05/17/2016 Protest Deadline is May 31
Harris County Appraisal District News Release
For additional information contact Jack Barnett, Communications Officer, 713-957-5663
May 17, 2016
Protest Deadline Is May 31 For Property In Harris County
Houston — Harris County property owners who believe there is an error in the
market value set by the appraisal district have until Tuesday, May 31 to protest the value of
their property.
A green protest form was included in the property value notice the Harris County
Appraisal District (HCAD) sent to each property owner in April, however, a Notice of
Protest form may be downloaded from the district’s web site at www.hcad.org. There are
two ways to find the form on HCAD’s homepage. You can find it from the top tool bar
under Forms > General Information, or you can find it from the light blue column on the
left in the “Most Requested Forms” box. The Notice of Protest form number is 41-44.
Instructions for filing are located in the upper left corner of the Notice of Protest form.
Protests may be filed online, brought to HCAD’s office at 13013 Northwest Freeway, or
mailed to P.O. Box 922004, Houston, TX 77292-2004, but must be postmarked by May 31.
Chief Appraiser Sands Stiefer encouraged property owners to use HCAD’s online
iFile system to submit their protest. The chief appraiser noted that unique iFile numbers
are printed on the face of the 2016 value notices near the property account number.
Without this number, the iFile system cannot be used for filing a protest for security
reasons.
Homeowners who file their protest through the Internet using iFile may also have an
opportunity to settle their value online with HCAD’s iSettle system. If a settlement
through the online system isn’t possible, the homeowner will be scheduled for a hearing
with the Appraisal Review Board.
A video explaining how to file an online protest and use the residential iSettle system
is available on the district’s website at www.hcad.org. Questions concerning iSettle may
be directed to [email protected].
“Texas law requires that property be appraised at its January 1 market value,” Stiefer
said. “The purpose of the appraisal is to allocate the tax burden fairly among all owners of
taxable property. The actual amount of tax due is determined by the tax rate set in the fall
by the governing body of each jurisdiction such as county, city, school district or MUD.
The appraisal district has no involvement in the rate setting process.”
Business personal property and some real property accounts will have later protest
deadlines. If a later deadline applies to a particular account, the property owner will be
mailed an official HCAD value notice on which the later protest deadline will be listed.
If you have any questions concerning protesting your market value, please call the
appraisal district’s information center at 713.957.7800.
About HCAD
The Harris County Appraisal District is a political subdivision of the State of Texas
established in 1980 for the purpose of discovering and appraising property for ad valorem
tax purposes for each taxing unit within the boundaries of the district. The district has
more than 1.7 million parcels of property to assess each year with a total market value of
approximately $526 billion. The appraisal district in Harris County is the largest in Texas,
serving approximately 500 taxing units, and one of the largest appraisal districts in the
United States. For further information, visit www.hcad.org.