Tarrant County Tax Protest: Deadlines, Evidence, and Appeals

To file a Tarrant County property tax protest, submit a written notice to the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) by May 15 or within 30 days of receiving your appraisal notice, whichever is later. From there, most cases settle at an informal meeting with a staff appraiser, and the ones that don’t go to a formal hearing before the Tarrant Appraisal Review Board (ARB). If the ARB’s decision disappoints you, binding arbitration or a district court appeal is still available.

Deadline and How to File

Your protest must be filed by May 15, or by the 30th day after your appraisal notice was delivered, whichever is later. Most Tarrant County notices go out in April, so May 15 is the operative deadline for the majority of homeowners. A notice delivered on May 1 would give you until May 31.¹

Missing the deadline isn’t automatically fatal. A late protest filed before the ARB approves the appraisal records for the year can still be heard if you show good cause. “I forgot” rarely qualifies.¹

The fastest way to file is through TAD’s online portal. You’ll need to create an account and verify the property using the E-FILE PIN and Owner ID printed in the upper corners of your appraisal notice. The portal confirms receipt immediately.²

You can also mail or hand-deliver Form 50-132 (Property Owner’s Notice of Protest) to the Tarrant Appraisal Review Board. The form is available on the Texas Comptroller’s website or through TAD’s office. Use certified mail if you go the postal route so you have proof of the delivery date. TAD does not accept protest forms by fax or email.³

On the form, enter the property account number from your appraisal notice and check the boxes that match your protest grounds. Check both “incorrect appraised (market) value” and “value is unequal compared with other properties.” That preserves the widest range of arguments for your hearing.

Grounds You Can Protest

Texas law gives property owners a broad right to challenge the appraisal district’s actions. The two workhorses are market value and unequal appraisal, and the statute lists several others.⁴

Market value: TAD’s appraised value is higher than what the property would sell for on the open market. If comparable sales in your neighborhood support $400,000 but TAD has you at $450,000, this is your argument.
Unequal appraisal: Your property is assessed at a higher ratio of market value than similar nearby properties. Even if TAD’s number is technically accurate, a disproportionate assessment can still earn you a reduction.
Exemption denial: The district denied or only partially granted a homestead, disability, over-65, or other exemption you applied for.
Circuit breaker qualification: You believe your non-homestead property qualifies for the 20-percent annual cap under Section 23.231, but the district disagrees.
Ownership or taxing-unit errors: The district listed you as the owner of property you don’t own, or assigned your property to the wrong taxing jurisdictions.
Any other action by the chief appraiser or the district that adversely affects you.

Who Has to Prove the Value

This is the piece most owners don’t realize works in their favor. In a standard value or unequal-appraisal protest, the appraisal district bears the burden of proving the property’s value by a preponderance of the evidence. If the district’s representative can’t clear that bar, the ARB is supposed to rule for you.⁵

You can raise the bar higher. For properties valued at $1 million or less, filing a professional appraisal with the ARB and delivering a copy to the chief appraiser at least 14 days before the hearing triggers a clear and convincing evidence standard, which is harder for the district to satisfy. The same elevated standard applies if the district lowered your value last year through a protest (not a negotiated settlement) and you deliver sufficient comparable-sales data or other evidence at least 14 days before the hearing.⁵

One caution. If you were required to file a rendition statement or respond to a written request for information from the chief appraiser and didn’t, the burden flips to you. Rendition requirements apply mainly to business personal property, so most residential homeowners won’t face this. But ignoring a request for information can cost you the hearing before it starts.⁵

Evidence That Moves the Number

Data wins protests. The district will show up with its own comparable sales and valuation models, and you need to come prepared to poke holes in those numbers or present better ones.

Comparable sales: Look for homes similar to yours in size, age, construction type, and location that sold near January 1 of the current tax year. That’s the date the district uses to set market value. Three to five strong comparables that sold for less than your appraised value make a persuasive case.
Closing statement: If you bought the property recently for less than the appraised value, your HUD-1 or closing disclosure is some of the strongest evidence available. An arm’s-length sale is hard for the district to argue against.
Repair estimates and photos: Dated photographs of foundation problems, roof damage, outdated systems, or other value-reducing issues work well. A written contractor estimate puts a dollar figure on the problem and forces the appraiser to account for it.
Professional appraisal: A licensed appraisal carries extra weight, and for properties valued at $1 million or less it also raises the district’s burden of proof when delivered 14 days before the hearing.

Before your hearing, you and the district are required to exchange copies of any evidence either side plans to present. You can provide evidence on a USB flash drive or CD, which the ARB will keep. Don’t bring evidence only on your phone.⁶

The Informal Meeting

After TAD processes your protest, you’ll typically be scheduled for an informal meeting with a staff appraiser before any formal hearing. Most Tarrant County protests get resolved here.

Bring your evidence packet and walk the appraiser through it. The appraiser has access to the district’s data and can often spot where the initial valuation missed something, whether that’s a condition issue, a bad comparable sale in the model, or an error in the recorded characteristics like square footage or year built. If your evidence persuades the appraiser, they’ll offer a reduced value.

