Tax Appeals Save Dallas Property Owners $1.15 Billion+ Per Year

Property values and taxes are surging across Texas and the United States, and the only way to stop them is to protest your taxes. Homeowners and business owners in Dallas County saved a combined $1.15 billion in taxes thanks to appeals in 2024. With property values doubling in the past decade, the need to protest is only going to increase. Start your fight for fair taxation by joining O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™. No hidden fees, upfront costs, or nasty surprises. Only pay when you get a property tax reduction. Enroll, relax, and save.

Total Value Reduction, Informal HearingSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.

	Millions of $
	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
$ Total Value Reduction	3,275.75	2,820.40	5,185.84	3,568.22	5,751.23	6,483.45	10,087.44	13,691.42	21,051.73	21,686.12	16,629.18
Single Family Residential Reduction	336.82	309.21	523.23	492.48	816.93	783.15	789.78	796.41	2,210.34	1,640.93	1,359.36
Commercial / Other	2,938.92	2,511.18	4,662.62	3,075.74	4,934.29	5,700.31	9,297.66	12,895.02	18,841.40	20,045.19	15,269.82

Texas property owners should protest annually since The value cannot be raised during the protest, based on 2019 legislation.

DCAD Property Tax Savings from Administrative Appeals

Most of the Dallas County property tax protests are achieved through administrative appeals. This covers informal hearings and appraisal review board (ARB) appeals. All other tax protests are post-administrative appeals and are typically lawsuits. The county had a pretty even split between informal and formal ARB hearings in the past, though formal hearings took the lead by a strong margin in 2024.

Administrative appeals can accomplish more if you have a property tax consulting firm to help you along the way. O’Connor is one of the biggest such firms in America and is Texas-based to boot. Experts at dealing with Texas appraisal district, O’Connor will get you the best value for your tax protest.

Total Value Reduction, Formal ARB HearingsSource: 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 Value Reduction	4.429	4.627	7.365	13.925	10.574	13.025	13.650	10.868	18.830	19.413	27.563
Single Family Residential Reduction	0.204	0.257	0.394	0.364	0.568	0.776	1.174	0.777	1.731	1.807	2.807
Commercial / Other	4.225	4.370	6.971	13.561	10.006	12.249	12.476	10.091	17.099	17.607	24.757

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).

DCAD Informal Hearings

Informal appeals are the first contact that taxpayers have with the Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD) if they wish to protest taxes. Informal hearings get the ball rolling, and can either result in a settlement, or continue on to formal ARB hearings. An informal appeal can result in a reduction, but it is up to the property owner if they wish to accept it. Refusing the settlement means heading to an ABR hearing. $16.63 billion in assessed value was removed from tax bills in 2024 thanks to informal appeals. $15.27 billion for commercial properties and $1.36 billion for single family homes.

DCAD Formal ARB Hearings

While traditionally in second place, formal hearings with the ARB have grown every year since 2021 and managed to finally eclipse informal protests in 2024. This was a small victory for the protest type, with them reducing taxable value by $27.56 billion, up from $19.41 billion from 2023. This was mostly driven by commercial real estate, along with other business types, totaling $24.76 billion. Single family homes also managed to set a record, reaching $2.81 billion. High-dollar counties usually favor the ARB, with counties like Travis, Galveston, and Fort Bend relying on it heavily.

Tax Savings, Informal HearingsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.

	Millions of $
	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
$ Total Value Reduction	68.79	59.23	108.90	74.93	120.78	136.15	211.84	287.52	442.09	455.41	349.21
Single Family Residential Reduction	7.07	6.49	10.99	10.34	17.16	16.45	16.59	16.72	46.42	34.46	28.55
Commercial / Other	61.72	52.73	97.92	64.59	103.62	119.71	195.25	270.80	395.67	420.95	320.67

Texas property owners should protest annually since Not appealing is used against property owners in the subsequent years since “you agreed to the value” (by not protesting).

Estimated Total Informal Property Tax Savings

Value reduction of property or tax burden translates into reduced taxes, typically at the standard rate of 2.7% across Texas. 2024 informal appeals resulted in $349.21 million saved in Dallas County. $320.66 million of these savings were for commercial properties and multi family homes. Dallas County homeowners received $28.55 million in savings thanks to informal appeals.

Every Texan homeowner or business owner has the right to protest taxes under the Texas Constitution. With millions or even billions on the line, a free informal appeal seems to be the least effort that can be put forward. Even if the appeal goes against a Dallas County taxpayer, they cannot have their taxes raised in response. There is no risk trying an informal appeal. There has been a recent shift in the county, with many taxpayers choosing or being forced to take the next step on the ladder.

Tax Savings, Formal ARB HearingsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.

	Millions of $
	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
$ Total Value Reduction	93.01	97.17	154.66	292.43	222.06	273.52	286.66	228.22	395.43	407.68	578.83
Single Family Residential Reduction	4.29	5.40	8.26	7.65	11.93	16.30	24.65	16.31	36.34	37.94	58.94
Commercial / Other	88.72	91.77	146.40	284.78	210.13	257.22	262.01	211.92	359.08	369.74	519.89

ARB Hearings Tax Savings

If an informal appeal does not achieve the desired effect, then taking a tax protest to the next level requires an ARB hearing. The only option to explore after the formal phase is a judicial appeal, which is a lawsuit against DCAD itself. $78.83 million was saved in total for all Dallas County taxpayers in 2024 thanks to ARB hearings. $58.94 million was saved by the owners of single family homes, while $519.89 million was saved by commercial property owners.

Total Tax Savings (Informal & Formal)Source: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.

	Millions of $
	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
$ Total Value Reduction	161.80	156.40	263.56	367.36	342.84	409.67	498.50	515.74	837.52	863.09	928.04
Single Family Residential Reduction	11.36	11.89	19.25	17.99	29.09	32.75	41.24	33.03	82.76	72.40	87.49
Commercial / Other	150.44	144.50	244.32	349.37	313.75	376.93	457.26	482.72	754.75	790.69	840.56

Total Tax Savings via Administrative Appeal

When combined, 2024 administrative appeals produced a savings of $928.04 million for Dallas County. Savings were significantly higher in 2024 compared to 2023, continuing a trend that has been going on for more than a decade. Homeowners saved $87.49 million, while business owners reduced their taxes by a staggering $928.04 million. These numbers should show the efficacy of administrative appeals to anyone who is thinking of protesting their taxes. Homes, businesses, and the overall total all broke records, even with the dip in informal hearings.