In the past decade, property taxes across Texas have doubled, though many counties have even quadrupled or more. This is especially true for major metropolitan areas, where urban centers meet suburban, exurban, and rural areas. While counties such as Midland are centered around massive oil wealth, it is usually homes that make up the majority of property value. With homes being such a large source of revenue, it is typical for appraisal districts (CADs) to target them as the primary source of property taxes. This, in turn, puts a lot of pressure on homeowners to keep their properties. While Texas is not Illinois, where taxes can triple or more overnight, the gradual climb seen in every metro area has often priced families out of their homes or forced businesses to close.
While exemptions do help, it is property tax appeals that Texans are turning to in record numbers. While every county or metro area has embraced tax protests in different ways, each has seen a colossal benefit from the practice. Guaranteed under the Texas constitution, these appeals, hearings, and lawsuits combine to make an effective weapon against growing values, taxes, and other costs. Informal appeals come first and are often enough to get a fine settlement. Formal hearings with the appraisal review board (ARB) come second and are often the primary target for businesses, expensive homes, and high-dollar areas. Judicial appeals and other lawsuits are a last resort if these administrative appeals fail.
As all counties across Texas have issued their final results, we can reflect on just how effective these appeals were in the past year. While even the smallest towns have seen a bonanza of savings, we will focus mostly on the Texas Triangle, which is the term for the trio of Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Austin, along with their surrounding areas. Each of these great cities has an entire metro area made of multiple counties surrounding it, each with their own stories. We will examine how each of these regions did in 2025 and hopefully explain why every Texan should explore an appeal, even if it is just to confirm an established value.
The Houston Area
Harris County is the largest county in Texas by population, wealth, and many other economic factors. Known for urban sprawl, the Houston area includes Harris, Montgomery, Brazoria, and Fort Bend counties, among many more. This web of communities boasts some of the most diverse populations, economies, and cultures in the United States. Because of the expansive nature of Houston and the surrounding area, the influence of the city can be felt for hundreds of miles.
Harris County
When all put together, the total property value of homes and businesses in Harris County combined was $614.67 billion. Home values alone increased 6.7% thanks to aggressive valuation by the Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD), while commercial property jumped 7.7%. This had been on top of over a decade of steady growth, which had universally pushed values to new heights. The first round of appeals in 2025 proved to be quite effective, as they were able to cut housing values by 2%, while commercial property experienced a stronger decrease at 2.9%. While these initial protests were small when viewed as percentages, they were able to carve a savings of $9.13 billion for homes and around $5.16 billion for businesses.
When the appeal process was completed, Harris County saw even starker results. The reduction in homes values was increased to 2.7%, which translated into a savings of $12 billion in value. Commercial property got a giant boost to savings, as the decrease reached 5.4%, nearly double what it had been before. This cut $9.62 billion in value from the tax rolls. This illustrates the value of ARB hearings, which improved savings a great deal, especially for high-dollar properties. For instance, business property worth over $5 million added 7.4% in 2025, but combined protests reduced that increase by 5.4%, resulting in billions of savings.
Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County has traditionally had some of the highest property taxes seen in Texas, making it one of the most protested counties in the state. Single family homes in Fort Bend spiked 3.3% in 2025, which moved the total value to $126.22 billion. Informal appeals were able to cut the initial growth almost in half, with a reduction of 1.1%. This was enhanced by formal appeals, bringing the final cut to 1.7%, and reducing the total down to $124.53 billion. The most expensive homes in the county, those worth over $1.5 million, saw an astounding jump of 13.5%, but that increase was later slowed by a strong reduction of 4.1% thanks to appeals.
Fort Bend commercial property has been surging in recent years and 2025 saw a giant upswing of 16.4%. This was met with the usual Fort Bend gusto by taxpayers, and a rain of appeals soon bit into this giant swelling of value. Informal protests sliced into it by 6.1%, while ARB hearings pushed it to 10.9%. While the initial commercial combined value was $22.73 billion, protests managed to bring it down to $20.26 billion. Businesses worth over $5 million had originally skyrocketed by 21.5% but this was reduced by 14.8%.
The Metroplex
Harris County may be the largest county on its own, but the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is a giant chimera of many cities and counties that forms one of the biggest economic powerhouses in the United States. Made up of Dallas, Tarrant, Denton, and Collin counties, along with a few others, DFW runs the gamut from industrial centers to trendy suburbs. While DFW has been slow to adopt property tax appeals, this trend is quickly changing, especially among the vibrant communities of Collin and Denton counties.