Accepting the settlement means signing a waiver that closes your protest for the year. Before you sign, compare the offer against your evidence. If the appraiser offers $420,000 but your comparables support $395,000, you can reject the offer and proceed to the formal hearing with no penalty. Rejecting the informal offer doesn’t hurt your position at the ARB hearing.

The Formal ARB Hearing

If the informal meeting doesn’t produce an acceptable settlement, your case goes to the Appraisal Review Board, a panel of citizens appointed to serve as independent decision-makers. They don’t work for the appraisal district.

The entire hearing is limited to 15 minutes, split between you and the district’s representative.⁷ Both sides are sworn in before testimony begins. You present your comparable sales, photos, or other evidence, and the district presents its case for the current valuation. Board members may ask questions. With only a few minutes on the clock, sharp and organized evidence beats lengthy explanation.

The panel announces its decision verbally at the end of the hearing. A formal written order, called the Order Determining Protest, follows by certified mail or electronic delivery within 30 days. That written order is the official record that triggers your appeal rights.⁸

Appeals After the ARB

Losing at the ARB isn’t the end. Texas gives property owners two paths forward: binding arbitration and district court. You can’t pursue both at the same time, so pick one.

Binding Arbitration

Binding arbitration is the more accessible option. You’re eligible if your property is a residence homestead or if the ARB set the appraised value at $3 million or less. File the request with the appraisal district within 60 days of receiving the ARB’s written order, along with a deposit covering the arbitrator’s fee.⁹

Deposit amounts depend on 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 between $1 million and $2 million: $800
Non-homestead valued between $2 million and $3 million: $1,050

Pay by money order or cashier’s check payable to the Comptroller of Public Accounts. If the arbitrator rules in your favor, the Comptroller refunds your deposit minus a $50 administrative fee.⁹

District Court Appeal

For properties above the arbitration threshold, or when you want a judge to decide, you can appeal the ARB order to district court. The petition must be filed within 60 days of receiving the ARB’s order.¹⁰

District court appeals also come with a prepayment requirement. Before the tax delinquency date, you must pay the lesser of: the taxes owed on the portion of value not in dispute, the taxes owed under the ARB’s order, or the taxes you paid on the property the prior year. If that payment would be an unreasonable burden, you can file an oath of inability to pay and ask the court for relief.¹¹

District court is more expensive and slower than arbitration. For high-value commercial properties or novel legal questions, it may still be the better venue.

Check Your Exemptions and Caps First

Before investing time in a protest, confirm you’re already receiving every exemption and cap you qualify for. A missing homestead exemption can cost more in extra taxes than an inflated appraisal.¹²

Once a homestead exemption is in place, your property’s appraised value for tax purposes cannot increase by more than 10 percent per year, plus the value of any new improvements. The cap kicks in on January 1 of the year after you first qualify. It doesn’t limit the district’s opinion of market value, only the number used to calculate your taxes.¹³

If you see two values on your appraisal notice, a higher market value and a lower “appraised value” or “capped value,” the cap is already working. Your protest should still focus on the market value figure, because that’s what next year’s cap is calculated against. Lowering the market value today means a lower baseline next year.

Owners of non-homestead real property may qualify for a separate 20-percent annual cap on appraised value increases under Section 23.231. This “circuit breaker” applies to properties without a homestead exemption, such as rentals and vacant land, but only if the value falls below a Comptroller-set threshold adjusted annually for inflation ($5 million for the 2024 tax year). The circuit breaker is currently set to expire on December 31, 2026.¹⁴

Doing It Yourself vs. Hiring an Agent

Texas law lets you designate an agent to handle all property tax matters on your behalf, from filing the protest through attending hearings and accepting or rejecting settlements. The designation requires filing Form 50-162 (Appointment of Agent for Property Tax Matters) with the appraisal district. You can only have one designated agent per property at a time.¹⁵

Property tax consultants in Texas typically work on contingency, charging 25 to 50 percent of the first-year tax savings they achieve. A consultant who reduces your bill by $800 would collect somewhere between $200 and $400. The math works out well when the reduction is substantial. A small reduction can leave you paying most of the savings to the consultant. If your evidence is strong and straightforward, handling the protest yourself costs nothing and keeps 100 percent of the savings.

1
State of Texas. Texas Code Section 41.44 – Notice of Protest
2
Tarrant Appraisal District. New Portal
3
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Owner’s Notice of Protest for Counties with Populations Greater than 120,000
4
State of Texas. Texas Code Section 41.41 – Right of Protest
5
State of Texas. Texas Code Section 41.43 – Protest of Determination of Value or Inequality of Appraisal
6
Tarrant Appraisal District. Property Tax Protest and Appeal Procedures
7
Tarrant Appraisal District. Hearing Procedures for Tarrant Appraisal Review Board
8
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code TAX 41.47 – Determination of Protest
9
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Regular Binding Arbitration
10
State of Texas. Texas Code Section 42.01 – Right of Appeal by Property Owner
11
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code TAX 42.08 – Forfeiture of Remedy for Nonpayment of Taxes
12
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Property Tax Exemptions
13
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code TAX 23.23 – Limitation on Appraised Value of Residence Homestead
14
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code TAX 23.231 – Limitation on Appraised Value of Real Property Other Than Residence Homestead
15
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Appointment of Agent for Property Tax Matters