Harris County Property Tax Protests
Harris County residents are using their fundamental right to protest unfair property taxes like never before. The Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) is levying taxes that are ballooning into uncharted territory, and the only way to fight back is with tax protests. In 2023, tax appeals resulted in a record $1.11 billion in taxes coming back to Texans across the county. $149.57 million was saved from formal appeals to the ARB, while $522.16 million was recouped via informal means. Finally, lawsuits were resolved for $438.93 million. There is no cost to protest Harris County taxes, nor can taxes be increased for appealing, making it a win-win for taxpayers. Enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ and get your taxes protested annually, with no cost to you unless your taxes are lowered. Enroll, relax, and save.
Total Parcels and Total Protests HCADSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Parcels | 1,757.72 | 1,605.39 | 1,623.45 | 1,826.79 | 1,797.30 | 1,821.54 | 1,842.35 | 1,871.84 | 1,902.21 | 1,918.67 | 1,961.82 | |
| Total Protests Filed | 351.52 | 372.15 | 382.56 | 388.76 | 371.30 | 420.52 | 446.29 | 453.84 | 495.13 | 529.09 | 516.65 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Mass appraisal used by appraisal districts includes many errors based on limited resources. About 500 appraisers value all 20 million Texas tax parcels; about 40,000 per appraiser. Another 1,500 appraisers measure new construction.
Harris County Tax Protests
With over 50 years in the property tax consulting game, O’Connor is the perfect choice to partner with for your tax protest. From informal appeals to lawsuits, O’Connor has the experience to get you what you deserve. One of the largest property tax firms in America, O’Connor is a Houston company to boot, meaning we understand going toe-to-toe with the Harris Central Appraisal District(HCAD) like no other.
Total Parcels in HCAD t
Parcels are units of measurement made by Texas appraisal District to bind real estate, minerals, and other personal property together for the purpose of taxation. Harris County is massive and had 1.96 million parcels as of 2024. There were only 516,650 protests filed that same year, but there has been a steady climb in appeals over the past decade, with 2024 being the second highest ever.
Total Protests Harris CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Protests | 351.52 | 372.15 | 382.56 | 388.76 | 371.30 | 420.52 | 446.29 | 453.84 | 495.13 | 529.09 | 516.65 | |
| Single Family Home Protests | 237.94 | 258.17 | 265.49 | 269.97 | 251.75 | 295.56 | 315.37 | 326.47 | 363.53 | 392.39 | 383.72 | |
| Commercial / Other Protests | 113.58 | 113.98 | 117.06 | 118.80 | 119.55 | 124.97 | 130.93 | 127.38 | 131.60 | 136.70 | 132.94 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is their right.
Total Protests
As stated previously, property tax protests are on the rise across the Houston area and Texas as a whole. Property taxes are the primary tax burden for Texans, and they are skyrocketing as housing prices shoot to the moon. The past decade has seen property taxes and home values double, with no sign of slowing down. More Texans than ever are realizing that they can protest their property taxes, potentially saving hundreds or thousands of dollars for a single home. Single family homeowners are driving this growth, with 383,720 protesting in 2024 alone.
132,940 commercial property appeals were launched in 2024, making up 25.73% of the total 516,650 protests. Commercial properties are typically protested every year by default, as it is seen as a part of reducing business costs. Commercial property numbers may be much smaller when it comes to appeals, but their monetary value puts them far ahead of single family homes.
% of Parcels Protested Harris CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Percent | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Percent Protested | 20% | 23.18% | 23.56% | 21.28% | 20.66% | 23.09% | 24.22% | 24.25% | 26.03% | 27.58% | 26.34% | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since About 60% of appeals are successful.
HCAD Percent of Parcels Protested
26.74% of all parcels in Harris County were protested in 2024. Only surpassed by 27.58% in 2023, protests have been on the upswing since 2018. This growth is being pushed by the aggressive taxation of HCAD, which is fueled by the rise in the cost of real estate. 20% of parcels were protested in 2018, compared to 26.34% in 2024. This uptick is larger than it appears, as the number of parcels in Harris County has also increased. While high, Harris still lags behind high-dollar counties like Travis, Fort Bend, and Galveston.
Protests by Property Type Harris CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number | 351.52 | 372.15 | 382.56 | 388.76 | 371.30 | 420.52 | 446.29 | 453.84 | 495.13 | 529.09 | 516.65 | |
| Single Family | 237.94 | 258.17 | 265.49 | 269.97 | 251.75 | 295.56 | 315.37 | 326.47 | 363.53 | 392.39 | 383.72 | |
| Multi-Family Res | 4.64 | 4.58 | 4.55 | 4.30 | 4.30 | 4.52 | 4.68 | 4.85 | 4.80 | 4.92 | 4.93 | |
| Commercial | 49.55 | 48.87 | 48.31 | 49.93 | 49.96 | 51.36 | 54.98 | 55.65 | 56.18 | 58.25 | 57.58 | |
| All Other | 59.39 | 60.53 | 64.20 | 64.56 | 65.29 | 69.09 | 71.27 | 66.88 | 70.62 | 73.54 | 70.42 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Correcting an error in the appraisal district’s description of your property can reap savings in future years.
Harris County Protests by Property Type
When broken down further, the driving force behind the Harris County tax protest can be pinpointed. Single family homes are challenging HCAD more each year and lifting the protest totals as a whole. Between 2018 and 2023, single home appeals climbed by 52.42%, compared to a jump of only 15.25% for commercial properties in the same timeframe. 383,719 single family homes were protested in 2024, followed by 70,420 industrial protests, 57,581 commercial appeals, and 4,931 for apartments.
The growing frustration of Harris County homeowners with HCAD is becoming apparent in the numbers. Homes cost more than ever, but HCAD is wielding taxes like a mace. HCAD is far too small to get accurate appraisals of property, so they are using inaccurate guestimates to figure out hundreds of thousands of parcels.
Value of Property Protested by TypeSource: 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 | ||
| Value Protested Total | 248.00 | 281.00 | 306.00 | 313.00 | 316.00 | 359.00 | 385.00 | 396.00 | 444.34 | 504.76 | 504.11 | |
| Single Family | 68.34 | 81.05 | 88.12 | 92.49 | 86.81 | 106.00 | 115.00 | 123.00 | 146.00 | 172.58 | 178.14 | |
| Multi-Family Res | 27.03 | 31.33 | 35.75 | 38.13 | 40.36 | 45.55 | 53.40 | 54.80 | 63.46 | 75.20 | 70.52 | |
| Commercial | 98.49 | 108.00 | 108.00 | 121.00 | 125.00 | 133.00 | 140.00 | 144.00 | 153.01 | 170.10 | 169.84 | |
| All Other | 54.14 | 60.62 | 74.13 | 61.38 | 63.83 | 74.45 | 76.60 | 74.20 | 81.87 | 86.88 | 85.62 | |
Harris County Value of Property Protested by Type
The theme of residential appeals being the locomotive for property tax appeals continues when the total value of property is broken down. $504.11 billion in property was protested in 2024. After surpassing commercial properties in value for the first time in 2023, homes widened the gap in 2024. $178.14 billion in single family home taxes were challenged, topping $169.84 billion in commercial real estate. Multi-family homes have also been pushing up over the past decade, showing the growing importance of apartments.