How to Appeal Property Taxes in Bexar County, Texas (2026 Guide)

The normal 2026 deadline to protest a Bexar County residential appraisal was May 15, 2026. Because today is July 13, 2026, the ordinary deadline has passed; the only near-term option is a good-cause late protest request received before July 20, 2026. File with the Bexar Central Appraisal Review Board through the BCAD online portal/help center, by mail to PO Box 830248, San Antonio, TX 78283-0248, by fax, or in person at 411 N. Frio St., San Antonio, TX 78207.

How assessments work in Bexar County

Bexar Central Appraisal District — renamed Bexar Central Appraisal District in 2026 — does not set your tax rate or send the tax bill. Its job is to discover, list, and appraise taxable property in Bexar County. Local taxing units such as Bexar County, University Health, the City of San Antonio, school districts, Alamo Colleges, and special districts apply their rates later to the values BCAD certifies.

For most homes, BCAD estimates market value as of January 1 of the tax year. For residential property, BCAD says it relies mainly on the market/sales comparison approach: recent comparable sales in your area, adjusted for differences such as size, age, condition, quality, bedrooms/baths, upgrades, lot features, and depreciation. Cost and income approaches may be used when appropriate, but sales comparison is the usual residential method.

The 2026 cycle has an important local wrinkle. BCAD’s adopted 2025–2026 Reappraisal Plan says that if a property’s 2025 market value was resolved through an informal meeting or ARB hearing and was not further appealed to arbitration, SOAH, or court, that resolved value generally carries into 2026 unless there is new construction, new improvements, a change in characteristics, or evidence supporting a further reduction. BCAD also reported a softer residential market in 2026: the average homestead market value declined from $336,925 to $330,454, about 59% of residential properties decreased, 32.8% stayed the same, and roughly 8% increased, with some increases tied to new construction or added improvements.

That matters because many owners who protested in 2025 may not have received a 2026 notice. You can still protest even without a mailed notice, but the deadline still applies.

Whether you should appeal

Appeal if you can make one of two practical arguments:

1. Market value is too high. Your home would not have sold for BCAD’s January 1, 2026 value. Strong evidence includes a recent arm’s-length purchase, nearby comparable sales, an appraisal, repair estimates, photos of foundation/roof/HVAC damage, or proof BCAD has your square footage, condition, pool, garage, or construction quality wrong.

2. Unequal appraisal. Even if BCAD’s market value seems plausible, your home may be appraised higher than similar Bexar County homes. This is common when nearby houses with similar size, age, and condition are listed at lower appraised values in BCAD’s property search.

Be realistic about the savings. A value cut only helps to the extent it reduces taxable value. If your residence homestead cap is already holding your assessed value below market value, lowering market value may not reduce this year’s tax bill unless the reduced market value falls below the capped assessed value. BCAD specifically warns that market value can go down while assessed value still rises because the 10% homestead cap is “catching up.”

BCAD’s 2025 Annual Report gives protest volume, not a homeowner “success rate” or median reduction. In 2025, BCAD received 187,238 protests, including 160,648 residential protests. It reported 114,183 informal agreements, 51,580 ARB orders, and 16,246 withdrawn/no-show protests. Since BCAD does not publish median residential reductions, do not rely on countywide reduction claims from agents unless they show their own data.

Step-by-step how to file

1. Check the deadline first. The usual rule is: file by May 15, or 30 days after the date printed on your Notice of Appraised Value if the notice was mailed after April 15, whichever is later. If May 15 falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. For most 2026 Bexar homeowners, the concrete deadline was Friday, May 15, 2026.

As of July 13, 2026, if you missed it, BCAD says you may request a late protest review for good cause before July 20, 2026. Your written request should explain why you missed the deadline, why you are protesting, and include supporting proof. Send late-protest requests to the Chairperson of the ARB, Bexar Appraisal Review Board, PO Box 830248, San Antonio, TX 78283, or arbchair.admin@bcad.org. Approval is not automatic.

