Brazoria Property Tax Protest ARB Tax Savings over $6 MM in 2023
With informal appeals going for taxpayers 86.94% of the time, it would have been easy for the people of Brazoria County to rest on their laurels and take what the Brazoria County Appraisal District (Brazoria CAD) gave them. Instead, a record number of businesses and homeowners took their cases to the appraisal review board (ARB). Some were informal appeals that were rejected, while others were ones that had been successful but were offered chickenfeed in their settlement. Over 86% of these hearings were successful, resulting in a taxable value cut of $323 million. Get your own piece of the action when you enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ and have the power of an elite property tax protest firm on your side. There is no cost to join, and you will only be charged from your winnings if your taxes are lowered. Enroll, relax, and save.
Protests with Written ARB DeterminationSource: 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 | 0.799 | 0.979 | 0.978 | 0.689 | 0.498 | 0.525 | 1.002 | 0.953 | 9.030 | 18.429 | 26.614 | |
| Protests single family residential | 0.570 | 0.777 | 0.703 | 0.372 | 0.324 | 0.335 | 0.142 | 0.234 | 6.937 | 13.846 | 20.714 | |
| Protests with all other | 0.229 | 0.202 | 0.275 | 0.317 | 0.174 | 0.190 | 0.860 | 0.719 | 2.093 | 4.583 | 5.900 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Hearing results depend on the appraiser assigned or the ARB; results vary widely. You do not know the appraiser or ARB panel prior to appealing.
Brazoria County Protests with Written ARB Determination
Formal hearings are the next step along the property tax appeal ladder and are increasingly becoming important in Texas. Once reserved for businesses and high-dollar homes only, these are now becoming favorite targets for many homeowners, as it allows a careful review of the facts before a trio of experts. Informal appeals are vital, but formal hearings before the appraisal review board (ARB) ensure that a taxpayer is getting a fair shake, not just whatever scrap that the appraisal district is willing to give them.
Informal appeals have an over 87% success rate in Brazoria County, but that does not mean that taxpayers should skip the ARB. While a failed informal appeal can be escalated to a formal one, so can settlements that are deemed inadequate. If you want to take your fight against the Brazoria County Appraisal District (Brazoria CAD) to the next level, why not join forces with O’Connor? Based in Houston, O’ Connor is one of the largest property tax firms in the nation and has plenty of local experience in Texas, the Houston area, and Brazoria County itself. There is no cost to join, and your taxes can never increase thanks to an appeal.
Brazoria CAD Protests by Property Type
Due to the success rate of informal appeals, the people of Brazoria County do not go for ARB hearings as high as places like Travis or Denton counties, but there has been an uptick as property values of all kinds skyrocketed. Now that over 31% of all properties are protested, more taxpayers than ever are exploring the ARB. There were 1,717 formal appeals resolved in 2023, the most ever seen. While this is a small number in context, it is still a good sign for the people of the county and could mean even more such protests in the future.
The rise in formal hearings is thanks mostly to single family homes. Once content with informal means, or no protest at all, many homeowners are looking to gain even more savings with a trip to the ARB. 1,155 homes were disputed and resolved at the ARB in 2023, a huge jump from just 694 in 2022. Businesses have had less ARB hearings in the past few years, possibly because of rising informal success. Still, these large properties did get 562 formal resolutions in their favor. It is also possible that many businesses went beyond the ARB and tried for judicial appeals.
Brazoria County ARB Decisions with a ReductionSource: 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 | 0.521 | 0.667 | 0.746 | 0.389 | 0.230 | 0.329 | 0.800 | 0.848 | 8.724 | 17.463 | 26.202 | |
| Single Family Residential | 0.427 | 0.572 | 0.607 | 0.266 | 0.168 | 0.242 | 0.084 | 0.177 | 6.924 | 13.746 | 20.568 | |
| Commercial / All Other | 0.094 | 0.095 | 0.139 | 0.123 | 0.062 | 0.087 | 0.716 | 0.671 | 1.800 | 3.717 | 5.634 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since An annual appeal is an insurance policy to avoid major increases.
Brazoria County ARB Decisions with a Reduction
Traditionally, winning an ARB decision is much more difficult thanks to the standards of evidence. Even with that being said, the board generally sided with taxpayers in 2023, especially homeowners. Those trying to lower the taxable value of single family homes won a reduction of some sort in 1,052 of cases, which was nearly double what was won in 2022. Commercial appeals hit their lowest total in years with 421 victories. When combined, there were 1,473 total victories for taxpayers of all stripes, easily the most even seen in Brazoria County.
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 Reduction | 65% | 68% | 76% | 56% | 46% | 63% | 80% | 89% | 97% | 95% | 98% | |
| Single Family Residential | 75% | 74% | 86% | 72% | 52% | 72% | 59% | 76% | 100% | 99% | 99% | |
| Commercial / All Other | 41% | 47% | 51% | 39% | 36% | 46% | 83% | 93% | 86% | 81% | 95% | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since To ensure their property taxes are at the lowest possible level.
Percent That Resulted in A Reduction
The win rate in Brazoria County in 2023 was quite astonishing. 86% of all ARB hearings were resolved in favor of the taxpayer. Single family homes nabbed a fantastic 91% win rate, while businesses got a solid 75%. The statewide rate is 70%, with homes getting 75% and businesses reaching 59%. This puts Brazoria County toward the upper echelon of counties when it comes to formal appeals. This means that if a taxpayer can swing it, then an ARB hearing is an excellent chance to improve upon their informal appeals or get a rejected appeal overturned.
Value Reduction From Written ARB DeterminationsSource: 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 | ||
| Total $ Reduction | 0.023 | 0.028 | 0.033 | 0.038 | 0.016 | 0.022 | 0.110 | 0.198 | 0.756 | 1.763 | 1.805 | |
| Single Family Residential | 0.009 | 0.009 | 0.008 | 0.008 | 0.003 | 0.004 | 0.005 | 0.005 | 0.328 | 0.535 | 0.418 | |
| Commercial / All Other | 0.014 | 0.019 | 0.025 | 0.030 | 0.014 | 0.017 | 0.105 | 0.192 | 0.429 | 1.228 | 1.387 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Unequal appraisal allows protests based on neighbors having a better tax assessment.
Brazoria CAD Dollar Value Reduction from ARB Hearings
With so much winning for homes and businesses, 2023 saw the record for formal savings easily broken. $323 million in taxable value was lowered thanks to these hearings, a giant leap from $260 million in 2022. Business properties led the charge, even though they had a smaller number of cases than ever before. Commercial, industrial, and multi family housing saw a combined savings of $255 million in value. This demonstrates just how much money is held in such properties. Single family homes were not too shabby themselves, garnering a savings of $68 million in value.