Deadline to Protest Property Taxes – May 31, 2014
Texas residents should have received their assessment of property value earlier this month. The deadline to file the Notice of Protest is generally May 31, 2014. Many Denton County residents property assessments increased quite largely … many by fifteen percent or more. If one feels like the appraisal is too high, then s/he should file a protest. A relatively complete list of reasons to file a protest are outlined below.
- the market or appraised value of your property
- the unequal appraisal of your property
- the inclusion of your property on the appraisal roll
- any exemptions that may apply to you
- the qualification for an agricultural or timber appraisal
- the taxable status of your property
- the local governments which should be taxing your property
- the ownership of property
- the change of use of land receiving special appraisal
- any action taken by the Chief Appraiser, Appraisal District or Appraisal Review Board that applies to and adversely affects you.
Protesting property taxes isn’t too difficult. One simply completes and submits the Notice of Protest Form provided to him in the Notice of Property Appraisal. If one no longer has the form, then he can visit the website for county’s central appraisal district and print a form. When completing the Notice of Protest, one should make sure to mark the option requesting information that the central appraisal district plans to introduce as evidence. It will include comparable home sales/assessments that the central appraisal district used to determine the appraised value of the property. In addition, one can obtain their own evidence. Realtors are pretty helpful in this area, especially if s/he represented the property owner in the purchase of the home.
Until your hearing date with the informal Appraisal Review Board (a board comprised of normal citizens mediating between the central appraisal district and the homeowner), property owners may receive phone calls to discuss their property value without a hearing. Often, the negotiations are settled on that phone call. Similarly, the homeowner may call the ARB to discuss the appraised value prior to filing the Notice of Protest.
Below are the links to the DFW area central appraisal districts.
Collin County Central Appraisal District Home Page
Collin County Notice of Protest Form
Dallas County Central Appraisal District Home Page
Dallas County Notice of Protest Form (For Dallas County residents, search for your property by owner name by clicking here, and then click on uFile or Print/Mail Account Protest Form. Owner information is already completed.)
Denton County Central Appraisal District Home Page
Denton County Notice of Protest Form
Tarrant County Central Appraisal District Home Page
Tarrant County Notice of Protest Form. Also, Tarrant County property owners may file online. See the Tarrant County Central Appraisal District Home Page for instructions.
Good luck!
Robert Newton is an attorney based in Frisco, Texas, that practices real estate law, estate planning, and business law. This post is meant for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.