Texas Property Tax Protest Deadline 2026: Complete County-by-County Guide

The Single Most Important Date in Texas Property Tax

If you own property in Texas, mark this date on every calendar you have: May 15, 2026.

That's the deadline to protest your 2026 property tax assessment in nearly every Texas county. Miss it and you're locked into whatever value the appraisal district decided your property is worth — for the entire year. No appeals. No do-overs. No "I didn't know."

The exact rule under Texas Tax Code §41.44: file by May 15, 2026, or within 30 days of when your Notice of Appraised Value was mailed — whichever is later. For most homeowners across the state, that means the May 15 date is what matters.

This guide covers the 21 highest-volume Texas counties: Harris, Dallas, Travis, Tarrant, Bexar, Collin, Denton, Fort Bend, Williamson, Montgomery, Rockwall, Hays, Kaufman, Comal, Parker, Galveston, Brazoria, Ellis, Bell, Guadalupe, and Johnson. For each, we cover the protest deadline, current success rates, average savings, and where to file.

Why You Should Protest in 2026 (Even If You've Never Protested Before)

Texas property values are still elevated. The statewide median home price sits around $334,000. The statewide effective tax rate averages 1.63% — well above the 0.99% national average. And appraisal districts use mass-appraisal models that systematically miss property-specific factors.

The result: National Taxpayers Union data suggests 30–60% of properties nationwide are overassessed. In Texas, that means more than half of property owners are paying more than they should.

The good news? County-wide protest success rates are extraordinary. Across the 21 counties below, success rates range from 73% to 99.9%. The math is simple: if you don't protest, you lose. If you do protest, you almost certainly win.

What Changed for 2026

Following voter approval of Proposition 13 in November 2025, the Texas school district homestead exemption increased from $100,000 to $140,000. That's an automatic $500–$1,800 in annual school tax savings for homestead properties. But the exemption only applies to the value the appraisal district assigns. If your property is overassessed, you lose meaningful exemption benefit. Protest first, then exemption stacks on top.

HB 1533 also tightened ARB transparency rules. Appraisal districts must now share their evidence with property owners at least 14 days before hearings — leveling the playing field for anyone protesting.

Texas Property Tax Protest Deadlines by County (2026)

DFW Metro Counties

Dallas County (DCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 80–90% of protests succeed at the informal review. File online at dallascad.org through the uFile portal. Average savings: $1,400–$3,500.

Tarrant County (TAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 98.7% success rate, $3,719 average savings. One of the highest-success counties in Texas. File at tad.org.

Collin County (CCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. CCAD typically mails notices in mid-April. Average savings: $1,500–$3,000.

Denton County (DCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. Rapid growth means aggressive valuations and strong protest opportunities.

Rockwall County (RCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 91% informal / 63% ARB success. Median home value $416,497, $7M in 2024 savings.

Kaufman County (KCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 90% ARB success rate, 19,730 protests filed in 2024. Forney and Terrell are key markets.

Parker County (PCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 100% ARB success rate in 2024 — exceptional. $14.46M in total savings.

Ellis County (ECAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 74% informal / 73% ARB success. 21,930 protests filed in 2024, $41M total savings. Median home $350K.

Johnson County (JCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 22,000+ protests filed in 2024, $1,307 average savings. Median home $332K. Keene rate hits 2.58% (highest in county).

Houston Metro Counties

Harris County (HCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 93.5% success rate, $1,479 average savings. The largest appraisal district in Texas — file early to avoid backlogs. hcad.org iFile portal.

Fort Bend County (FBCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. Strong success rates and high-value Sugar Land/Katy markets. Average savings: $2,000–$4,500.

Montgomery County (MCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. The Woodlands and Conroe drive high-value protests. mcad-tx.org.

Galveston County (GCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 66% informal / 65% ARB success. 62K protests filed in 2024. Median home $305K–$335K. Coastal flood-zone evidence is powerful here.

Brazoria County (BCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 87% informal / 98% ARB success. 60K+ protests filed. Pearland market hits 2.26% combined rate.

Austin Metro Counties

Travis County (TCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 98.6% success rate, $1,404 average savings. Austin's hot market means aggressive valuations. traviscad.org.

Williamson County (WCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. Round Rock, Cedar Park, and Leander are growth hotbeds with strong protest opportunity.

