Frequently Asked Questions

A property tax protest is a formal appeal process where property owners can challenge the appraised value of their property as determined by their county appraisal district. If successful, a protest can result in a reduced property valuation, which in turn lowers your property tax bill.

For most residential properties in the counties we cover (Harris, Fort Bend, Galveston, Montgomery, Dallas and Travis), the deadline to file a protest is May 15, or 30 days after you receive your Notice of Appraised Value, whichever is later. It's important to check your specific notice for exact deadlines.

Basic property search and visualization features are available without an account. However, to save your protest information, generate protest documentation, and track protest status, you'll need to create a free account.

Our application helps you in several ways:

• Identifies nearby comparable properties with lower valuations
• Creates data-driven evidence based on market analysis
• Provides visualization of your property's valuation history
• Generates protest documentation you can submit to HCAD
• Offers both comparable-based and asset-based protest options

Protest Strength is a 0–100 estimate of how well your case is likely to be supported by the evidence we found, not a guarantee of what the appraisal review board will decide. It starts from a base score and adds points for:

• How far your assessment sits above nearby comparable properties (the bigger the gap, the more points)
• How many supporting comparable properties we found near you
• Whether your assessed value increased from last year

The final score maps to a tier: Strong case (75+), Solid case (55–74), Moderate case (40–54), or Limited case (below 40). A lower tier doesn't mean you shouldn't protest — it means the comparable-property evidence alone is thinner, and it may be worth reviewing your property's condition or record details before deciding.

Protest Status reflects your appraisal district's own records for your property this year — not something generated by this app. It can show:

• Whether a protest is currently on file for your property ("Protest Filed" or "No Protest on File")
• The district's own status label for your account, when available
• The date your appraisal notice was sent, when known

If a protest is already on file, you don't need to file a second one — see "How do I submit my protest after using this application?" below for what to do with your evidence instead.

Comparable-based protest: Uses data from similar properties in your area with lower valuations to argue that your property is overvalued. This is often the most effective approach.

Asset-based protest: Uses evidence of property condition issues (damage, needed repairs, etc.) to argue that the appraised value doesn't reflect the actual condition of your property.

Our application uses official data directly from your county's appraisal district, including:

• Property records from the appraisal district's public real account data
• GIS parcel data from the appraisal district
• Property valuations and tax information from the appraisal district's public records

Districts certify on their own schedules, so the counties we cover are not all on the same roll. Right now: 2026 for Dallas, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Montgomery and Travis. Whichever roll your property is on is shown on its own record.

After generating your protest evidence with our application, you have several options:

1. Download the PDF report and submit it directly to HCAD through their website or by mail
2. Use the evidence during your informal hearing with an HCAD appraiser
3. Provide the documentation to your property tax consultant if you're using one

In the future, we plan to offer direct electronic submission to HCAD from our platform.