Property owners can protest property appraisal values

Property owners who disagree with the Stephens County Appraisal District’s appraisal of their property for local taxes or for any other action that adversely affects them may protest their property value to the appraisal district’s Appraisal Review Board (ARB).

A property owner must file a written notice of protest before June 8 or within 30 days after the appraisal district delivers the property owner’s notice of appraised value, whichever is later. The Appraisal District will begin scheduled informal hearings immediately. The ARB will hear taxpayer protests on July 12 and 13.

After the ARB completes its hearings and approves final property tax appraisals, taxing units will use these appraisals to set property tax rates.

The ARB is a group of citizens who live in the appraisal district and are appointed by the local district administrative judge. Property owners may protest any of the following issues to the ARB:

• the appraised or market value of the property;

• unequal appraisal of the owner’s property;

• inclusion of the property on the appraisal records;

• denial of a partial exemption, such as a homestead exemption;

• denial of special appraisal, such as agricultural or timber productivity appraisal;

• determination that agricultural or timberland has had a change of use and is subject to a rollback tax;

• identification of the taxing unit or taxing units in which the property is located;

• determination that the taxpayer is the owner of the property; or

• any other action of the appraisal district office or ARB that adversely affects the owner.

The ARB schedules a hearing and sends the protesting property owner written notice of the date, time and place of the hearing. The law contains specific timelines and procedures for both the property owner and the ARB throughout the appraisal protest process, as detailed in the Comptroller’s publication, Property Taxpayer Remedies.

Copies are available from the Stephens County Appraisal District at 201 S Rose Avenue, Breckenridge. The publication is also available on the Comptroller’s Property Tax Assistance Division’s website at www.comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/.