Find the Correct Appraisal District and Tax Office

Use this when you know the Texas county but do not know which official agency handles appraisal, exemption, protest, bill or payment questions.

1. Open the Comptroller’s Local Property Appraisal and Tax Information directory.
2. Scroll to Select your county below and choose the county where the property is located.
3. In the county page, first read the Appraisal District block for the official CAD website, phone, email and street/mailing address.
4. Continue farther down the same page to the Tax Assessor/Collector section if your task concerns a bill, payment, receipt or collection issue.
5. Review the listed Active Taxing Units. A property can be affected by county, school, city, MUD, ESD, hospital, college or other special districts.
6. Open the official CAD website from the directory and look for labels such as Property Search, Online Services, Exemptions, Forms, Protest, GIS or ARB.

See What May Be Driving Your Tax Bill

This is especially valuable in late summer when taxing units propose and adopt rates. It helps separate a change in property value from a change in local tax rates.

1. Open the official Texas Property Tax Transparency page.
2. Choose the option to find your county’s website.
3. Search by county name and open that county’s Truth-in-Taxation database.
4. On the county database, search the property by address or owner where available.
5. Verify the property ID, market value and taxable value to ensure you opened the correct account.
6. Review every taxing unit attached to the property rather than looking only at the county rate.
7. Compare proposed/adopted rates and estimated taxes and check any listed public meeting or hearing information.
8. If the taxable value itself appears wrong, return to your appraisal district. If the question is the adopted rate, the taxing unit—not the CAD—is the relevant authority.

Application for Residence Homestead Exemption

1. Open or download Form 50-114.
2. At the top, enter the appraisal district county name and account number if known.
3. In Section 1, select the exemption or exemptions you are requesting.
4. In Section 2, provide applicant/owner details and ownership percentage.
5. In Section 3, enter acquisition date, principal-residence occupancy date, physical address and property information.
6. Verify whether you are identified on the recorded deed or other recorded instrument.
7. Attach a copy of the required driver’s license or Texas ID unless an applicable statutory exception applies. In ordinary cases, the address on the ID should correspond with the claimed homestead address.
8. Review any special-document rules for heir property, active-duty military or other circumstances.
9. Read the affirmation and sign Section 6.
10. Submit it to the county appraisal district using the district’s accepted online, mail or in-person method. Do not send it to the Texas Comptroller.
11. Save the submission confirmation, uploaded documents or certified-mail evidence.
12. Recheck the official property account after processing to confirm the exemption appears.

From Notice to ARB Hearing

1. Locate the current Notice of Appraised Value and appraisal account.
2. Verify owner, property characteristics, market value, appraised value, exemptions and prior-year values.
3. Read the protest deadline printed on the notice. For many protests, the general statutory deadline is May 15 or 30 days after the notice is mailed, whichever is later, subject to exceptions.
4. Open your appraisal district’s protest portal or use the appropriate Comptroller model protest form.
5. Identify the specific reason for dissatisfaction—for example value too high, unequal appraisal, exemption denial or another appraisal-district determination.
6. Save the filing confirmation immediately after submitting.
7. Request/review the appraisal district’s evidence or information relevant to the protest when available.
8. Organize your own evidence by issue: comparable sales, property-condition photographs, repair estimates, incorrect property characteristics, independent appraisal or other relevant records.
9. Use an informal conference if offered, but do not assume an informal conversation automatically replaces the scheduled ARB process unless the protest is formally resolved.
10. Read the ARB hearing notice for date, time, hearing format and submission instructions.
11. Present concise evidence tied to the exact protest ground rather than submitting an unstructured folder.
12. Save the ARB order of determination. If still dissatisfied, review available post-ARB remedies and deadlines.