McLennan County property taxes are protested with the McLennan Central Appraisal District in Waco. File by May 15 or 30 days after your notice of appraised value is delivered, whichever is later. TaxDrop One is a self-guided evidence package at $129 per property per tax year, refunded if there is no reduction. TaxDrop Pro is full service in McLennan County at 1% of the assessment reduction, paid only if we win.
✔ Free to file yourself - the district cannot charge a filing fee
✔ TaxDrop One - $129 per property per tax year, refunded if no reduction
✔ TaxDrop Pro - full service, 1% of the assessment reduction, pay only if we win
🏠
McLennan County property taxes are protested with the McLennan Central Appraisal District in Waco. File by May 15 or 30 days after your notice of appraised value is delivered, whichever is later. TaxDrop One is a self-guided evidence package at $129 per property per tax year, refunded if there is no reduction. TaxDrop Pro is full service in McLennan County at 1% of the assessment reduction, paid only if we win.
✔ Free to file yourself - the district cannot charge a filing fee
✔ TaxDrop One - $129 per property per tax year, refunded if no reduction
✔ TaxDrop Pro - full service, 1% of the assessment reduction, pay only if we win
To protest your property taxes in McLennan County, file a notice of protest with the McLennan Central Appraisal District (McLennan CAD) in Waco by May 15 or 30 days after your notice of appraised value is delivered, whichever is later. You can file online through McLennan CAD's E-Services portal, by email, or on Form 50-132, and filing is free. If you want someone to do it for you, you can hire a licensed property tax consultant. TaxDrop offers both options in McLennan County: TaxDrop One is a self-guided evidence package at $129 per property per tax year, refunded if there is no reduction, and TaxDrop Pro is full service at 1% of the assessment reduction, paid only if we win.
This page covers the McLennan County deadline, how the process works, what evidence counts, what each option costs and where to file. Facts about Texas protest rules come from the Texas Comptroller and the Texas Tax Code, and district details come from the Comptroller's county directory and McLennan CAD's own site. We checked them on October 8, 2026.
The Comptroller says the deadline to protest is, in most cases, May 15 or 30 days after the appraisal district's notice is delivered, whichever is later (Tax Code §41.44). A notice sent by first-class mail is presumed delivered when it is mailed (Tax Code §1.07), which is why the Comptroller tells owners the 30 days run from the mailing date, not the day the envelope arrives. Read the date on your notice rather than relying on a calendar. If the last day falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day (Tax Code §1.06), which matters in 2027 because May 15 is a Saturday. Confirm the exact date with McLennan CAD when your notice arrives.
Late protests are possible only for narrow reasons, such as good cause shown before the ARB approves the appraisal records, so do not plan around them. See our Texas protest deadline guide.
The Comptroller's protest page explains each stage and the forms.
Online protests go through the Public Portal on McLennan CAD's E-Services page, which also links the district's property search and map search for looking up values. The protest goes to the appraisal district, not the McLennan County tax assessor-collector, which bills and collects the tax. The Comptroller's McLennan County directory listing shows the current district contact details.
A property owner can protest the appraised value, unequal appraisal, and the denial of an exemption, among other matters (Tax Code §41.41). The ARB decides on evidence. The Comptroller lists the kinds of documents that help: photos of your property and of comparable properties, receipts or estimates for repairs, sales price documentation such as listings and closing statements, and median level of appraisal calculations if you are protesting unequal appraisal. It also notes the board cannot take your personal economic situation into account, so a protest must be about value, not the size of the tax bill.
In practice, that means recent sales of similar homes near yours in Waco, Hewitt, Woodway or wherever the property sits, equity comparisons with similarly valued properties from McLennan CAD's property search, and documentation of anything that lowers market value, such as condition problems.
One limit to know: if your homestead is already under the 10% appraisal cap (Tax Code §23.23), a lower market value may not change your taxable value this year. See the 10% homestead cap explained and the Comptroller's valuation page.
| Option | Fee | Who does the work |
|---|---|---|
| File it yourself | Free | You file, gather evidence and present at the informal conference or the ARB |
| TaxDrop One | $129 per property per tax year, refunded if there is no reduction | You file and present using TaxDrop's pre-filled forms, sales and assessment data, and negotiation and hearing scripts; a tax consultant reviews your case |
| TaxDrop Pro | 1% of the assessment reduction; no fee if there is no reduction | A licensed TaxDrop agent registers as your agent, files, negotiates and presents at the ARB. Available in McLennan County |
| Other protest companies | Varies by firm; many charge a percentage of tax savings | Check each firm's own terms and county coverage; we compare them on our property tax protest companies page |
TaxDrop Pro covers McLennan County. If you want to hand the whole protest to a licensed agent, it is the option to compare against the other firms. To let someone represent you, the Comptroller's process uses Form 50-162, Appointment of Agent for Property Tax Matters.