2. Use the right form. The standard written form is Comptroller Form 50-132, Property Owner’s Notice of Protest for counties with populations over 120,000. BCAD also links it under Forms → ARB – Appraisal Review Board → 50-132 Notice of Protest. The form is not mandatory if your written protest identifies the property, owner, and what you disagree with, but using it reduces mistakes.

3. Choose a filing method.

• Online portal: BCAD Online Services Portal / bcadonline.org. You need the Owner/Agent ID and PIN from your current or prior notice. Requesting a PIN does not extend the deadline.
• Electronic Help Center: help.bcad.org. BCAD allows completed protest forms and evidence to be submitted through the Help Center.
• Mail: Bexar Central Appraisal Review Board, PO Box 830248, San Antonio, TX 78283-0248.
• Fax: 210-242-2454 or 210-242-2453.
• In person / drop-off: 411 N. Frio St., San Antonio, TX 78207.
• Email: BCAD does not publish a general homeowner protest email for ordinary protests. Use the portal or Help Center. The published email above is for late good-cause requests to the ARB Chair.

BCAD does not list a protest filing fee for filing with the ARB. Later appeals after an ARB order — arbitration, SOAH, or district court — can require deposits or fees.

4. Upload evidence. If you file online, upload PDFs or JPEGs in the portal; BCAD’s stated limits are 10MB per file, 20MB total, and up to 10 photos. If you did not file online, submit evidence through the Help Center after confirming your protest is in the system, or mail/deliver it to BCAD. Keep copies of everything and save confirmations.

What happens after

Bexar’s residential process usually has two stages. First is an informal telephone or Zoom conference with a BCAD appraiser. You receive scheduling instructions by mail, and residential informal conferences are self-scheduled through Appointy, generally May through August. The appraiser reviews your evidence and BCAD’s data and may offer a lower value. If you accept, you sign a value agreement and the protest ends.

If you do not settle, your case goes to the Bexar Central Appraisal Review Board — the independent citizen board that hears protests. The ARB sends written notice of the hearing date, time, place or remote format, and subject. At the formal hearing, both you and the appraisal district present evidence. The ARB may ask who wants to present first; the district explains its evidence and may make an offer; you can accept the offer or ask the ARB to decide. BCAD says a Board Order is mailed within 30 days after the ARB decision, with further appeal instructions.

You may appear in person, by telephone conference, videoconference, or by written affidavit if you make the proper request. For telephone/video/affidavit evidence, Texas uses Comptroller Form 50-283, Property Owner’s Affidavit of Evidence, and your affidavit/evidence must be delivered before the ARB hearing begins.

Local tips

• Pull your BCAD property record before building your case. Verify living area, year built, land size, condition, outbuildings, pool, and exemptions. A factual error is often easier to win than a general “taxes are too high” argument.
• Do not confuse market value with tax rates. The ARB can change value and exemptions; it cannot lower Bexar County, city, school, hospital, or college tax rates.
• Check exemptions before or during the protest season. The big ones are general residence homestead, over-65, disabled person, disabled veteran, 100% disabled veteran, surviving spouse, and manufactured-home homestead documentation. BCAD says there is never a fee to apply for exemptions or appraisal district services.
• Know what a reduction is worth. Using the latest official 2025 rates for a sample San Antonio/Northside ISD home — Bexar County Road & Flood 0.023668, SA River Authority 0.018300, Alamo Colleges 0.149150, University Health 0.276235, Bexar County 0.276331, City of San Antonio 0.541590, and Northside ISD 1.004900 — the combined rate is 2.290174 per $100 of taxable value. If your protest lowers taxable value by $25,000, the estimated savings are about $572.54 for that year. If only the county general rate applied, the same $25,000 reduction would save about $69.08 — your real savings depend on every taxing unit on your account and exemptions.
• If your 2025 protest value carried into 2026, look for “further reduction” evidence. BCAD’s 2026 plan makes new construction, changed characteristics, or evidence of further value decline especially important for repeat protesters.