec. 1.111(e); Sec. 25.25 · primary source · verified 2026-08-12

What evidence wins in Texas

TEXAS IS THE STRONGEST ASSESSED-COMPARABLES JURISDICTION IN THE UNITED STATES. Sec. 41.43(b) provides that a protest on the ground of unequal appraisal 'shall be determined in favor of the protesting party unless the appraisal district establishes that' one of three things is true. The third - Sec. 41.43(b)(3) - is the operative homeowner remedy and reads VERBATIM: '(3) the appraised value of the property is equal to or less than the median appraised value of a reasonable number of comparable properties appropriately adjusted.' Note what this does and does not require. It is keyed to APPRAISED VALUE (what the district has assessed comparable properties at), NOT to sales prices. It has NO percentage threshold - unlike Sec. 42.26(a)(1) and (a)(2) in district court, which require the appraisal ratio to exceed the median level of appraisal 'by at least 10 percent,' subsection (b)(3)/(a)(3) has no such margin. So if the subject's appraised value exceeds the median appraised value of a reasonable number of appropriately adjusted comparables by even $1, the district has failed its (b)(3) defense. The other two district defenses are ratio-based and require a Sec. 1.12 appraisal ratio (appraised value divided by market value), which in a non-disclosure state the district generally cannot build for a single residence: (b)(1) the appraisal ratio of the property is equal to or less than the median level of appraisal of a reasonable and representative sample of other properties in the district; (b)(2) the appraisal ratio is equal to or less than the median level of appraisal of a sample of properties similarly situated to, or of the same general kind or character as, the subject. Sec. 41.43(c): 'For purposes of this section, evidence includes the data, schedules, formulas, or other information used to establish the matter at issue.' THE DISCIPLINE REQUIREMENT: Sec. 23.01(f) provides that 'The selection of comparable properties and the application of appropriate adjustments for the determination of an appraised value of property by any person under Section 41.43(b)(3) or 42.26(a)(3) must be based on the application of generally accepted appraisal methods and techniques. Adjustments must be based on recognized methods and techniques that are necessary to produce a credible opinion.' Sec. 23.01(h) deems the most recent versions of The Appraisal of Real Estate (Appraisal Institute) and The Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal (Appraisal Institute), among others, to be generally accepted methods. So the winning artifact is: a defensible set of comparable properties, pulled from the appraisal district's own public appraisal roll, with documented size/age/condition/location adjustments, producing a MEDIAN adjusted appraised value below the subject's appraised value. Market-value theory is available in parallel under Sec. 41.41(a)(1) and Sec. 23.01(a)-(b) (market value as of January 1, determined by generally accepted appraisal methods; mass appraisal must comply with USPAP). Sec. 23.01(c) bars the chief appraiser from excluding from consideration nearby residential property that sold at a foreclosure sale in any of the three preceding years, or whose market value declined because of a declining economy. Sec. 23.01(d) requires a residence homestead to be valued solely as a residence homestead regardless of highest and best use. Sec. 23.01(e) is a powerful anti-rebound provision: if the value was lowered under Subtitle F, the chief appraiser may not increase it the next year unless the increase is reasonably supported by CLEAR AND CONVINCING evidence, and the burden of proof is on the chief appraiser. The Comptroller's own protest guidance lists 'Calculations of median level of appraisal, if protesting equal and uniform appraisal' as evidence to bring.

primary source · verified 2026-08-12

The appeal ladder, in Texas's own terms

  1. 1

    Informal conference with the Appraisal District appraisal office

    Deadline: No independent statutory deadline. The appraisal office MUST hold an informal conference with each property owner who files a notice of protest with the ARB and requests an informal conference, and the conference must be held before the ARB hearing. Practical trigger: file the Notice of Protest by the Sec. 41.44(a)(1) deadline and request the conference.

    Clock starts: Filing a notice of protest with the appraisal review board AND requesting an informal conference

    Tex. Tax Code Sec. 41.445 · primary source · verified 2026-08-12

    Form: 50-132 — Property Owner's Notice of Protest (for Counties with Populations Greater than 120,000) official form

    primary source · verified 2026-08-12

    Fee: $0

    Tex. Tax Code Sec. 1.09 (forms furnished without charge); no fee authorized for filing a protest under Ch. 41 · primary source · verified 2026-08-12

  2. 2

    Appraisal Review Board (ARB)

    Deadline: VERBATIM Sec. 41.44(a)(1): the property owner must file a written notice of protest with the ARB 'not later than May 15 or the 30th day after the date that notice to the property owner was delivered to the property owner as provided by Section 25.19, whichever is later.' This is a FIXED date (May 15) with a RELATIVE alternative (30 days from delivery of the Sec. 25.19 notice of appraised value) and the LATER of the two controls. Note: the Comptroller's own guidance states 'the deadline is 30 days from the date the appraisal district mails a notice, not from the delivery date.' Notices of appraised value are required to be sent by May 1, or by April 1 for a residence homestead, or as soon as practical thereafter (Sec. 25.19).