Texas property tax consultants are licensed and regulated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). You can look up any firm on tdlr.texas.gov before you sign an agent authorization. Full pricing is on the TaxDrop pricing page.
Here is an illustration with stated assumptions, not a prediction. Say a protest lowers your value by $30,000. At the county's median effective tax rate of 1.53% (U.S. Census Bureau data; your actual rate depends on your taxing units), that is about $459 in tax savings for the year.
Because Pro's fee is based on the value reduction, not on your tax savings, it is a bigger share of first-year savings where tax rates are lower. At this example, $300 is about 65% of the first-year tax savings. Compare it with a percentage-of-savings fee using your own numbers before you choose.
According to U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data, compiled in the TaxDrop data center, McLennan County homeowners pay a median property tax of $3,347 on a median home value of $219,200, an effective rate of 1.53%. The Census Bureau's newer QuickFacts table puts the 2020-2024 median value of owner-occupied homes at $243,600, so values have moved up since the survey years behind the tax figures. These are survey medians, not McLennan CAD figures, and your own bill depends on your value, exemptions and taxing units.
QuickFacts estimates McLennan County's population at 272,020 as of July 1, 2025, with 61.8% of housing units owner-occupied. Because the county has more than 120,000 residents, the Comptroller notes you can ask the ARB to send hearing notices by email and to send you an electronic reminder of your hearing.
TaxDrop serves property owners across McLennan County, including Waco, Hewitt, Woodway, Robinson and Bellmead.
Step 1: Read your notice.
Find the protest deadline and your market and appraised values.
Step 2: File a notice of protest.
File with McLennan CAD before the deadline, online through its E-Services portal, by email or on Form 50-132.
Step 3: Build your evidence.
Gather comparable sales, equity comparisons and condition documentation.
Step 4: Informal conference.
Meet or exchange evidence with a district appraiser; many protests settle here.
Step 5: ARB hearing.
If you do not settle, present to the Appraisal Review Board. You get at least 15 days' notice.
Step 6: Decision.
The ARB issues a written order. You can appeal to district court within 60 days of receiving it.
Filing deadline:
What to bring:
Where to file:
McLennan Central Appraisal District
315 S. 26th St., Waco, TX 76710
Phone: 254-752-9864
Mon-Fri, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
mclennancad.org
Official resources:
File a notice of protest with the McLennan Central Appraisal District by May 15 or 30 days after your notice of appraised value is delivered, whichever is later. You can file online through McLennan CAD's E-Services portal, by email to its E-File team, or on Form 50-132. Then bring your evidence to the informal conference or the Appraisal Review Board hearing. Filing is free.
A licensed Texas property tax consultant can file and argue the protest for you once you appoint them as your agent, using Form 50-162. TaxDrop Pro does this in McLennan County for 1% of the assessment reduction, paid only if we win. You can check any consultant's license with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The deadline is generally May 15, or 30 days after McLennan CAD delivers your notice of appraised value, whichever is later, according to the Texas Comptroller and Tax Code §41.44. A mailed notice counts as delivered when it is mailed. If the last day is a weekend or holiday, it moves to the next business day. Check the date on your own notice.
There is no single best company for every owner, because the right choice depends on how much you expect to save and how much of the work you want to do. Filing yourself is free. Percentage-of-savings firms charge a share of what you save. TaxDrop One is a flat $129 per property per tax year, refunded if there is no reduction. TaxDrop Pro charges 1% of the assessment reduction in McLennan County. Check each firm's own terms, confirm it serves McLennan County, and verify its license with TDLR. Our property tax protest companies page compares the Texas options.
It varies by firm. TaxDrop One is $129 per property per tax year, refunded if there is no reduction. TaxDrop Pro is 1% of the assessment reduction, with no fee if there is no reduction. Other companies set their own fees, often a percentage of tax savings. McLennan CAD and the ARB cannot charge you to file a protest.
Yes. TaxDrop Pro is full service in McLennan County at 1% of the assessment reduction, paid only if we win. It covers 17 Texas counties in total. Check your address on our pricing page.
File with the McLennan Central Appraisal District, 315 S. 26th St., Waco, TX 76710, phone 254-752-9864, website mclennancad.org. Online protests go through the district's E-Services Public Portal. The protest goes to the appraisal district, not the county tax office.
The Appraisal Review Board hears your evidence and the district's evidence and issues an order. You must receive at least 15 days' notice of the hearing, and you can appear in person, by phone or video, or by affidavit. If you disagree with the order, you can appeal to district court within 60 days, and some properties can request binding arbitration.
Not necessarily. The 10% homestead cap limits how much your appraised value can rise each year. If your capped value is already below your market value, a lower market value may not change your taxable value this year.
Yes. Owners of rentals and other non-homestead property can protest value and unequal appraisal. The homestead cap does not apply to them, but non-homestead property valued at or under $5.32 million in 2026 can have a separate 20% limit on yearly value increases, called the circuit breaker, which the Comptroller says expires December 31, 2026.