Hays County (HCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 80% informal / 78% ARB success. 43,780 protests filed, $45M in savings. Median home $409K.

San Antonio Metro & Central Texas

Bexar County (BCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 99.9% success rate, $2,192 average savings — one of the highest-success counties in Texas. bcad.org.

Comal County (CCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 28,680 protests, 59% ARB success, $38.83M in savings. New Braunfels and Bulverde drive high-value cases.

Guadalupe County (GCAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. 93% informal success — one of the highest in Texas. $1,335 average savings. Cibolo and Schertz lead the market.

Bell County (Bell CAD) — Deadline: May 15, 2026. $1.02B in protested value (county record), $20.91M saved. Killeen and Temple anchor the Fort Cavazos market.

How to File a Texas Property Tax Protest Online

The fastest way to file in any of the 21 counties above is online through your CAD's portal. Most counties use one of three platforms:

• uFile / iFile — Dallas, Harris, Tarrant CADs use these proprietary portals
• True Prodigy Online Protest — Ellis, Johnson, and many smaller CADs use this third-party platform
• Custom CAD portals — Travis, Bexar, Collin, Denton, etc. each have their own systems

You don't need evidence to file. Filing just preserves your right to a hearing. You can build your case (comparable sales, photos, condition documentation) after you file, before your informal review.

What Happens After You File

Most Texas property tax protests resolve in two stages:

Stage 1: Informal Review

You meet (in person or by phone) with a CAD staff appraiser, present your evidence, and try to settle. Under HB 1533, the CAD must share its evidence with you at least 14 days before this hearing.

Across the major Texas counties, informal review success rates range from 66% (Galveston) to 99.9% (Bexar). Most cases settle here.

Stage 2: Appraisal Review Board (ARB) Hearing

If the informal review doesn't produce a settlement, your case proceeds to the ARB — a formal panel of appointed members. You present, the CAD presents, the board decides.

You have nothing to lose by going to ARB. Your value cannot be raised as a result of protesting (Texas law since 2019). The CAD will sometimes offer larger informal-stage reductions to avoid ARB hearings — leverage that.

What Happens if You Miss May 15

Texas Tax Code §41.411 allows a late protest once every five years for homestead properties — but only if you can prove you never received proper notice. This is rarely granted and requires documentation. Treat it as a legal footnote, not a backup plan.

If you miss May 15 with no good cause, your 2026 assessed value is locked. You'll pay full tax based on whatever the CAD decided. Worse, that overassessed value becomes the baseline for next year's increase. The compounding effect of missing one deadline can cost you thousands over five years — not just one year.

How to Win Your 2026 Texas Property Tax Protest

Three things win Texas property tax protests:

1. Recent comparable sales within 1–2 miles of your property, sold for less than your assessed value, in the 12 months before January 1, 2026.
2. Property condition documentation — photos of foundation issues (especially relevant for Texas clay soil markets like Ellis, Johnson, Tarrant), deferred maintenance, functional obsolescence.
3. Unequal appraisal evidence — neighboring properties of similar size and quality assessed for less than yours. Texas Tax Code §41.43(b)(3) lets you argue both market value AND unequal appraisal simultaneously.

Most homeowners don't have time to pull comparable sales, run unequal-appraisal analysis, prepare evidence packets, and represent themselves at hearings. That's why professional protest services exist.

Why TaxDrop

TaxDrop's licensed Texas property tax consultants handle every step — pulling comparable sales from your specific neighborhood, building unequal-appraisal arguments, filing through your CAD's portal, negotiating informally, and representing you at the ARB hearing if needed.

The fee structure: 25% of the actual savings we win. Most national competitors charge 50% — TaxDrop charges half. There's no upfront fee, no enrollment cost, nothing if we don't win a reduction.

Investment property owners can use our portfolio service: see our service for Texas landlords →.

What to Do Right Now

Step 1: Check your mailbox or your county appraisal district's website for your 2026 Notice of Appraised Value. Notices arrive April–early May.

Step 2: Compare the appraised value to what your property would actually sell for today. If it looks high — it probably is.

Step 3: File your protest by May 15, 2026. Sign up your property with TaxDrop in 3 minutes. We file before the deadline. No upfront cost. 25% contingency. No fee unless we save you money.

Don't wait until May 14. The deadline doesn't move. Your calendar gets busier. File now, build your case after.