Dallas Property Taxes Cut in 84% of Informal Hearings
Informal appeals against the Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD) are a right under the Texas Constitution and are the easiest way to lower property taxes. Dallas County informal appeals ended in a reduction 84.34% of the time, with 92.36% of homeowners seeing a reduction. If you want to get a solid settlement at this step, or move on to formal processes, you will need a great property tax consultant by your side. Enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today and get started on your journey to lower taxes. No upfront costs, no secret fees, and only pay if your property taxes are lowered. Enroll, relax, and save.
Resolved Informally Dallas CountySource: 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 Number | 59.196 | 63.829 | 66.926 | 68.301 | 70.021 | 65.603 | 85.668 | 57.732 | 68.319 | 64.301 | 53.652 | |
| Single Family | 30.251 | 32.524 | 38.607 | 40.386 | 43.754 | 40.561 | 52.122 | 34.255 | 45.153 | 40.014 | 32.191 | |
| Commercial / Other | 28.945 | 31.305 | 28.319 | 27.915 | 26.267 | 25.042 | 33.546 | 23.477 | 23.166 | 24.287 | 21.461 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Most appeals are resolved with a reduction at the informal level.
Dallas County Property Tax Protests Resolved Informally
When a resident first protests their property taxes to the Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD), it will always be with an informal appeal. These protests can be the final stage for a tax protestor, if they get a settlement they like, or it may just be a roadblock to getting to a formal hearing. O’Connor can be your agent for informal appeals, ARB hearings, or even a judicial appeal. One of America’s top property tax consulting firms, O’Connor is a Texas-based company with over 50 years of experience in fighting for property tax rights.
DCAD Informal Settlements
2023 saw 53,652 informal appeals settled in Dallas County, down from 64,301 in 2023. These appeals, like other tax protests in Texas, have had an ebb-and-flow in the past decade. Tax protests have generally increasing and the amount of value and money saved is quickly rising, without regard for the number of appeals. Total protests across the county are up, with formal hearings growing in prominence. This is fairly standard for most Texas metro areas, with Houston, Austin, and Galveston all doing the same. This illustrates the growing value of homes and businesses in the county as well.
Single family homes are at the core of tax protests in Dallas County, as is typical for most of Texas. There are more homes than businesses after all, and more homeowners are testing the protest waters after getting inflated tax bills. 32,191 homeowners settled an informal appeal in 2024. Businesses and related properties added 21,461, also down from 2023.
Resulted in Reduction Through Informal Process Dallas CountySource: 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 Number | 27.448 | 28.325 | 32.219 | 30.618 | 37.764 | 36.476 | 48.683 | 49.353 | 51.023 | 52.693 | 45.249 | |
| Single Family | 15.158 | 14.544 | 20.405 | 20.249 | 26.494 | 26.579 | 32.195 | 30.584 | 33.524 | 36.465 | 29.730 | |
| Commercial / Other | 12.290 | 13.781 | 11.814 | 10.369 | 11.270 | 9.897 | 16.488 | 18.769 | 17.499 | 16.228 | 15.520 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is the world’s safest wager. No cost and a 60% chance of savings annually.
DCAD Informal Hearing Reductions
No matter how a tax appeal against DCAD progresses, it always begins with an informal appeal. The taxpayer is offered a settlement by DCAD, and if they are happy with it, the taxpayer accepts. If not, then the formal appeal process begins. The county saw the lowest number of informal reductions since 2019, totaling 45,249 in 2024. This was mostly thanks to a large decline in settlements for homeowners, with only 29,730 getting a reduction. This was down from 36,465 in 2023. Businesses dropped a bit, falling to 15,520.
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 Number | 46.370% | 44.380% | 48.140% | 44.830% | 53.930% | 55.600% | 56.830% | 85.490% | 74.680% | 81.950% | 84.340% | |
| Single Family | 50.110% | 44.720% | 52.850% | 50.140% | 60.550% | 65.530% | 61.770% | 89.280% | 74.250% | 91.130% | 92.360% | |
| Commercial / Other | 42.460% | 44.020% | 41.720% | 37.140% | 42.910% | 39.520% | 49.150% | 79.950% | 75.540% | 66.820% | 72.320% | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Errors in the appraisal districts records for your property often artificially inflate YOUR property taxes.
Percent of Informal Hearings in Dallas County w/ a Reduction
These hearings are free for Texans to pursue, and it is no wonder that more residents of Dallas County are exploring this option every year. Property taxes will be one of the major burdens on Texas families, as there is no state income tax. For little effort, a home or business can see their property taxes and valuations drop dramatically.
84.34% of Dallas County informal appeals ended with a reduction in 2024, better than the Texas average of 74.38%. Single family homes were the driver of this, with 92.36% of appeals granting a reduction. Even commercial properties settled in at 17% over the statewide average, coming in at 72.32%. Appeal effectiveness can vary widely among counties, leaving Dallas as one of the better places in Texas to make an informal protest.
$ Value Reduction From Informal ProcessSource: 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 | ||
| $ Reduction Total | 3.2757 | 2.8204 | 5.1858 | 3.5682 | 5.7512 | 6.4835 | 10.0874 | 13.6914 | 21.0517 | 21.6861 | 16.6292 | |
| $ Reduction Single Family | 0.3368 | 0.3092 | 0.5232 | 0.4925 | 0.8169 | 0.7831 | 0.7898 | 0.7964 | 2.2103 | 1.6409 | 1.3594 | |
| $ Value Commercial / Other | 2.9389 | 2.5112 | 4.6626 | 3.0757 | 4.9343 | 5.7003 | 9.2977 | 12.8950 | 18.8414 | 20.0452 | 15.2698 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Property taxes are the only type that can be negotiated based on subjective factors and judgment.
DCAD Dollar Value Reduction from Informal Process
While formal appeals now bring in the most savings, informal hearings still contribute a ton. $16.63 billion in taxable value was lowered in 2024, down from a record savings of $21.69 billion from 2023. Single family homes saw $1.36 billion in reductions, but this was eclipsed by several orders of magnitude with $15.27 billion saved by commercial and other properties.