Brazoria Property Tax Protests - by Value and Property Type
2023 set a new record for property tax appeals both in number and value. 31.4% of all properties in Brazoria County were appealed, and appeals by homeowners were up 89.7% from 2022. The Brazoria County Appraisal District (Brazoria CAD) has brought this on itself with a litany of outrageous taxes and taxable value raises. If trends continue, then the county will become one of the most protested in Texas, even surpassing the likes of Fort Bend County. If you wish to push your property tax protest to the max, then it is imperative that you enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today. There is never an upfront fee to join, and your taxes will be protested annually. You only pay if your taxes are lowered, and they can never increase through protesting, meaning there is no risk in fighting for your fair share. Enroll, relax, and save.
Total Parcels and Total Protests Brazoria CADSource: 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 Parcels | 213.47 | 215.95 | 219.12 | 222.18 | 224.96 | 228.77 | 233.41 | 235.94 | 239.40 | 242.70 | 245.63 | |
| Total Protests Filed | 26.77 | 28.47 | 32.59 | 34.07 | 30.37 | 34.90 | 51.56 | 43.94 | 52.15 | 76.24 | 60.22 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Mass appraisal used by appraisal districts includes many errors based on limited resources. About 500 appraisers value all 20 million Texas tax parcels; about 40,000 per appraiser. Another 1,500 appraisers measure new construction.
Brazoria County Property Tax Protests
Thanks to overzealous taxation from the Brazoria County Appraisal District (Brazoria CAD) targeting both businesses and homeowners, the taxpayers of county have begun embracing property tax appeals like never before. Setting records for participation in 2023, it appears that more residents will be joining the fight as the years continue. 242,700 parcels of land to manage, Brazoria CAD often makes mistakes, which can then be used as the basis for an appeal that can save taxpayers major money on one of their largest expenses.
Get expert help on your side for your tax appeal when you join forces with O’Connor. Helping 185,000 customers in 2024, O’Connor is one of the largest and most prestigious property tax firms in the nation. Based in Houston, O’Connor knows how all appraisal districts across the Houston area work, what evidence they want, and how best to get a result for their clients. There is no charge to join, and taxes will be protested every year at no cost, with only a few being charged if taxes are successfully lowered.
Total parcels in Brazoria County Appraisal District
All property in Texas is wrapped up into units called parcels, which serve as the basis for collection, measurement, and taxation. While not a large county geographically, the expensive properties in the county still account for 242,700 parcels, which is a lot to assess and evaluate. Accuracy in assessing these parcels is paramount, as it has a great impact on both taxpayers and the government bodies that require taxes to exist. The size of the county plus the demand for funding puts Brazoria CAD under extreme pressure, which often leads to them cutting corners or making mistakes.
Total Protests 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 Protests | 26.77 | 28.47 | 32.59 | 34.07 | 30.37 | 34.90 | 51.56 | 43.94 | 52.15 | 76.24 | 60.22 | |
| Single Family Home Protests | 15.43 | 17.41 | 19.18 | 20.99 | 18.57 | 21.81 | 31.97 | 29.16 | 37.53 | 55.37 | 40.87 | |
| Commercial / Other Protests | 11.34 | 11.06 | 13.41 | 13.08 | 11.80 | 13.09 | 19.59 | 14.78 | 14.62 | 20.87 | 19.35 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is their right.
Total Protests
Taxpayers interact with appeals differently all across Texas. Those in the Dallas-Fort Worth area tend to underutilize them, while those in Travis County and the area around Austin have the highest engagement in the state. The Houston area is somewhat of a middle ground. Fort Bend County has some of the highest participation in the state, while Harris and Montgomery counties hover just above average. Brazoria County was once similar to Harris or Montgomery but is quickly moving closer to Austin.
There were 76,240 protests filed in 2023, which is the most seen in the county by far. These have generally been in an uptrend in the past decade and easily eclipsed the previous highwater mark of 52,150 in 2022. This was mainly driven by single family homes, which pushed from 37,530 protests in 2022 to 55,370 in 2023. Commercial properties likewise saw their highest number of protests yet in 2023, notching 20,870. While smaller than residential appeal, commercial protests each carry a much higher value.
