Hays Property Tax Protest ARB Tax Savings over $52 MM in 2023
Hays County has some of the most in-demand property in the United States and is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing counties in Texas. But high property taxes are flowing in as quickly as people are, and property tax protests are becoming more popular than ever. Informal appeals were successful 98.68% of the time in 2023, but did not always generate the best results. Thankfully, formal appeals were able to be won by 85% in total. There has never been a better time in Hays County than now to protest your taxes, so be sure to join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program(TM)and get them fought every year. While your taxes are protested annually, you will never have to worry about a hidden fee or an upfront cost. You will not even pay a cent unless you lower your taxes. Enroll, relax, and save.
Protests with Written ARB DeterminationSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total protests | 1.027 | 1.050 | 1.498 | 0.961 | 1.576 | 3.169 | 4.761 | 7.655 | 12.000 | 19.585 | 11.000 | |
| Protests single family residential | 0.127 | 0.612 | 0.946 | 0.715 | 1.048 | 1.687 | 2.325 | 5.093 | 8.695 | 14.074 | 7.546 | |
| Protests with all other | 0.900 | 0.438 | 0.552 | 0.246 | 0.528 | 1.482 | 2.436 | 2.562 | 3.305 | 5.511 | 3.453 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Hearing results depend on the appraiser assigned or the ARB; results vary widely. You do not know the appraiser or ARB panel prior to appealing.
Hays County Protests with Written ARB Determination
In 2023, over 98% of informal appeals ended with a reduced settlement. This is one of the highest in the entire state of Texas and shows that the Hays Central Appraisal District (Hays CAD) has been levying unreasonable taxes and property valuations. Despite guaranteed success at the informal level, many Hays County taxpayers chose to forsake their settlements for a more formal deal. Formal hearings appear before the appraisal review board (ARB) and are becoming the favorite of taxpayers to get a higher return on their property tax protest.
It certainly takes more time and resources to score a victory in a formal appeal, making it an ideal time to have a partner that knows how to pull out a victory with the ARB. O’Connor is the perfect companion to have on your journey, as they have 50 years of experience dealing with Hays CAD and other appraisal districts. One of the largest property tax consulting groups in America, O’Connor also has the people and resources needed to get you the best deal possible.
Hays CAD Protests by Property Type
As informal appeals are on something of a decline, formal hearings have been on the rise. Every year since 2014, the number of ARB hearings has grown, with 2023 being the biggest year yet. 19,585 formal hearings were held in 2023, an increase of 1807.01% from a decade previous. 14,074 single family homes were protested, while 5,511 business properties got in on the action. The increasing appearance of homes in ARB hearings has pushed the total number of hearings up the most.
Hays County ARB Decisions with a ReductionSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total | 0.924 | 0.826 | 0.672 | 0.704 | 1.141 | 1.817 | 2.492 | 6.013 | 9.533 | 16.359 | 8.599 | |
| Single Family Residential | 0.110 | 0.593 | 0.490 | 0.590 | 0.830 | 0.980 | 1.129 | 4.229 | 7.328 | 11.897 | 6.146 | |
| Commercial / All Other | 0.814 | 0.233 | 0.182 | 0.114 | 0.311 | 0.837 | 1.363 | 1.784 | 2.205 | 4.462 | 2.453 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since An annual appeal is an insurance policy to avoid major increases.
Hays County ARB Decisions with a Reduction
Much like the total number of hearings, the number of formal appeals ending in a reduction has climbed fast in the past decade. 2023 saw the most ARB reduction ever with16,359. The overwhelming majority of these were for single family homes, with 11,897 seeing a reduction. 2023 also saw the best results for businesses in the history of Hays County, with 4,462 seeing a reduction.
Percent That Resulted in A ReductionSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Percent | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Reduction | 90% | 79% | 45% | 73% | 72% | 57% | 52% | 79% | 79% | 84% | 78% | |
| Single Family Residential | 87% | 97% | 52% | 83% | 79% | 58% | 49% | 83% | 84% | 85% | 81% | |
| Commercial / All Other | 90% | 53% | 33% | 46% | 59% | 56% | 56% | 70% | 67% | 81% | 71% | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since To ensure their property taxes are at the lowest possible level.
Percent That Resulted in A Reduction
Due to the need for more evidence, ARB hearings did not see the heady success of 98.68% that the informal appeals did. But formal hearings were able to score their own record for the most reductions ever in 2023. 84% of all formal hearings ended in a reduction, with single family homes landing savings 85% of the time. Businesses impressed the most given how they typically go across Texas, with 81% of them finding a reduction thanks to the ARB. The Texas average for this type of appeal in total is 70%.
Value Reduction From Written ARB DeterminationsSource: 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 | ||
| Total $ Reduction | 0.316 | 0.200 | 0.161 | 0.200 | 0.239 | 0.565 | 0.680 | 1.231 | 1.782 | 2.486 | 1.545 | |
| Single Family Residential | 0.029 | 0.030 | 0.013 | 0.030 | 0.047 | 0.047 | 0.028 | 0.209 | 0.389 | 0.718 | 0.336 | |
| Commercial / All Other | 0.287 | 0.171 | 0.149 | 0.171 | 0.193 | 0.518 | 0.652 | 1.022 | 1.393 | 1.768 | 1.209 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Unequal appraisal allows protests based on neighbors having a better tax assessment.
Hays CAD Dollar Value Reduction from ARB Hearings
Thanks to the great number of appeals and the value of many of the properties, formal appeals were able to score higher reductions than informal ones in 2023. A total of $2.49 billion was saved in taxable value. $1.77 of this was business properties, which tracks with how Texas usually goes. Single family homes did extremely well with $718 million in value reduction.