Dallas County
DFW’s heart, Dallas County is a Texas legend for both living and working spaces. The growing demand for homes in the county pushed a powerful increase of 5.6% on residential taxable value. While informal protests were somewhat anemic, accomplishing only a snip of 0.7%, this was later improved by ARB hearings to a respectable 1.1%. While small when seen as a percentage, this still managed to provide over $3.23 billion in relief for needy homeowners, especially for smaller homes. Residences worth under $250,000 had their value increase of 1.2% reduced by 0.5%, while those between $250,000 and $500,000 saw their growth of 2.7% slowed with a drop of 0.6%.
Property tax appeals of all stripes paid major dividends when it came to commercial properties. An overall jump of 15.1% swept Dallas County businesses, with 15.3% being for those worth over $5 million. Thanks to a small arsenal of protests, the total for the whole county was trimmed 9.4%, going from $156.15 billion to $141.45 billion. Properties worth over $5 million shrank further with a reduction of 10.2%. Thanks to diligent taxpayers, the historic spike for businesses was cut in half, producing significant savings for all business types across the county. This was particularly felt for apartments, where a 16.1% increase was countered by a 10.8% cut.
Tarrant County
Home to Fort Worth, Tarrant County is the other pillar of the metroplex. Unlike Dallas, Tarrant did not see a huge jump in residential value, and only a 1.6% uptick came down the pipe. Taxpayers still jumped at the opportunity and hammered the appraisal district with a storm of protests. The informal stage completely wiped out the gain, and then some, with a strong reduction of 4%. This allowed taxpayers to regain some ground from previous years as well and helped establish the true market value in Tarrant County. When ARB hearings were added, the total reduction was adjusted up to 4.3%. This translated into a savings of $9.44 billion in value. A culling of 3.8% completely obliterated a jump of 1.5% for homes worth between $250,000 and $500,000, which was the primary block of residential value.
Commercial values were another kettle of fish. The appraisal district handed out an enormous spike of 25.3%, including a huge increase for businesses worth over $5 million with a jump of 27.1%. Taxpayers brought the hammer, with initial appeals cutting 7% of the overall sum. This was improved to 11.7% thanks to the addition of formal protests. Commercial properties worth over $5 million got a solid cut of 12.9%. In total, all appeals were able to save business owners $8.68 billion in taxable value.
Denton County
Once a rural area, Denton County is now the premier suburb of DFW and one of the nation’s top housing markets. Predictably, home values jumped by 5.9% in 2025, bringing the new combined total to $158.57 billion. Informal appeals hit with a whimper, only saving 0.2%. ARB hearings soon showed why they are favored in high-dollar areas and combined with these initial protests to bring in a respectable reduction of 2.5%, bringing the total down to $154.57 billion. Appeals erased the spike for homes worth between $250,000 and $500,000, the primary residential category, while cutting growth in half for those worth between $500,000 and $750,000, the second-largest category.
Like Tarrant, Denton County saw a huge surge in commercial value, one that tipped the scales at 26.4%. Every commercial subtype saw a spike of at least 20%, making the impact universal. This was understandably answered by a flurry of appeals, and when informal and formal appeals were combined, a decrease of 13.9% was achieved. Commercial property worth over $5 million had surged by 30.3% but was later sliced down by 16.3%. Warehouses, which had previously grown by 34.9%, were reduced by 18.5%. When the dust settled, $5.61 billion in value had been shed.
Collin County
Due to their similarities, Collin County aped Denton for the most part. A housing value spike of 4.6% ravaged the area in 2025, with initial appeals only managing to reclaim 0.6%. Collin County has long-since embraced the power of ARB hearings, and this was simply setting the table for later reductions. However, even these stalwarts were only able to get the overall reduction to 0.9%. While this saved $1.68 billion in value for taxpayers, it certainly could have gone better. Strangely, the spike mostly targeted opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to homes. Those worth under $250,000 saw a surge of 11.8%, while those over $1.5 million jumped 15.2%. These properties did see the largest cuts, with 1.2% and 3.4% respectively.
Commercial properties did not see quite the massive hit that Denton County businesses did, but a jump of 14.8% was still substantial, bringing all taxable value up to $71.69. This was much more susceptible to appeals, however, and business owners were able to claw back over half of the value. 8.7% was knocked off the combined value thanks to both informal and formal protests. Properties over $5 million had previously climbed 15% but were cut down by 9.7%. Hotels had soared by 40.2% but got a break in the form of a 17.2% reduction. $6.21 billion would eventually be eliminated, putting businesses in a much better standing than they had been and demonstrating why most commercial properties protest annually.