    Clock starts: The later of (a) the fixed calendar date May 15, or (b) 30 days after the date the Sec. 25.19 notice of appraised value was delivered/mailed to the property owner

    Tex. Tax Code Sec. 41.44(a)(1); Sec. 25.19 · primary source · verified 2026-08-12

    Form: 50-132 (counties over 120,000 population); 50-132-A (counties under 120,000 population) — Property Owner's Notice of Protest official form

    primary source · verified 2026-08-12

    Fee: $0

    No filing fee is authorized for an ARB protest under Tex. Tax Code Ch. 41; Sec. 1.09 requires forms to be furnished without charge · primary source · verified 2026-08-12

  3. 3

    Regular Binding Arbitration (RBA) administered by the Texas Comptroller under Tax Code Chapter 41A - ALTERNATIVE to district court

    Deadline: File the RBA request and the required deposit with the Comptroller's office not later than the 60th day after the date the property owner receives notice of the final ARB order of determination. Eligibility: (1) the property has a residence homestead exemption under Sec. 11.13 (NO value limit), or the appraised/market value on the ARB order is $5 million or less; AND (2) the protest was filed under Sec. 41.41(a)(1) (appraised or market value) or Sec. 41.41(a)(2) (unequal appraisal). Taxes must be timely paid and no district court suit may have been filed on the same matter. An RBA filed more than 60 days after the ARB order was delivered is dismissed.

    Clock starts: Receipt of the notice of the final ARB order of determination

    Tex. Tax Code Ch. 41A; 34 Tex. Admin. Code Sec. 9.4240, 9.4241 · primary source · verified 2026-08-12

    Form: AP-219 — Property Owner/Lessee Request for Regular Binding Arbitration (RBA) official form

    primary source · verified 2026-08-12

    Fee: DEPOSIT TIERS (deposit, not a fee; refundable minus $50 if you win): Residence homestead, ARB value $500,000 or less = $450. Residence homestead, more than $500,000 = $500. Not residence homestead, $1 million or less = $500. Not residence homestead, more than $1M but not more than $2M = $800. Not residence homestead, more than $2M but not more than $3M = $1,050. Not residence homestead, more than $3M but not more than $5M = $1,550. The Comptroller retains $50 of the deposit for administrative costs (Sec. 41A.05(b)). REFUND RULE: if the arbitrator determines a value NEARER to the property owner's opinion of value than to the ARB value, the deposit is refunded minus the $50 and the APPRAISAL DISTRICT pays the arbitrator's fee. Otherwise the owner's deposit pays the arbitrator's fee. Withdrawal during the 45-day settlement period refunds the deposit minus the $50. (statutory)

    Tex. Tax Code Sec. 41A.03, Sec. 41A.05(b); Comptroller RBA Arbitration Deposit and Arbitrator Fee Schedule (Effective Sept. 1, 2017) · primary source · verified 2026-08-12

  4. 3

    State District Court (judicial review) - ALTERNATIVE to RBA and SOAH

    Deadline: VERBATIM Sec. 42.21(a): 'A party who appeals as provided by this chapter must file a petition for review with the district court within 60 days after the party received notice that a final order has been entered from which an appeal may be had or at any time after the hearing but before the 60-day deadline. Failure to timely file a petition bars any appeal under this chapter.' Suit must be brought against the appraisal district; a petition for review may NOT be brought against the appraisal review board. The owner must also make a partial payment of the undisputed taxes before the delinquency date, unless excused by the court on an oath of inability to pay.

    Clock starts: Receipt of notice that the final ARB order has been entered

    Tex. Tax Code Sec. 42.21(a), (b); Sec. 42.08 · primary source · verified 2026-08-12

    Form: Petition for review (pleading drafted by the party; no Comptroller-prescribed form)

    primary source · verified 2026-08-12

    Not confirmed from a primary source: District court civil filing fees are set by county and by Government Code fee schedules, not by the Tax Code. No single statewide amount exists and none was verified from a primary source. COMMERCIALLY RELEVANT OFFSET: Sec. 42.29 allows a prevailing property owner in a Sec. 42.25 or Sec. 42.26 appeal (or an appeal of a Sec. 25.25 motion determination) to be awarded reasonable attorney's fees, capped at the GREATER of $15,000 or 20 percent of the tax reduction, but not exceeding the LESSER of $100,000 or the total tax reduction. Check the official page before relying on this.
  5. 3

    State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) - ALTERNATIVE, higher-value property only

    Deadline: Available only if the property value as determined by the ARB order is over $1 million, and only where the appeal concerns appraised or market value or an unequal appraisal. Applies to real or personal property but NOT industrial property. File a Notice of Appeal by Property Owner with the appraisal district chief appraiser within 30 days of receiving the ARB order of determination, and file a $1,500 deposit with the chief appraiser within 90 days of receiving the order of determination.

