Denton County Property Tax Protest Statistics 2026: CAD Performance Tracker

CAD Performance Tracker · Denton County · Reviewed Oct 2026

Denton County had 164,770 property tax protest cases on the 2026 roll, and the certified market value came in 4.4% below Denton CAD's preliminary estimate. Official 2026 outcome data isn't published yet. In 2025, the latest complete year, 94.2% of Appraisal Review Board decisions lowered value and protests removed $16.8 billion (14.7%) of protested value.

This is part of TaxDrop's CAD Performance Tracker, an annual look at how Texas appraisal districts handle protests, based only on public CAD, ARB and Texas Comptroller data.

Denton County protest statistics at a glance

2026: 164,770 cases and a 4.4% drop from preliminary values

By July 17, 160,183 of 164,770 protest cases were resolved and the roll was 98.9% complete. Certified market value was about $264.47 billion, 95.6% of the April 30 preliminary roll (City of Denton Friday Staff Report). That drop reflects protests plus exemptions and corrections. Denton CAD's chief appraiser certified the roll after the ARB approved its records on July 17, with roughly 1% of value still under review (DCAD certification letter).

For the county portion of the bill, the average homestead's taxable value fell 3.11% to $517,677, and Denton County's adopted rate fell to $0.183394 per $100 from $0.185938, cutting the county tax on that home to $949.39 from $993.46 (Denton County). City rates for 2026 include Denton 0.548485, Carrollton 0.537, Lewisville 0.436381, Frisco 0.425517 and Flower Mound 0.387277 (Denton County Tax Office).

2025: how Denton protests turned out

The Comptroller's appraisal district operations survey shows (Comptroller 2025 survey):

• 143,285 protests, 103,987 on single-family homes. 84.6% were filed online and 75.8% by agents.
• ARB hearings drive outcomes: 82,491 of 87,563 ARB determinations lowered value (94.2%), removing $13.55 billion. Of the scheduled hearings, 69,501 were remote, 58,988 in person and 2,669 by affidavit; 8,135 were no-shows.
• Informal settlements: 35,928 of 47,902 lowered value (75.0%), removing $3.21 billion.
• Single-family homes: 94,793 of 98,077 resolved cases lowered value (96.7%), removing $3.93 billion, 6.9% of protested single-family value.

Filings rose 16.5% from 123,032 in 2024, and value removed rose from $13.00 billion to $16.76 billion (Comptroller 2024 survey). Denton's 2024 count-level figures look inconsistent with other years, so we compare value totals only.

What this means for your 2027 protest

In Denton County, a large share of protests reach an ARB panel, and most panel decisions lower the value. Prepare evidence as if you'll have a hearing. Deadlines and steps are on our Denton County property tax protest page.

FAQ

How many Denton County property tax protests were filed in 2026?

The City of Denton reported 164,770 protest cases on the 2026 Denton CAD roll, with 160,183 resolved by July 17 (City of Denton).

What percentage of Denton County protests get a reduction?

Official 2026 outcomes aren't published yet. In 2025, 94.2% of ARB determinations and 75.0% of informal settlements lowered value, per the Texas Comptroller's operations survey.

Why does Denton County have so many ARB hearings?

Denton CAD resolves most protests through ARB hearings, many held remotely: in 2025 it recorded 87,563 ARB determinations versus 47,902 informal settlements. Tarrant, by contrast, settles almost everything informally.

How much did protests lower Denton County values in 2026?

The certified 2026 market value was about 95.6% of the April preliminary roll, a 4.4% drop that reflects protests, exemptions and corrections, not protests alone.

Did Denton County homeowners' tax bills go down in 2026?

For the county portion, yes on average: the average homestead taxable value fell 3.11% to $517,677 and the county tax on it fell to $949.39. City, school and other bills vary.

Does a value reduction equal tax savings?

No. Savings depend on exemptions, the homestead cap and your combined tax rate. No official source publishes net tax savings from protests.

Methodology and sources

We use only public sources: Denton CAD and city/county documents and the Texas Comptroller's operations survey. No TaxDrop client data is used. "Reduction rate" is cases with a value cut divided by cases resolved. "Value removed" is the reported cut in appraised value, not tax savings. Caveats: "protest cases" in 2026 and "protests filed" in the Comptroller survey may not be counted the same way; the 4.4% preliminary-to-certified drop isn't only from protests; Denton CAD publishes certified totals only on its entity portal, so we don't report a median home value; Denton's 2024 survey counts look anomalous. 2026 outcome data is expected from the Comptroller in 2027.

Sources: City of Denton Friday Staff Report, Jul 17 2026; Denton CAD 2026 certification letter; Denton County 2026 tax rate notice; Denton County Tax Office truth-in-taxation; Texas Comptroller operations survey, 2025; 2024. Reviewed Oct 2026.

Want help with your Denton County protest?

TaxDrop files Texas protests for you. TaxDrop One is a flat $129 for residential properties. TaxDrop Pro, available in Denton County, is 1% of your tax savings and includes filing, negotiation and ARB representation.