Texas Property Tax Protests: Deadlines, Caps & Exemptions

How a Texas Property Tax Protest Works

In Texas, an appeal is called a protest. You file it with your county's Appraisal Review Board (ARB), an independent citizen panel that is separate from the appraisal district that set your value. The form most owners use is Form 50-132, Property Owner's Notice of Protest. At the hearing, you and an appraisal district representative each present evidence, and the ARB decides. Texas Comptroller, Protests

If you want someone else to protest for you, Form 50-162 is the agent appointment form. You can always protest on your own.

The Deadline: May 15, or 30 Days After the Notice Is Mailed

The Comptroller states the rule this way: the protest deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the appraisal district mails the notice of appraised value, whichever is later. The 30 days count from the mailing date, not the date you open the envelope. Texas Comptroller, Protests

That means:

• If the appraisal district mailed your notice in April, May 15 is usually your deadline.
• If it mailed in May, count 30 days from the mailing date printed on the notice.
• A late protest can be accepted when you show good cause. Do not plan around it.

Texas notices go out in spring, so the 2026 protest season is over for most owners. The next one starts when your 2027 notice of appraised value is mailed. Use the time now to collect sales data and fix any errors in your property record.

How Texas Values Property, and the 10% Homestead Cap

Appraisal districts value property at market value as of January 1, using the sales comparison, cost and income approaches. Texas Comptroller, Valuing Property

If you have a residence homestead exemption, state law (Tax Code 23.23) limits the yearly increase in your appraised value to 10% over the prior year, plus new improvements. The cap starts January 1 of the year after the homestead exemption first qualifies. Repairs and maintenance are not new improvements, so they do not remove the cap. The cap limits appraised value, not your tax bill, because tax rates can still change.

Exemptions

• School district homestead exemption: $140,000 off the appraised value of your home.
• Local option: cities, counties and other units may add up to 20% of appraised value.
• Age 65 or older, or disabled: an additional $60,000 school district exemption.
• Disabled veterans: partial exemptions scaled to the VA rating under Tax Code 11.22, and a total exemption on the homestead for veterans rated 100% disabled under Tax Code 11.131.
• Deadline: the general deadline to file an exemption application is before May 1, with your appraisal district. Texas Comptroller, Exemptions

After the ARB Rules

An ARB order covers that tax year. If you disagree with it:

1. District court: file a petition for review within 60 days.
2. SOAH: for property valued over $1 million, file a Notice of Appeal within 30 days, with a $1,500 deposit due within 90 days.
3. Binding arbitration: for homesteads or property valued at $5 million or less, request arbitration from the Comptroller within 60 days of the ARB order.

Texas Comptroller, Protests

What Evidence Works

Bring recent sales of similar homes nearby, adjusted for size, age and condition. Add photos and repair estimates for condition problems. Check your appraisal record for factual errors such as wrong square footage, wrong room counts or features that no longer exist.

Where Grove Hopper Fits

Grove Hopper is a research tool. We look at your property, flag whether it looks over-appraised, and prepare your protest documents. You review, sign and file them yourself with your ARB. We are not attorneys, accountants or a tax firm. The free check is at the top of this page, and the deadlines page tracks windows that are open now.

Each of Texas's appraisal districts sets its own notice-mailing date and hearing calendar, so pick your county below.