    Clock starts: Receipt of the ARB order of determination

    Tex. Tax Code Ch. 42, Subchapter Z (appeal to SOAH) · primary source · verified 2026-08-12

    Form: Notice of Appeal by Property Owner (published by SOAH) official form

    primary source · verified 2026-08-12

    Fee: $1,500 deposit, filed with the chief appraiser within 90 days of receiving the ARB order of determination (statutory)

    Tex. Tax Code Ch. 42, Subchapter Z · primary source · verified 2026-08-12

Who has to prove what

PREPONDERANCE OF THE EVIDENCE by default. VERBATIM Sec. 41.43(a): 'Except as provided by Subsections (a-1), (a-3), and (d), in a protest authorized by Section 41.41(a)(1) or (2), the appraisal district has the burden of establishing the value of the property by a preponderance of the evidence presented at the hearing. If the appraisal district fails to meet that standard, the protest shall be determined in favor of the property owner.' ESCALATES TO CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENCE in two situations. (1) Sec. 41.43(a-1): for property with a market or appraised value of $1 million or less, if the owner files with the ARB and delivers to the chief appraiser, not later than the 14th day before the first day of the hearing, a copy of an appraisal performed not later than the 180th day before the first day of the hearing by an appraiser certified under Chapter 1103, Occupations Code, supporting the owner's asserted value. The appraisal must be attested before an officer authorized to administer oaths and must include the appraiser's name and business address, a description of the property, a statement that the value was as of January 1 of the current tax year and was determined using a Chapter 23 method, and a statement that it was performed in accordance with USPAP (Sec. 41.43(a-2)). (2) Sec. 41.43(a-3): if (i) the appraised value was LOWERED under Subtitle F in the preceding tax year, AND (ii) the preceding year's value was NOT established by a written Sec. 1.111(e) agreement, AND (iii) not later than the 14th day before the first day of the hearing the owner files with the ARB and delivers to the chief appraiser information sufficient to allow a determination of value (for a 41.41(a)(1) protest) or of unequal appraisal (for a 41.41(a)(2) protest). Sec. 41.43(a-5) makes clear that (a-3)(3) does NOT impose a duty to provide information - it is merely a condition to getting the higher standard. BURDEN FLIPS TO THE OWNER under Sec. 41.43(d) if the owner fails to deliver, before the hearing date, a rendition statement or property report required by Chapter 22 or a response to a Sec. 22.07(c) request for information - then the owner must establish value by a preponderance or the protest is determined in favor of the appraisal district.

primary source · verified 2026-08-12

When values are set

All taxable property is appraised at its market value as of January 1 each year (Sec. 23.01(a)). Appraisal districts must reappraise each property at least once every three years (Sec. 25.18, not independently retrieved in this pass), but valuation and the right to protest are ANNUAL. Notices of appraised value are required by May 1, or by April 1 for a residence homestead, or as soon as practical thereafter (Sec. 25.19). Sec. 25.19 notice is only required where value increased over the prior year, per Comptroller guidance; Sec. 25.19 subsection (e) allows the chief appraiser to dispense with notice where the increase is $1,000 or less. AN ARB DECISION BINDS ONLY THE TAX YEAR IN QUESTION - the Comptroller states plainly 'The ARB's decisions are binding only for the tax year in question,' so this is a recurring annual revenue event per customer, not a one-time transaction.

primary source · verified 2026-08-12

How counties differ

Texas protest DEADLINES are statewide and uniform (Sec. 41.44(a)(1)), which is unusual and commercially favorable - one deadline engine covers all 254 counties. Variation is procedural, not temporal. (1) FORM SPLIT BY POPULATION: Form 50-132 is captioned 'for Counties with Populations Greater than 120,000'; Form 50-132-A is the counterpart for counties under 120,000. (2) ELECTRONIC FILING: Sec. 41.415 requires appraisal districts in counties of 500,000 or more to allow electronic filing of a notice of protest; Sec. 1.111(b) requires those same districts to implement electronic signing and filing of agent designations. Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, Travis, Collin, Denton, Hidalgo, Fort Bend, El Paso and Montgomery are the practical set. (3) ELECTRONIC NOTICE AND REMINDERS: counties over 120,000 deliver electronic hearing reminders on written request with an email address or text number, and permit electronic delivery of communication forms to receive hearing notices electronically. (4) SPECIAL ARB PANELS: under Sec. 6.425(b) only commercial, utility, industrial/manufacturing, and multifamily residential property at or above an inflation-adjusted minimum value qualify for a special panel - the 2026 minimum appraised value is $62,883,169 (2025: $61,349,201; 2024: $59,562,331; 2023: $57,216,456; 2022: $52,978,200). Residential homestead protests never qualify. (5) SINGLE-MEMBER PANELS: Sec. 41.44(d) requires the protest form to let an owner request a single-member panel authorized by Sec. 41.45(b-4). (6) ARB hearing procedures are adopted locally and the Comptroller instructs owners to become thoroughly familiar with them, including the number of hard copies of evidence required and what electronic devices are acceptable for presenting evidence.