Texas Property Taxation – (Part Two) by R. Scott Alagood

There are two types of protests normally available to a homestead exempted property owner: (1) determination of the appraised value of the property; and (2) unequal appraisal of the owner’s property. The first protest type is what is says it is, that the property owner simply disagrees with the value of the property provided in the notice of appraised value. The second type deals with taking a reasonable number of comparable properties within the taxing district, appropriately adjusted based on the factors above, and showing that the appraised value of the subject property in the notice of appraised value is above the median of those property values. Disparities in the timing of the reappraisal of properties within the district may lend certain properties to be at lower values. Due to advancements in technology and the growing need for governmental funding, larger taxing districts have significantly cut down on this time lag.

The property owner will be notified of the hearing time, date, and place at least 15 days prior to the date of the hearing. The chief appraiser is required to provide notice of the rights of the taxpayer, notice of the right to inspect and copy the district’s evidence, and a copy of the hearing procedures. The property owner may appear at the hearing in person, through an agent, or by affidavit. If the property owner fails to appear in some form, they will be precluded from appealing the appraisal review board’s decision. The hearing procedures are very informal. All parties are allowed to offer evidence, examine and cross examine witnesses, and present argument to the board. The property owner is permitted to testify to the value of their property, and may offer an opinion of market value or the inequality of the appraisal by the district.

So long as all of the administrative procedures have been followed to completion, a property owner may further appeal the appraisal review board’s decision to a district court or may elect to engage in non-binding arbitration. Under either avenue, the property owner is required to pay the taxes determined to be due before their delinquency as a precondition of further review. The taxpayer’s petition for review must be filed with the district court within 60 days of the receipt of the appraisal review board’s notice of determination of protest. The review by the district court or arbitrator will be “de novo” or new, so neither the taxing authority nor the property owner is bound by the prior rendition of value. Thus, it is possible for the appraisal district to seek a higher value than it sought in the protest hearing or that set by the appraiser.
A taxpayer may pursue non-binding arbitration by moving the district court to refer the case. However, if the taxpayer wants to engage in non-binding arbitration, the appraisal district must give its consent.

A taxpayer who prevails in a judicial review proceeding may be awarded reasonable attorney’s fees. Those fees may not exceed the greater of $15,000.00 or 20% of the total amount by which the property owner’s tax liability is reduced by the appeal. Further, the fees may not exceed $100,000.00 or the total amount by which the property owner’s tax liability is reduced by the appeal, whichever is less. These fee caps prevent property owners from receiving reimbursement for attorney’s fees where the reduction being sought is only a relatively small amount. The award of fees is, however, mandatory when the taxpayer prevails on a judicial review.

R. Scott Alagood is board certified in residential and commercial real estate law by the Texas Board of Specialization and can be reached at [email protected] or https://www.dentonlaw.com.