Hays Property Tax Protest ARB Tax Savings over $32 MM in 2024

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 80.33% of the time in 2024, but did not always generate the best results. Thankfully, formal appeals were able to be won by 78% 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™ 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 2024, over 80% of informal appeals ended with a reduced settlement. This was better than the statewide average and shows that the Hays Central Appraisal District (Hays CAD) has been levying unreasonable taxes and property valuations. Despite a high chance of 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 over 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. 2024 was the first major drop during that time period, where 11,000 formal hearings were held. 7,546 single family homes were protested, while 3,453 business properties got in on the action. Homes experience a large drop off, falling for the 2023 record of 14,074.

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, though 2024 was a sharp decline. 2023 saw the most ARB reduction ever with16,359, while 2024 saw 8,599 successful hearings. The overwhelming majority of these were for homes, with 6,146 seeing a reduction. 2024 also saw a drop for commercial properties, with a total of 2,453 appeals being successful for businesses.

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 80.33% that the informal appeals did. But formal hearings were able to have a solid winning percentage in 2024. 78% of all formal hearings ended in a reduction, with single family homes landing savings 81% of the time. Businesses impressed the most given how they typically go across Texas, with 71% of them finding a reduction thanks to the ARB. The Texas average for this type of appeal in total is 63%.

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 $1.55 billion was saved in taxable value. $1.21 billion of this was business properties, which tracks with how Texas usually goes. Single family homes did extremely well with $336 million in value reduction. While impressive, each of these categories were down from records set in 2023 and were the lowest total since 2021.