Protest Harris Property Tax: Lawsuits Reduce $438 MM / Year
Harris County property owners are protesting against the Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) to protect their most valuable assets. In the face of aggressive valuations and tax-happy appraisers, the owners of commercial properties, multi family homes, and more are fighting back with lawsuits. 9,689 lawsuits were filed against HCAD in 2024, resulting in property tax savings of $438 million dollars. 96% of judicial appeals are settled without ever going to trial, reducing appraised value of property in the county by $20.9 billion.
How the Judicial Appeals Were ResolvedSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Judicial Appeals | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Number of Judicial Appeals Resolved | 3,017.00 | 4,045.00 | 4,210.00 | 4,170.00 | 4,014.00 | 5,357.00 | 5,902.00 | 6,598.00 | 7,855.00 | 8,423.00 | 9,292.00 |
| By Agreed Judgment | 2,754.00 | 3,800.00 | 3,942.00 | 4,030.00 | 3,807.00 | 5,052.00 | 5,571.00 | 6,209.00 | 7,603.00 | 8,044.00 | 8,919.00 |
| By Court Judgment or Other | 263.00 | 245.00 | 268.00 | 140.00 | 207.00 | 305.00 | 331.00 | 389.00 | 252.00 | 379.00 | 373.00 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since An annual appeal is an insurance policy to avoid major increases.
Harris County Judicial Appeal Resolutions
The premium real property assets in the county are commercial, industrial, and multi family housing. It could take multiple appeals and protests to bring property taxes on these parcels to a reasonable amount. When informal hearings and ARB hearings have not brought tax relief. The next step is judicial appeal. Let O’Connor take care of your judicial appeal for you. O’Connor can organize your entire lawsuit, finding you key witnesses, subject matter experts, and the best law team available. You pay nothing unless you win, and even then, you just pay out of your tax savings.
HCAD Judicial Appeal Resolution Summary
Launching a lawsuit can be nerve-wracking, but judicial appeals usually end in a settlement long before trial. The Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) settled 8,919 out of 9,292 lawsuits in 2024. That means that 96% never went to trial, with both parties agreeing on a deal. The Houston area is favorable to the rest of Texas, where the average settlement chance is 93.72%.
Appraised Value (ARB) of Resolved Judicial AppealsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Billions of $ | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Appraised Value (ARB) | 30.30 | 73.20 | 69.70 | 75.00 | 88.60 | 84.90 | 81.50 | 106.00 | 145.00 | 130.00 | 160.92 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since To maintain their rights to appeal to or through the judicial appeal process. Owners must exhaust administrative options to pursue binding arbitration or a judicial appeal
Appraised Value of Resolved Judicial Appeals
$160.92 billion in taxable value was resolved thanks to lawsuits. This was the most yet seen in the county, easily blasting past $130 billion from 2023. HCAD is the biggest appraisal district in Texas, with more high-dollar property than anywhere else in the state. $539.61 billion was decided across Texas in 2024, with Harris County accounting for the largest slice of that figure. The amount of money at stake cannot be overstated, showing the necessity of these lawsuits for premium real estate.
Value Reduction from Judicial AppealsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Billions of $ | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Total Reduction from Judicial Appeals | 2.71 | 6.56 | 7.73 | 8.50 | 10.06 | 9.43 | 8.44 | 11.61 | 16.43 | 17.37 | 20.90 |
| Single Family | 0.05 | 0.08 | 0.10 | 0.07 | 0.08 | 0.11 | 0.13 | 0.12 | 0.16 | 0.21 | 0.35 |
| Multi-Family | 0.60 | 1.03 | 1.45 | 1.76 | 1.44 | 2.03 | 1.99 | 3.80 | 4.67 | 5.36 | 7.76 |
| Commercial | 1.97 | 4.87 | 5.35 | 5.49 | 7.22 | 6.04 | 5.23 | 6.74 | 8.54 | 10.18 | 10.70 |
| All Other | 0.10 | 0.58 | 0.84 | 1.18 | 1.31 | 1.25 | 1.10 | 0.95 | 3.05 | 1.62 | 2.09 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is a responsibility of ownership. Large commercial owners generally appeal annually and obtain a reduction. Why should homeowners be excluded?
HCAD Taxpayer Value Reduction from Judicial Appeals
Taxpayers have many options to reduce their appraised value, with judicial appeals being the final one. These lawsuits can bring an additional 10% savings on top of a formal appeal. With the dollar amounts on the line, that could mean billions of dollars in lowered ARB. Indeed, in 2023, $20.90 billion was wiped from the value of property taxes via judicial appeal. $10.70 billion in value was reduced for commercial properties, $7.76 billion for multi family homes, and even $350 million for single family homes.
Tax Savings From Judicial AppealsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Millions of $ | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Total Tax Reduction | 57.00 | 137.66 | 162.42 | 178.42 | 211.27 | 197.97 | 177.27 | 243.79 | 344.93 | 364.80 | 438.93 |
| Single Family | 0.96 | 1.61 | 2.08 | 1.38 | 1.70 | 2.22 | 2.70 | 2.59 | 3.37 | 4.33 | 7.44 |
| Multi-Family | 12.53 | 21.59 | 30.36 | 36.88 | 30.29 | 42.63 | 41.70 | 79.79 | 98.17 | 112.57 | 162.99 |
| Commercial | 41.44 | 102.29 | 112.41 | 115.35 | 151.70 | 126.81 | 109.77 | 141.54 | 179.31 | 213.83 | 224.67 |
| All Other | 2.07 | 12.18 | 17.58 | 24.81 | 27.58 | 26.31 | 23.10 | 19.86 | 64.09 | 34.07 | 43.82 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since The appraisal district uses inaccurate data, factors and an inaccurate model to estimate values. Half are too high and half too low; very few are just right. Even if you are under-valued on market value, you can appeal on unequal appraisal.
HCAD Property Tax Reduction from Judicial Appeals
Appraisal districts can vary wildly from one county to another in Texas, but thankfully, Harris County is one of the more reasonable ones to deal with. But for this part of HCAD to be engaged with, you must appeal. HCAD is as aggressive as any other when it comes to handing out outrageous taxable value and trumped-up taxes. District court lawsuits are slightly more effective in the county than in the rest of Texas by a slight margin.
All of these enormous reductions in value result in equally large tax cuts. $438.93 million was reduced for Harris County taxpayers via judicial appeal alone in 2024. Commercial property owners saved $224.67 million, while multi family homeowners received $162.99 million in reductions. Even the owners of single family homes managed an impressive savings of $7.44 million.