Plan on Protesting Your Property Taxes, Do It Now!
DALLAS – The Dallas Central Appraisal District notices of value were released Friday, May 15 and if you plan to protest, do it now.
Now the next question is how to do that in Dallas County? Due to COVID-19 the Dallas Central Appraisal District office has suspended the public from entering the building. However, early last week staff returned to the building and are now answering phone calls and emails. Staff is also processing protests, deed, and exemption applications.
The only way to protest is over the phone or via email. The protest deadline for Real Property accounts is June 15. For Business Personal Property (BPP) notices of value will be mailed and available later this week May 29. The protest deadline for BPP is June 29.
The Dallas Central Appraisal District noted at its website, “DCAD encourages all property owners and agents to conduct business using DCAD’s Online Programs which allows the electronic filing of Homestead Exemption Applications and the uFile Online Protest/Settlement system for filing protests electronically. Property owners are now able to access the online uFile Protest system.”
You can file a protest by June 15 if you disagree with any action taken by the Appraisal District that affects your property. These actions include:
- The proposed value of your property is too high.
- Your property is valued unequally compared with other property in the Appraisal District.
- The Chief Appraiser denied you an exemption.
- Chief Appraiser denied agricultural appraisal for your farm or ranch.
- The Chief Appraiser wrongly determined that you took your land out of agricultural use.
- The appraisal records show an incorrect owner.
- Your property is being taxed by the wrong taxing units.
- The Appraisal District or ARB took other action that affects your property.
Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD) is responsible for appraising property for the purpose of ad valorem property tax assessment on behalf of the 61 local governing bodies in Dallas County.
Tarrant County Property Tax Protest Deadline
To protest a property tax appraisal in Tarrant County you have until June 1. The property owner, owner’s designated agent or lessee of the property entitled by law to do so must file a notice of protest with the Tarrant Appraisal Review Board not with the Tarrant Appraisal District. The deadline for filing is June 1 or whatever the deadline is printed on the Property Value Notice from the Tarrant Appraisal District, whichever date is later.
It is encouraged that you file your protest online, according to the Tarrant County Appraisal District website. Visit http://www.tad.org for more information and to protest online.
Ellis County Property Taxes
Close to 64,000 Appraisal Notices for 2020 were mailed out in Ellis County by May 15. There will be no person informals for 2020 and the Ellis County Appraisal District suggested protesting online.
“The EAD team will still be working with you through protest online,” the website reads “or over the phone to address your concerns.”
State Representative John Wray made a statement regarding the 2020 Ellis County Property Appraisals on his Facebook “By now most everyone has received their appraisal notice from the Ellis Appraisal District. And I am sure most of you, including me, felt your jaw drop when you saw your 2020 appraisal. It is important to understand what the number means in relation to your property taxes, and what can be done about it.”
Wray said Ellis County is growing fast with home prices rising just like every area of North Texas. In the past five years, the average home price in Ellis County has grown 50%. The appraisal district is tasked with measuring the value of property. Wray said, “they do not get it right 100% of the time, which is why we have procedures to challenge their result, and an independent Appraisal Review Board to handle disagreements.”
He reminds residents that this fall everyone should “take the tools sent by the legislature and communicate with your elected officials at each of the taxing units that affects you.”
For more information on Ellis County appraisals visit https://www.elliscad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Protest-Online-Instructions.pdf
