To protest property taxes in Travis County, file a written notice of protest with the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) by May 15, or within 30 days of the date TCAD mailed your notice of appraised value, whichever is later.1State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.44 – Notice of Protest From there you meet informally with an appraiser, and if you can’t agree, your case goes to the Appraisal Review Board (ARB) for a formal hearing. Bringing solid evidence — comparable sales, photos of condition problems, repair estimates — is what actually moves the number.
Know Your Deadline
The clock starts when TCAD mails your notice, not when it lands in your mailbox, so watch for it in April and early May. If May 15 falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the deadline rolls to the next regular business day.2State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 1.06 – Effect of Weekend, Holiday
Missed it? You can still file a late protest if you can show “good cause” and you submit before the ARB approves the appraisal records for the year.1State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.44 – Notice of Protest The statute doesn’t define good cause, so the board decides case by case. Serious illness, a family emergency, or never receiving your notice tend to succeed. Being busy or forgetting is a harder sell.
Pick Your Grounds Carefully
Texas Tax Code Section 41.41 lists every legal reason you can protest.3State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.41 – Right of Protest The two most useful for homeowners:
- Excessive market value. TCAD’s number is higher than what a willing buyer would pay. Mass-appraisal software doesn’t see your cracked foundation or the highway behind your fence.
- Unequal appraisal. Your home is taxed at a higher ratio of market value than comparable properties. Under Section 41.43, the district carries the burden of proving your ratio is at or below the median ratio for a representative sample of similar properties. You can win here even when the district’s market value looks defensible, if your neighbors are appraised lower.
Other grounds worth checking: TCAD listed the wrong owner, denied a homestead, over-65, or disability exemption, or has your square footage or room count wrong.
Check every box that applies. The form itself warns that a reason you don’t select may be off-limits at your hearing.4Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Owner’s Notice of Protest for Counties with Populations Greater than 120,000
How to File
The official form is Texas Comptroller Form 50-132, used in counties with populations over 120,000.4Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Owner’s Notice of Protest for Counties with Populations Greater than 120,000 You’ll need the property account number from your notice, the boxes checked for each ground of protest, and a brief written statement of why you disagree with the value.
You have three ways to submit it:
- Online through TCAD’s eFile system. Fastest option. You upload evidence and get immediate confirmation.5Travis Central Appraisal District. E-File Your Protest
- By mail. Send to TCAD at P.O. Box 149012, Austin, TX 78714-9012. Use certified mail with return receipt if you’re filing close to the deadline. The postmark matters.6Travis Central Appraisal District. Contact
- In person. Drop it off at 850 East Anderson Lane in Austin.
Build the Evidence Before You Meet Anyone
What wins protests is documentation, not argument. TCAD values property as of January 1, so sales close to that date carry the most weight.
Comparable sales are the backbone. Pull three to five homes similar to yours in size, age, condition, and location that sold in the past year for less than your appraised value. If you bought your home recently in an arm’s-length sale, bring the closing statement. A real transaction between unrelated parties is difficult to dispute.
Condition evidence is where many protests find their edge. Photograph foundation cracks, water damage, roof problems, outdated systems, anything a buyer would price down. Get written repair estimates from licensed contractors. A line item reading “foundation leveling: $12,000” is worth more than any description of cracks.
You’re also entitled to see the district’s own case in advance. Under Section 41.461, you can request all data, schedules, formulas, and other evidence the chief appraiser plans to introduce, at no charge, at least 14 days before your hearing.7State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.461 – Notice of Certain Matters Before Hearing; Delivery of Requested Information Read their comparables. Most will be larger, newer, or in a better pocket than yours. Being able to point that out at the hearing is often what tips the decision.
The Informal Meeting
After you file, TCAD schedules an informal meeting with a district appraiser. Most protests end here, without a formal hearing.8Travis Central Appraisal District. The Informal Protest Process It’s a negotiation, not a courtroom. Show up with organized copies of your comparables, photos, and estimates. The appraiser may offer a reduced value on the spot.
If the number offered is lower than the current appraisal but higher than you think is fair, you decide. Accepting settles it. Declining costs you nothing: your protest stays active for the ARB, and the informal offer doesn’t set any kind of floor for the formal hearing.
The ARB Hearing
If the informal doesn’t resolve it, a three-member ARB panel hears your case. The board members are local citizens, not TCAD employees, and their decision is independent of the district.9Travis Central Appraisal District. Travis Appraisal Review Board
You don’t have to appear in person. Texas law lets you attend by telephone or videoconference if you request it in your protest filing or by written notice at least 10 days before the hearing. If you can’t attend at all, submit your evidence and argument by notarized affidavit using Comptroller Form 50-283.10Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Owner’s Affidavit of Evidence The affidavit doesn’t waive your right to appear later if plans change. If you attend by phone or video, any evidence you want the panel to consider has to be submitted by affidavit before the hearing.
The written order arrives by email or certified mail after the panel deliberates.11Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Appraisal Protests and Appeals The date you receive that order starts the clock on any appeal.
If the ARB Ruling Still Feels Wrong
Two paths, and you have to pick one — you can’t run them at the same time.
Binding arbitration is the cheaper route and works for most homeowners. File the request within 60 days of receiving the ARB order. For non-homestead property, the ARB-determined value can’t exceed $5 million; homestead properties have no value cap. The refundable deposit is $450 if your homestead’s ARB-determined value is $500,000 or less, or $500 if it’s above that.12State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41A.03 – Request for Arbitration
District court appeal is the fuller judicial route, better suited to higher-value or complex cases. File a petition for review in district court within 60 days of receiving notice of the ARB’s final order. Miss it and the appeal is barred.13State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 42.01 – Right of Appeal by Property Owner Expect court fees, potential attorney costs, and a longer timeline.
Why Protest If the 10% Cap Already Protects You
If you have a homestead exemption, your appraised value can’t rise more than 10 percent per year over the prior year’s appraised value, plus new improvements. Your appraised value is capped at the lesser of full market value or that limit.14State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 23.23 – Limitation on Appraised Value of Residence Homestead
Your notice will show two numbers: market value and the capped appraised value. Taxes are calculated on the capped number, so a high market value alongside a much lower capped value may not affect this year’s bill. It still matters, though, because next year’s 10 percent cap builds on this year’s market value. Letting an inflated market value stand quietly raises your taxable value in the years ahead.
Hiring a Property Tax Consultant
You can do the whole protest yourself. Many Travis County homeowners hire a licensed property tax consultant instead. Consultants handle informal negotiations, present at the ARB, and can file arbitration requests. Most work on contingency, typically 25 to 50 percent of the first year’s tax savings, and charge nothing if they don’t reduce your value.
To authorize a consultant, complete Comptroller Form 50-162. It has to identify the property, define the scope of authority, and be signed by you — the agent cannot sign it for you. Only one agent can represent a property at a time, and a new designation revokes the previous one automatically.15Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Appointment of Agent for Property Tax Matters
Verify the license through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation before you sign anything.16Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Search / Verify Licenses or Projects Ask which comparables they plan to use and whether an unequal-appraisal argument fits your property. A specific strategy is a better sign than a general promise to protest.