To file a Montgomery County property tax protest, send a written notice of protest to the Appraisal Review Board at the Montgomery Central Appraisal District (MCAD) by May 15 or 30 days after your valuation notice was delivered, whichever is later. Most protests settle at an informal one-on-one meeting with a district appraiser, so the real work is gathering evidence — comparable sales, photos of condition issues, repair estimates, or an independent appraisal — before you walk in.
Your Filing Deadline
You must file your written notice of protest with the Appraisal Review Board by the later of two dates: May 15, or the 30th day after MCAD delivered your valuation notice.1State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.44 – Notice of Protest If your notice arrives on April 20, your deadline is May 20. If it arrives on April 1, May 15 controls because that falls later than April 30.
Keep proof of filing. Online submissions through MCAD give you an immediate confirmation. If you mail the protest, use certified mail with return receipt so you have a record of both the mailing and delivery dates. Hand delivery works too, as long as you walk out with a date-stamped receipt.
If You Missed It
A late filing is not automatically dead. If you file after the deadline but before the Appraisal Review Board approves the appraisal records for the year, you can still get a hearing by showing good cause — generally circumstances outside your control, like a medical emergency or never receiving the notice.1State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.44 – Notice of Protest Forgetting is unlikely to qualify.
If you never received a required notice, Section 41.411 gives you a separate right to protest as long as you file before your taxes become delinquent (typically February 1 of the following year). And if the appraised value exceeds the correct value by more than one-third, Section 25.25(d) lets you file a correction motion past the normal deadline, again as long as you act before delinquency.
Picking Your Grounds
Texas law lists several grounds for protest, but two carry most residential cases in Montgomery County.2State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.41 – Right of Protest Market value too high means you’re arguing MCAD overshot what your property would actually sell for. Unequal appraisal means you’re arguing your property is valued higher than similar properties nearby, even if the dollar figure isn’t far off market. Comparable homes assessed at a lower price per square foot are the backbone of this argument.
Other valid grounds include denial of an exemption you applied for, errors in the property description such as wrong square footage or buildings that no longer exist, and the district’s failure to send you a required notice. Check every ground that applies on the form. Doing so gives the hearing panel more than one path to a reduction, and it costs you nothing.
The standard form is the Comptroller’s Form 50-132, which applies to counties over 120,000 in population.3Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Forms You are not technically required to use it — any written notice that identifies the property, the owner, and your dissatisfaction is legally sufficient — but the form avoids any confusion over whether you preserved the right argument.4Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Appraisal Protests and Appeals Include your property account number from the valuation notice.
A Note on the Homestead Cap
If your home has a homestead exemption, Texas law caps the annual appraised value increase at 10% over last year’s appraised value, plus any new construction.5State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 23.23 – Limitation on Appraised Value of Residence Homestead Your notice shows both the full market value and the lower capped value; taxes are calculated on the smaller number. If you haven’t filed for the homestead exemption yet, filing it may matter more than the protest itself.
The Evidence That Actually Wins
What you bring determines what you leave with. Start gathering as soon as the notice arrives.
- Comparable sales. Find recent sales of similar properties near yours — similar square footage, age, lot size, and condition, sold within the last year. Sales below your appraised value are the strongest argument.
- Your purchase price. If you bought within the last year or two and paid less than the appraised value, bring the closing statement. A recent arm’s-length sale of the actual property is hard to brush aside.
- An independent appraisal. A licensed appraisal carries real weight. For properties valued at $1 million or less, delivering a certified appraisal to the chief appraiser at least 14 days before the hearing raises the district’s burden of proof from “more likely than not” to “clear and convincing evidence.”6State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.43 – Protest of Determination of Value or Inequality of Appraisal
- Photos and repair estimates. Document foundation cracks, roof damage, outdated systems, drainage problems — anything that hurts value. Written contractor estimates (a $30,000 foundation repair, for example) directly support a lower number.
- Equity comparisons. For an unequal-appraisal argument, pull appraised values of comparable homes in your neighborhood from the district’s website. A gap between your per-square-foot value and your neighbors’ is your case.
After you file, the district sends an evidence packet showing the sales data and methodology behind your valuation. Read it closely. It often reveals errors in property characteristics or cherry-picked comparables you can challenge directly.
