Brazoria Property Taxes Cut in 87% of Informal Hearings

Taxpayers in Brazoria County are fighting back against overzealous taxation in a big way. No longer content to be bullied by the Brazoria County Appraisal District (Brazoria CAD), the residents of the county are protesting their taxes in record numbers. With over 24% of properties being appealed, Brazoria CAD is finally seeing what it is like to be shaken up by growing numbers. This has certainly worked in favor of taxpayers, as 87.48% of all informal appeals have been granted in favor of business and homeowners. Keep putting the pressure on when you enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™. Free to join, this program will protest your taxes automatically every year, pushing your appeal to the highest level necessary to get you the perfect deal. You will only pay if you save on your taxes and your values can never be raised. Enroll, relax, and save.

Resolved Informally Brazoria CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.

	Thousands
	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Total Number	24.731	24.539	33.679	30.856	28.943	31.626	45.790	37.827	39.903	43.998	29.396
Single Family	13.914	15.239	20.830	19.063	17.488	19.334	29.932	26.527	27.032	27.974	17.934
Commercial / Other	10.817	9.300	12.849	11.793	11.455	12.292	15.858	11.300	12.871	16.024	11.462

Texas property owners should protest annually since Most appeals are resolved with a reduction at the informal level.

Brazoria County Property Tax Protests Resolved Informally

Informal appeals are more than just an entry point into the whole protest process, they can bring significant savings. While they do require evidence and work, these short protests are usually worth it, as they can resolve major issues quite easily. Even if they fail, these can be escalated to formal hearings with the Appraisal Review Board (ARB). Whether you are focused on informal appeals or want a formal hearing, you may want some experts walking you through everything. That is where O’Connor comes in. Based in Houston, O’Connor is one of the largest and most respected property tax firms in the United States and helps over 185,000 clients achieve their goals every year.

Brazoria CAD Informal Settlements

These appeals are especially useful for homeowners, as many of these taxpayers do not have the resources to pursue ARB hearings. A quick settlement is a great way to protect a home or business. 29,396 informal appeals were resolved in 2024, one of the lower totals in the past decade. Single family homes accounted for 17,934, while commercial and industrial properties were responsible for 11,462.

There was a sharp decline in single family homes seeing a resolution informally in 2024. Wild swings are not uncommon with these initial protests, as they are often up to the discretion of the appraisal district. While not to the extent of homes, businesses retreated from their 2023 record of 16,024 appeals significantly as well. While a difference of only a few thousand may seem insignificant, it is important to remember that business properties are worth many more times than homes are in individual cases and even a few can have a huge impact on a county or CAD’s bottom line.

Brazoria CAD Informal Hearing Reductions

Informal reductions have never captured their heyday of 2020, which represented the peak of this style of protest. A total of 25,717 reductions were obtained in 2024, down from 2023’s 38,254. Like settlements, this was driven by a crash of residential numbers, with 16,943 being achieved in 2024. Businesses also tumbled from 12,426 reductions in 2023 to 8,774 in 2024. While these type of protests may be down, it often means that formal protests are rising, which indicates stronger dedication from taxpayers.

Resulted in Reduction Through Informal Process Brazoria CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.

	Thousands
	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Total Number	16.760	19.328	30.434	24.571	24.825	24.929	41.805	33.364	36.240	38.254	25.717
Single Family	12.115	13.168	20.100	17.323	16.463	17.591	29.083	25.439	26.174	25.828	16.943
Commercial / Other	4.645	6.160	10.334	7.248	8.362	7.338	12.722	7.925	10.066	12.426	8.774

Texas property owners should protest annually since It is the world’s safest wager. No cost and a 60% chance of savings annually.

Brazoria County Percentage of Informal Hearings with Reduction

The success of an informal hearing can greatly depend on the CAD in question. Some are very permissive and will often agree with taxpayers. Others, especially in high-dollar counties, will do everything in their power to stop an informal appeal in its tracks. Brazoria CAD seems to be on the permissive side. 94.47% of informal appeals for homes resulted in a settlement in favor of the taxpayer, while commercial properties were able to land a success rate of 76.55%. This resulted in an overall success rate of 87.48%.

The average in Texas is 87.05% for homes and 54.90% for businesses, with an overall of 74.38%. This is a huge boon for taxpayers in Brazoria County, as even a simple appeal can earn a reduction. While crucial for homeowners, especially those of modest means, the high percentage for businesses is also quite impressive. Many businesses must push for an ARB hearing or even a judicial appeal to get a fair value, so being able to get a reduction so early is an excellent cost-cutting measure.

Percent That Resulted in A ReductionSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.

	Percent
	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Total Number	67.770%	78.760%	90.360%	79.630%	85.770%	78.820%	91.300%	88.200%	90.820%	86.940%	87.480%
Single Family	87.070%	86.410%	96.500%	90.870%	94.140%	90.980%	97.160%	95.900%	96.830%	92.330%	94.470%
Commercial / Other	42.940%	66.240%	80.430%	61.460%	73.000%	59.700%	80.220%	70.130%	78.210%	77.550%	76.550%

Texas property owners should protest annually since Errors in the appraisal districts records for your property often artificially inflate YOUR property taxes.

$ Value Reduction From Informal ProcessSource: 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
$ Reduction Total	0.6825	1.1195	1.8332	1.4377	1.0421	1.6751	1.8950	2.1148	4.0356	3.2223	2.7004
$ Reduction Single Family	0.1882	0.2228	0.4448	0.3934	0.3421	0.3622	0.4699	0.5777	0.7776	1.3781	0.6822
$ Value Commercial / Other	0.4943	0.8967	1.3884	1.0442	0.7000	1.3130	1.4250	1.5371	3.2580	1.8442	2.0182

Texas property owners should protest annually since Property taxes are the only type that can be negotiated based on subjective factors and judgment.

Brazoria County Appraisal District Value of Reductions from Informal Process

The financial results from informal appeals have been on a near-constant trajectory for the better part of a decade but have truly been spiking in the last few years. In 2024, the total value reduced reached $2.70 billion. This is mostly thanks to commercial and industrial appeals, as they contributed $2.02 billion to the total, a big improvement over even a year prior. Homes saw lower reductions, despite their success. $682.22 million in value was trimmed for homeowners in 2024.