Harris County Appraisal District Budgets Total $117 MM / Year
The Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD) is in a contradictarty position, being both over budget and understaffed. Boasting a 2024 budget of $117 million, HCAD has 327 appraisers to cover all property across the county. Unable to give every property the valuation it deserves, HCAD instead hands out taxes using a broad metric that universally overvalues homes and businesses. While the monolithic district collected $13.47 billion in taxes, there was no one to advocate for the common taxpayer. Texans have a constitutional right to protest their property taxes, and O’Connor is here to help. Join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today and get back every penny that you deserve. No upfront costs, no flat fees, and only pay if your taxes are reduced. Enroll, relax, and save.
Total 2018 CAD Budget Including ARBSource: 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 Budget | 68.676 | 76.578 | 77.706 | 81.496 | 85.562 | 88.095 | 90.728 | 93.019 | 94.872 | 100.506 | 117.413 | |
| ARB Operations Budget | 2.5968 | 1.7620 | 2.7210 | 2.8601 | 3.2853 | 2.9840 | 3.0225 | 3.2488 | 3.5824 | 3.591 | 3.542 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since YOU can spend YOUR money better than the government.
Harris County CAD Operations and Budgets
Founded in 1974, O’Connor is a local Houston business and one of the largest property tax consulting firms in America. Being Houston-based, O’Connor has a unique understanding of the Harris Central Appraisal District(HCAD) and knows how best to outmaneuver them to get you the most on your property tax appeal .
Texas appraisal districts were set up in the early 1980s as a way to bundle many interests into one organization. In theory, CADs collect taxes, then distribute them to MUDs, school districts, and counties. As Texas has no income tax, property taxes are key to keeping the state financially viable. The problem in Harris and other counties in Texas is that CADs are understaffed for the goal they are trying to achieve. Because they are spread so thin, most appraisal districts must use generic property tax valuations instead of accurate ones, passing a lot of costs onto taxpayers.
HCAD Total CAD Budget Including ARB
HCAD and the appraisal review board (ARB) are separate entities that have different responsibilities to taxpayers. While the CAD collects and distributes taxes, the ARB formally reviews properties that are appealed for being overvalued or unfairly taxed. The ARB is supposed to be impartial to both taxpayers and the CAD, even though they have the same paymasters. In 2024, HCAD had a budget of $117 million, while the ARB had a budget of $3.54 million. The CAD budget increased 16.62% in 2024, while the ARB’s fell slightly.
Total Property Taxes Levied Harris CountySource: 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 | ||
| Property Taxes Levied | 9.5106 | 9.3859 | 10.2704 | 11.1198 | 11.5643 | 11.8883 | 12.296 | 12.815 | 12.9725 | 13.7153 | 13.4749 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Appealing annually helps the appraisal district avoid over-taxing a property for both market value and unequal appraisal.
Harris County Total Amount of Property Taxes Levied
Harris County property taxes are climbing rapidly, with the past decade being particularly aggressive. While the cost of homes, building materials and land have all grown dramatically in that timeframe, along with inflation, taxes have extended beyond that. HCAD levied $13.47 billion in taxes in 2024, slightly down from $13.71 billion in 2023. However, property taxes and inflation are both outgrowing wages, which have been stagnant for a decade. This puts pressure on homeowners that just want to stay in their homes.
FTE Positions In Budget Total - Harris CADSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| FTEs | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number of FTEs | 639 | 649 | 578 | 650 | 661 | 661 | 662 | 662 | 672 | 681 | 697 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Valuation is a subjective matter where reasonable people can differ.
FTE Positions in Total Budget
HCAD, like other appraisal districts, is an unwieldy beast because it is understaffed compared to the volume of properties it must handle. There were 697 full-time equivalents (FTEs) in 2024. HCAD staff has only grown from 639 FTEs in 2014 to 697 in 2024. Staffing has fallen behind the county’s exponential growth, leading to the district being smaller than the task ahead of them.
FTEs Assigned to the Appraisal - Harris CADSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| FTEs | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| FTEs Appraisal Total | 285 | 282 | 280 | 290 | 297 | 289 | 297 | 305 | 307 | 320 | 327 | |
| Residential | 138 | 135 | 130 | 134 | 137 | 137 | 138 | 138 | 142 | 141 | 141 | |
| Commercial | 47 | 61 | 73 | 68 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 65 | 61 | 61 | 61 | |
| All Other | 100 | 86 | 77 | 88 | 98 | 90 | 97 | 102 | 104 | 118 | 125 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is a great way to slow the growth of government spending (of your money).
HCAD FTEs Assigned to the Property Appraisal
To compound staffing issues, HCAD’s FTEs are split between appraisers and support staff. Of the 697 FTEs in 2024, only 327 of them were appraisers. Harris County is the largest county in Texas in both size and value, meaning these appraisers are being asked to shoulder an enormous burden. Harris County appraisers must then be divided further to handle various property categories. 141 appraisers were responsible for all residential, 61 for commercial, and 125 for other properties. With these FTEs being spread out over both distance and volume, it is no wonder that HCAD is reduced to handing out generic tax evaluations over true value. .