The Informal Meeting
Before your case reaches the ARB, MCAD offers an informal meeting with a staff appraiser. This is where most protests end — across Texas, between 70% and 90% of disputes settle at this stage.7Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Homeowners Protest Guide
Treat it as a negotiation. Bring all your evidence. The staff appraiser can offer a settlement on the spot, and if the evidence is solid, they often will. If the offer is lower than you hoped but still meaningful, think hard before rejecting it. Presenting the same evidence to the ARB after turning down a reasonable informal number does not always produce a better result. If you cannot agree, your case moves to a formal hearing — filing the protest preserves that right no matter what happens informally.
The Appraisal Review Board Hearing
The ARB is a panel of appointed citizens who hear testimony and weigh evidence from both sides. Hearings are short, often 15 to 30 minutes, so arrive organized.
Who Has to Prove What
In most protests, the appraisal district carries the burden of proving its value by a preponderance of the evidence.6State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41.43 – Protest of Determination of Value or Inequality of Appraisal You do not have to prove the district wrong. You have to prevent the district from proving it right. If the evidence is evenly split, the district loses.
Two situations raise the district’s burden to “clear and convincing evidence.” The first is the certified independent appraisal described above, delivered 14 days before the hearing on a property valued at $1 million or less. The second applies when the district lowered your value in the prior year (outside a settlement) and you submit supporting evidence at least 14 days before the hearing.
One exception runs the other direction: if you were required to file a rendition statement — typically for business personal property or commercial real estate — and did not do so before the hearing, the burden flips to you.
What the Hearing Looks Like
Testimony is given under oath and the proceedings are recorded.8Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Informational Guide to Model Hearing Procedures for Appraisal Review Boards You present first, then the district presents, then panel members may ask questions of either side. The board deliberates and issues a written order with the final determined value.
A few things catch people off guard. Panel members may not have reviewed your submission in advance, so walk them through your key points as if for the first time. Keep the presentation on numbers: comparable sales prices, cost per square foot, documented repair costs. Observations about the neighborhood or a nicer house next door rarely move the number without data behind them.
If the ARB Decision Still Isn’t Right
You have 60 days from the ARB’s written order to pursue either binding arbitration or a district court appeal. The two paths are mutually exclusive — choosing one waives the other — so pick before the window closes.
Binding Arbitration
Arbitration is faster and cheaper than a lawsuit. You qualify if the property is your residence homestead (any value) or if the ARB-ordered appraised value is $5 million or less.9State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41A.01 – Right of Appeal by Property Owner You file a request with the Comptroller using Form AP-219 and pay a refundable deposit tied to property type and value:
- Homestead valued at $500,000 or less: $450
- Homestead valued over $500,000: $500
- Non-homestead valued at $1 million or less: $500
- Non-homestead valued over $1 million up to $2 million: $800
- Non-homestead valued over $2 million up to $3 million: $1,050
- Non-homestead valued over $3 million up to $5 million: $1,550
The deposit is refundable if you prevail.10State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 41A.03 – Request for Arbitration An independent arbitrator issues a binding decision; neither side can appeal further.
District Court
You can also appeal to the state district court in Montgomery County.11State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 42.01 – Right of Appeal by Property Owner This is a full lawsuit with filing fees, likely attorney costs, and a longer timeline. It fits high-value commercial properties or cases turning on legal questions that arbitration cannot resolve.
What a Reduction Actually Changes
Once your value drops — through informal settlement, an ARB order, or arbitration — the lower number flows into the tax calculation for the year. Each taxing entity (county, school district, MUD, and others) applies its own rate to the new appraised value, and your bill falls accordingly.
If your mortgage includes an escrow account, the reduction will not shrink your monthly payment immediately. Your servicer recalculates escrow on an annual cycle, and federal rules require an updated escrow statement within 30 days of the end of your escrow computation year.12Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Escrow Accounts If the recalculation shows a surplus, the servicer must refund any overpayment above $50 and lower your monthly payment going forward. Some servicers will run a new analysis sooner if you send a copy of the reduced valuation — worth a phone call.
A reduction also sets a lower baseline for next year. For homesteaded properties under the 10% cap, lowering this year’s appraised value constrains how high the district can push it in the next cycle, compounding the savings over time.