Editorial Policy

1. Our Editorial Mission

Texas property tax is administered by 254 separate appraisal districts, each with its own portal, its own forms, its own ARB, and its own conventions. The information is public — but it’s spread across hundreds of CAD websites in inconsistent formats, often with the most important deadlines buried several clicks deep.

Our editorial mission is to consolidate that information into one consistent format, in plain English, kept up to date, and always linked back to the CAD’s own page so readers can verify and act. We are not a substitute for the CAD; we are an editorial layer that makes the CAD’s information easier to find and use.

2. Quality Standards Every CAD Page Meets

Every page about a specific Texas County Appraisal District follows the same quality checklist before it publishes:

• The county and CAD name match the Comptroller’s official county directory
• The chief appraiser, if listed publicly, matches the CAD’s “About” or staff page
• The property search portal URL is verified live and points to the actual search tool
• The protest portal URL (where the CAD offers online protest filing) is verified live
• Contact information — address, phone, fax, email, hours — matches the CAD’s contact page
• The Notice of Appraised Value timing and protest deadline framing matches the CAD’s own information and Texas Tax Code §41.44
• Homestead and other exemption forms link to the current Comptroller form (50-114, etc.)
• The tax assessor-collector is listed separately, because billing/collection is a different office
• The “Last reviewed” date is set on every page
• The Google Maps embed for the CAD office uses the verified street address from the CAD’s own page

3. Source Hierarchy

Not all sources are equal. We rank them and start at the top:

The full hierarchy with named sources, URLs, and how each is used is documented on the Sources & Methodology page.

4. Verification — Our Seven-Step Process

Every fact on a CAD page goes through this checklist before publication:

1. Identify the right CAD page. We use the CAD’s main “Property Search” or “Forms” page as the entry point — not a generic county-government landing page that may be out of date.
2. Confirm the CAD name. CAD names occasionally change (consolidations, rebrands) — we check against the Comptroller’s official county directory to make sure we have the current name.
3. Read the source page in full. Quick scans miss exceptions. We read the actual CAD page, including any “Important,” “Notice,” or “Update” banners.
4. Cross-check with the Comptroller. Where the CAD page references a statewide form (50-114 for homestead, 50-132 for protest), we verify the form number and link against the Comptroller’s current version.
5. Verify the deadline framing. Protest deadlines, notice-mailing windows, and ARB scheduling are checked against Tax Code §41.44 and the CAD’s own published timeline.
6. Verify external links. Every link to a CAD page, the Comptroller, or other external source is clicked and confirmed.
7. Editor sign-off. A second editor reviews the page before it goes live.

5. Update Cycles

Every page carries a “Last reviewed” date.

6. Corrections Process

1. You report it. Email info@appraisaldistrict.org with subject “Correction” and the page URL.
2. We acknowledge. Response within seven business days confirms receipt.
3. We verify. An editor goes back to the CAD’s own page and confirms the current position.
4. We correct. If confirmed, the page is updated. Substantive corrections — wrong deadline, wrong form, wrong contact — trigger a published correction note dated and described in plain English.
5. We tell you. The reporter is notified that the correction is live, with a link to the updated page.

7. AI Tools and Authorship

We use AI tools as part of our content production workflow. We do not hide that, and we do not use AI as a substitute for human editorial judgment. Specifically:

• AI tools may be used for first drafts, summarization of CAD pages, formatting consistency, and language polish
• Every CAD page is reviewed line by line by a human editor before publication
• Deadlines, form numbers, contact details, and link destinations are confirmed against the CAD’s own page by a human — never trusted to an AI summary alone
• AI-generated text that turns out to misstate a CAD’s policy is corrected through the standard corrections process
• We do not allow AI tools to invent CAD contact details, fabricate links, or describe procedures that aren’t in the source

8. Editorial Independence

We do not take payment from any CAD in exchange for editorial coverage or favorable presentation. We do not take payment from property-tax-protest companies, consultants, or law firms in exchange for being mentioned, recommended, or omitted on CAD pages. The site is funded by display advertising on the principle that advertising and editorial are separate functions.

If a Texas CAD asked us to remove a factual statement they didn’t like — for example, a description of a recent portal change — we would only do so if the statement was inaccurate. Our test for accuracy is the CAD’s own published information.

9. Advertising and Disclosure

Advertising on the site is clearly labeled. We follow Federal Trade Commission (FTC) endorsement guidelines:

• Display advertisements are visually distinct from editorial content and labeled where required
• Affiliate links — where we earn a commission for a referral — are disclosed in context
• Sponsored content, if it ever appears, is clearly identified as paid-for
• We do not insert affiliate links into the editorial portion of CAD pages; the official CAD link always comes first

FTC endorsement guidance is available at ftc.gov.

10. Conflicts of Interest

We disclose conflicts of interest where they exist. To our knowledge, the editorial team:

• Is not employed by, contracted to, or financially connected to any Texas County Appraisal District
• Is not employed by, contracted to, or financially connected to any property-tax-protest firm or consultant
• Receives no gifts, hospitality, or considerations from CADs, the Comptroller, or property-tax service providers in exchange for coverage

If a future situation creates a potential conflict — for example, a contributor with prior employment at a CAD or consulting firm — that contributor will not be assigned to write or edit pages relating to that organization, and the connection will be disclosed.

11. Sensitive Topics

Property tax intersects with sensitive issues — homeowner financial hardship, elderly homestead protections, disability and disabled-veteran exemptions, ag/timber valuation disputes, and tax-sale proceedings. We try to handle these fairly:

• Where over-65, disabled person, or disabled veteran exemptions and tax ceilings apply, we explain them in plain language and link the application form
• Where deferred-collection options exist for elderly or disabled homeowners (Texas Tax Code §33.06), we link the procedure
• We don’t frame protests in adversarial terms — protesting is a statutory right, not a confrontation
• We avoid moralizing language and stick to procedural guidance

12. Reader Feedback

We treat reader feedback as a quality input, not a marketing channel. Substantive feedback — corrections, suggestions, broken-link reports — is logged and addressed within seven business days. Feedback that is abusive, threatening, or harassing toward our team or other readers is not engaged with and may be reported under our Terms of Service or to relevant authorities where appropriate.

13. Language, Tone, and Accessibility

CAD pages are written in plain English at a level intended to be accessible to a general adult audience without specialist knowledge. We:

• Spell out acronyms (CAD, ARB, ARB hearing, NOAV, USPAP, IAAO, TAAD) on first use in any page
• Use the Comptroller’s own form numbers consistently (Form 50-114, Form 50-132)
• Avoid sector jargon and consultant-speak where possible
• Follow our Accessibility Statement, including WCAG 2.1 AA targets

Where Spanish is the dominant language for a substantial portion of a county’s residents (much of South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley), we link the CAD’s Spanish-language pages where they exist. We do not translate CAD pages ourselves; we point to the CAD’s own translations.