Hays Property Tax Lawsuits Challenge $2.61 Billion
Property taxes across Hays County are going up every year, but the taxpayers are fighting back every way they can. Informal appeals were successful 98% of the time, while formal hearings were hitting at 85%. Judicial appeals give the owners of multi-million-dollar properties the chance to add even more to these victories. In 2023, 122 lawsuits were filed against the Hays Central Appraisal District, with a value of $2.61 billion in property on the line. Build your perfect protest team when you enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program(TM) and be ready for your judicial appeal. There will be no legal or hidden fees to bother you, and you will only pay if you win your lawsuit. Enroll, relax, and save.
Judicial Appeals by Property Type Hays CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Judicial Appeals | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number of lawsuits | 5 | 11 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 104 | 88 | 81 | 296 | 363 | 511 | |
| Single Family Residential | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 32 | 60 | 109 | |
| Multi Family Residential | 0 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 38 | 22 | 24 | 102 | 104 | 111 | |
| Commercial real and personal property | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 47 | 52 | 41 | 121 | 127 | 155 | |
| All Other | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 41 | 72 | 136 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since You can’t evaluate the strength of your appeal until you obtain the hearing evidence file. You have to protest to obtain the hearing evidence file (available free upon request via U.S. mail).
Hays County Judicial Appeals of ARB Hearing
If a taxpayer wishes to truly get the best results for their property tax protest, then a judicial appeal is hard to beat. Typically reserved for multi-million-dollar properties, judicial appeals allow the owners of premium property to get an even better deal on their tax reductions than administrative appeals did. With informal and formal appeals being so successful in recent years, Hays County judicial appeals can add an extra percentage on top of other victories to finally beat the Hays County Central Appraisal District (Hays CAD) for every last cent.
It takes a whole team to get through a judicial appeal, one that includes attorneys, witnesses, and experts. O’Connor can provide all of this when they run the judicial appeal. One of the biggest property tax consulting companies in America, O’Connor will provide your entire team for you, while you do not pay a single legal fee. You will only pay if you win your lawsuit against Hays CAD.
Hays CAD Judicial Appeals Filed by Property Type
Judicial appeals are specifically for the big-ticket properties found across Texas. Commercial, industrial, and multi family properties are always at the top of the list. With price tags in the millions or billions, these properties are worth the time, money, and effort needed to reduce even a fraction of their tax valuation. A judicial appeal can take a few years to even come in front of a courtroom, so it could be some time before a reduction can be made.
In 2023, Hays County saw 54 commercial properties contested, topping the list of 122 judicial appeals. Multi family homes were close behind with 42. Including apartments and the like, multi family homes were notably absent for other appeal steps in 2023 but have been the second-highest property type in judicial appeals for the past decade. Only 10 single family homes were tried via judicial appeal in 2023, though this is still the most Hays County has ever seen.
Value Involved in Judicial Appeals - Hays CountySource: 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 of All Judicial Appeals | 0.008 | 0.120 | 0.255 | 0.358 | 0.460 | 1.098 | 1.215 | 2.06 | 2.905 | 2.613 | 3.697 | |
| Single Family Res | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.003 | 0.007 | 0.002 | 0.007 | 0.015 | 0.022 | 0.046 | 0.048 | |
| Multi Family Res | 0 | 0.105 | 0.205 | 0.303 | 0.402 | 0.843 | 0.67 | 1.285 | 1.901 | 1.877 | 2.271 | |
| Commercial | 0.006 | 0 | 0.048 | 0.049 | 0.049 | 0.178 | 0.506 | 0.697 | 0.887 | 0.525 | 1.091 | |
| All Other | 0.002 | 0.015 | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.075 | 0.032 | 0.063 | 0.094 | 0.166 | 0.287 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since An annual appeal minimizes property taxes, sometimes well below market value.
Hays CAD Value Involved in Judicial Appeals
Judicial appeals are only a tiny fraction of the total property tax protests, but they are always focused on value. The 122 judicial appeals filed in 2023 were contesting property valued at $2.61 billion, averaging out to $21.42 million per case. Despite these very strong numbers, the worth of judicial appeals was down from 2022 slightly. The leader in the clubhouse is multi family housing, which weighed in at $1.88 billion. Commercial properties followed up at $525 million. Even the 10 single family homes totaled $46 million in value.