Austin Area
DWith Travis County at its heart, the Austin area also includes major suburbs Hays and Williamson counties. This trio of counties features some of the most in-demand land on the planet. While Travis County holds Austin itself, San Francisco-level property values have forced a growing number of homeowners and businesses to areas outside of this core. Thanks to the staggering taxes seen in the area, Travis, Williamson, and Hays counties are some of the most protested counties in Texas and this has helped keep things somewhat in line.
Travis County
In a shock to everyone, Travis County homes only added 0.7% in value in 2025, which is partially thanks to the constant protesting by homeowners. Even with this paltry increase, the total value for homes was set at a staggering $220.61 billion. Homeowners used this lull in value surges to reclaim some lost ground, and the systematic protests easily overcame the increase and began eating away at the previously established prices. Informal appeals slashed 1.2% off of the total, but this was just the appetizer. Travis County uses the ARB like no other and formal appeals drove the cuts to 4.6%, which translated into a savings of $10.14 billion. The only category that did not result in a negative number was homes worth over $1.5 million, though their spike of 7.4% was mostly wiped away by a cut of 6.7%.
Travis County business owners were not quite as lucky, but they still fought like demons. Initial assessments showed a surge in value of 14.7%, which took the total value to $160.23 billion. Informal appeals were incredibly successful considering their history in the county and were able to achieve an overall decrease of 5.8%. This was then aided by ARB hearings, pumping the reduction to 9%, and resulting in $14.43 billion in taxable value. Businesses worth over $5 million were the largest beneficiaries, scoring a cut of 9.4%.
Hays County
Built around San Marcos, Hays County is a true suburban utopia. As one of the main recipients of population flight from Travis County, Hays has seen a dynamic shift in population and demographics. Despite this, home value growth in 2025 was rather sedate, at least by Austin area standards. Home values climbed by 5%, taking the total to $44.57 billion. Appeals did not take long to kick in and after informal and formal appeals were combined, a reduction of 3.7% was achieved. The main source of value, homes worth between $250,000 and $500,000, had initially seen a spike of 4.7%, however, this was knocked down 3.3%, producing the largest savings in the county.
Likewise, businesses did not see a giant swing in value, though 4.4% can still be troubling. Protests rose to the occasion, however, and this 4.4% was matched exactly by the ensuing appeals. Hays County does not have a large commercial sector, but the cuts still brought forward solid savings. $404.63 million was recouped by businesses thanks to the hard work of business owners and their representatives.
Williamson County
Larger than Hays but smaller than Travis, Williamson County is home to Georgetown and other towns that orbit Austin. Thanks to growing demand, home values across the county grew 6.3% in 2025, higher than 2024’ uptick of 4.1%. This took the total to $104.28 billion, the highest yet seen in the county. Informal appeals did not accomplish much, only netting a reduction of 0.3%. When the ARB hearings came in, this was raised to 0.6%. While not the result that homeowners had hoped for, I still managed to save them $610.62 million in value. There were some key savings for homes worth under $250,000 and those between $250,000 and $500,000, granting some relief to working families and the middle-class.
Commercial property in Williamson County has been growing steadily and increased 10% in 2025. Just Ike homes, this was quickly protested. Informal appeals produced a reduction of 2.8%, which brought the total combined value to $37.65 billion. ARB hearings pushed the reduction to 4% and the total to $36.82 billion. An important reduction was for apartments, where a jump of 11.8% was partially countered by a reduction of 5.2%. Higher apartment values translate into higher rents, so this hopefully saved money for owners and clients.
Appeals Make the Difference in Texas
This article did not cover all of the Texas Triangle, but hopefully it demonstrates just how powerful appeals of all sorts can be. In these limited examples, we saw tens of billions of dollars in value cut from the most important cities in the Lonestar State. This could easily translate into billions of dollars saved for hardworking taxpayers across the state. While extra money in your pocket is always nice, many of these reductions were the difference between a family losing their home and keeping it or were key to keeping a business in the hands of the family that founded it. Property taxes in Texas are only increasing and while plenty of legislation has been passed to help, appeals will always be vital to protecting property from outrageous taxation.
When taxpayers joined O’Connor, they tended to get even better results, often double that of the average. While taxpayers should always appeal their taxes annually, getting representation from a firm like O’Connor can make all the difference. We have been helping Texans for over 50 years and will continue to do so as long as we are able. There is never a cost to join, and we will automatically protest taxes for you annually. This typically produces the best results and helps keep a property value stable for future appeals or assessments. There are no upfront fees or hidden costs, and we will only take a portion of your winnings if we can lower your taxes.