% of Parcels Protested Brazoria CountySource: 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 | ||
| Percent Protested | 12.54% | 13.18% | 14.87% | 15.34% | 13.5% | 15.26% | 22.09% | 18.62% | 21.78% | 31.41% | 24.52% | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since About 60% of appeals are successful.
Brazoria CAD - Percent of Parcels Protested
The growth rate for protests has been staggering in Brazoria County, which has been spurred on by taxpayer education and rising values. 31.41% of parcels were protested in 2023, a giant jump from just 21.78% in 2022. This puts Brazoria in the same general category as Fort Bend or Travis counties and could mark a turning point for the area. To show how far the county has come, in 2014, only 12.54% of parcels were appealed, a significant jump in just a decade.
Protests by Property Type 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 | 26.77 | 28.47 | 32.59 | 34.07 | 30.37 | 34.90 | 51.56 | 43.94 | 52.15 | 76.24 | 60.22 | |
| Single Family | 15.43 | 17.41 | 19.18 | 20.99 | 18.57 | 21.81 | 31.97 | 29.16 | 37.53 | 55.37 | 40.87 | |
| Multi-Family Res | 0.26 | 0.29 | 0.31 | 0.31 | 0.33 | 0.35 | 0.44 | 0.37 | 0.38 | 0.53 | 0.19 | |
| Commercial | 2.62 | 3.07 | 3.06 | 3.55 | 3.10 | 3.61 | 4.68 | 4.11 | 4.32 | 5.64 | 5.40 | |
| All Other | 8.46 | 7.71 | 10.04 | 9.22 | 8.37 | 9.13 | 14.47 | 10.29 | 9.92 | 14.71 | 13.76 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Correcting an error in the appraisal district’s description of your property can reap savings in future years.
Brazoria County Protests by Property Type
Due to their high numbers, single family homes reign as the top category of protests, as they do in every county in Texas. Protests focused on homes have seen a meteoric rise in the past few years and went from 29,190 in 2022 to 55,372 in 2023, an increase of 89.7% in just two years. It seems that taxpayers are finally learning their rights and are being forced to take on the CAD thanks to unfair values and taxes. This upward trend will hopefully work toward keeping Brazoria CAD honest in the coming years.
Thanks to its rich oil and gas industry, it is little wonder that the second-most protested category was industrial and utilities. Industrial properties saw 14,730 appeals, which is quite the accomplishment considering how valuable each of those properties are. Commercial properties managed to snag 5,638 appeals, while apartments added 5,260. This is a healthy mix of business properties, with most hitting all-time highs for protests.
Value of Property Protested by TypeSource: 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 | ||
| Value Protested Total | 9.60 | 13.11 | 14.86 | 19.23 | 18.16 | 26.01 | 43.04 | 37.18 | 49.00 | 55.73 | 47.36 | |
| Single Family | 2.76 | 3.48 | 5.09 | 4.77 | 4.57 | 5.38 | 7.94 | 7.49 | 12.26 | 19.84 | 15.23 | |
| Multi-Family Res | 0.62 | 0.76 | 0.83 | 1.14 | 1.23 | 1.31 | 1.58 | 1.51 | 0.03 | 2.43 | 0.04 | |
| Commercial | 1.72 | 2.20 | 2.66 | 3.51 | 3.23 | 3.82 | 4.76 | 3.84 | 5.70 | 7.89 | 8.60 | |
| All Other | 4.50 | 6.66 | 6.27 | 9.82 | 9.13 | 15.49 | 28.75 | 24.33 | 31.02 | 25.57 | 23.48 | |
Brazoria County Value of Property Protested by Type
Naturally, industrial, oil, and gas properties proved to be the most valuable of the protested real estate, with a total value of $25.57 billion. This was down from the 2022 high of $31.02 billion, but this category tends to have some dramatic swings. Commercial properties grabbed a solid appeal value of $7.89 billion, while multi family homes reached $2.43 billion. This was the highest ever achieved by commercial and apartment properties.
Looking at the graph, it is obvious to see how quickly single family homes rose in taxable value disputed. As discussed earlier, homeowners are attacking the CAD like never before. $19.84 billion in taxable home value was disputed in 2023, a giant leap from $12.26 billion in 2022. In turn, 2022 was much higher than the total of $7.49 billion protested in 2021. As home protests have increased every year, it is only natural for this trend to continue, especially with so much on the line.