THE PROTEST PROCESS
Every spring, Travis County property owners whose market value has increased by at least $1,000 over the last year will receive a Notice of Appraised Value. This notice contains three important values:
Market value: This is the value based on what your property would sell for as of January 1.
Assessed/Net Appraised value: This is the reduced value of your property based on limitations provided by having a homestead exemption or circuit breaker limitation.
Taxable value: This is the net appraised value minus any exemption amounts. It is the value used to calculate your property taxes for each taxing unit.
If you do not receive a Notice of Appraised Value, you can view your property’s values using the property search feature of our website.
If you believe the market value of your property is incorrect, you have the right to protest that value. The deadline to file your protest for the 2024 protest season is May 15, 2024 or 30 days after your Notice is mailed, whichever is later. If you choose to protest the value of your property, you can initiate the protest in one of several ways:
Online
This is the easiest and fastest way to initiate and manage your protest. By filing online, you will receive an immediate confirmation that your protest has been filed. Additionally, you will be able to upload comments and evidence related to your protest, review evidence from the appraisal district, and accept/decline any settlement offer through your online account. If you do not have an account, you can set one up by using the property owner ID and pin number on your Notice of Appraised Value. If you do not have a property owner ID or pin number, contact our Customer Service Department for assistance.
By Mail
You can send us your protest by mail at:
Travis Central Appraisal District
PO Box 149012
Austin TX 78714
In-Person
You can drop off your protest form at our office during normal business hours:
850 East Anderson Lane
Austin, TX 78752
All property owners who file a protest will have access to TCAD’s evidence packet via the online portal. To access this evidence, you must have an online account using the property owner ID and pin number on your Notice of Appraised Value.
After you file your protest and your evidence has been submitted and processed, you will be eligible to participate in an informal meeting with a TCAD appraiser. If you do not accept a settlement offer from the appraisal district during the informal process, you will be given the opportunity to be heard by the Travis Appraisal Review Board (ARB).
Property owners who cannot make the date/time of their hearing before the Appraisal Review Board may request that their hearing be rescheduled. Property owners who wish to be represented by someone else (such as family member, neighbor, or friend) during their protest hearing should complete the Appointment of Agent form available in our forms library.
FORMS
Visit our forms library to download related documents.
NEED HELP?
Contact us or check out the videos below to learn more about navigating the protest process through our online portal.
MANAGING YOUR PROTEST ONLINE
DOWNLOAD PORTAL INSTRUCTIONS
Set Up Your Online Portal
Add Your Properties
File Your Protest
Submit Your Evidence
Review TCAD’s Evidence
Review, Accept, or Reject Your Offer
Schedule Your Informal Meeting Through the Portal
Check In and Attend Your Meetings Through the Portal
Schedule and Attend Your Meetings – No Portal
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Your protest will be dismissed if you do not appear in person, through a valid affidavit, by agent, or by pre-scheduled telephone hearing. You may request that the ARB Chairperson reopen the hearing by sending a letter within 4 days of your scheduled hearing citing the good cause reason for failure to appear.
In-person hearings are conducted at the Travis Central Appraisal District office located at 850 E Anderson Lane. The hearing letter you receive will have specific instructions regarding the location of your hearing.
The Appraisal Review Board (ARB) sets protest hearing schedules. You will receive a notice of protest hearing letter by general mail at least 15 days before the scheduled formal hearing date. Included with that letter will be a copy of Property Taxpayer’s Remedies (a publication of the State Comptroller’s Office), a copy of the ARB hearing procedures, and a statement that you have the right to inspect the information that the Appraisal District plans to introduce at your hearing.
Please bring your hearing letter to expedite the check in process. You should also bring any information that you want to present to support the value you think is correct. Bring 5 sets of the evidence to the formal hearing.
Can’t find the answer you’re looking for?
Check out our Frequently Asked Question library or contact us for more information.