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How to Protest Your Denton & Collin County Property Tax Assessment

By May 9, 2022December 4th, 2023Judi's Blog
How to Protest Property Tax Assessment | Judi Wright Team | Best Frisco Realtor

Homeowners must act quickly to have an opportunity to reduce a staggering property tax bill increase.  

Increasing Property Tax Assessments

Many Frisco, Plano, and North Texas homeowners received their property tax assessments in the mail over the last month. And most of these homeowners were not at all happy with the increase in property taxes owed on their homes.

And some Denton County residents are still waiting to receive their notices as Denton County split notifications into two groups mailed at different times.

Why did property taxes increase so much this year?

Living in Frisco and the surrounding area has many benefits. A steady increase in property values is one of them – except when it’s time to pay property taxes.

In North Texas, the average home sales price has increased by 19% compared to 1 year ago. This increase in property values has not gone unnoticed by the Denton and Collin County Tax Assessors who assess your property taxes based on the market value.

What impacts the value of your property tax assessment?

While the property tax assessment value is not the same thing as the market value – these two values are correlated to reflect the increasing or decreasing demand for home purchases in your area.

Your property tax rate is calculated as follows: assessed value of the property multiplied by the tax rate = property tax bill.

For many homeowners, this year’s staggering property tax bill comes at a time when many are still recovering from the financial impacts of the pandemic and fear being taxed out of their homes.

Should You Protest Your Property Taxes?

Yes. Even if you have never protested your property taxes before, this is the year to do it if you think your property tax assessment is too high. After all, this year’s assessment will impact the amount you pay in property taxes for years to come. Protesting your taxes is a property owner’s right and can be done online, by mail, or in person depending on your county.  There is no risk to disputing your taxes and it is a welcome right in the State of Texas.

Tips for completing your property tax protest

Tip #1: File a Homestead Exemption
Make sure you claim a homestead exemption for your principal residence. This exemption decreases the amount of taxable value on your home, resulting in a lower tax bill each year. Additionally, the homestead exemption caps your property tax appraisal amount to no more than 10% each year. (Read more about homestead exemptions and an update on Proposition 2 below.)While this year’s deadline for claiming a homeowner’s exemption has passed, it isn’t too late to file an exemption. You can find more information on homestead exemptions on the Texas Comptroller’s website.

Tip #2: Act Now – deadlines are fast approaching.
The deadline to protest is different for each county, but generally, your protest deadline will be 30 days after you receive the appraisal district’s notice of appraised value in the mail.
Collin County protest deadline May 31, 2022
Denton County sent appraisal notices in two batches with deadlines happening on May 18th and June 13th.

Tip #3: Document the Reason for your Protest.
If you believe your property assessment is too high, gather evidence to support your argument. This could include photos of the home where repairs or renovations would be needed to provide a property value equal to other comparable properties. You can also get repair/renovation estimates to support your claim. Additionally, look at what other equal-size homes in your neighborhood have sold for and make a list of amenities in those homes. If your home doesn’t stack up, this could be great evidence to support a lower assessment.

Tip #4:  Ask for Help.
There is no shortage of property tax protest companies out there. If you feel like the process of protesting is beyond your current ability level, ask for recommendations from others or look at Google reviews for assistance. You might also check in with your real estate agent for help. The Judi Wright Team offers property tax protest assistance for those needing extra support on comps or names of tax protest companies

Where to file your property tax protest

You will file your property tax protest depending on which county your home is located. Here are some helpful links to get you to the right spot.

Collin County– The Collin County Appraisal District’s website provides everything you need to file a protest. You can use this protest form, or simply provide a notice of protest to the Central Appraisal District of Collin County and include the property address, owner information, and reason for the protest.

The deadline to file a property tax protest for Collin County is May 31, 2022.

Denton County– For those homes located in Denton County, homeowners can file a protest through the online portal, or by filling out a form and mailing it in or dropping it off at Denton County Assessor’s Office at 3911 Morse St, Denton, TX 76208. More information is available on the Denton CAD website.

The deadline to file a protest in Denton County will vary depending on when you received your appraisal notice and is either May 18th or June 13th.

Update on the May 7th Proposition 2 Homestead Exemption Vote

Residents of Texas voted on May 7th, 2022 on a property tax amendment to the Texas Constitution. In a sweeping victory, Proposition 2 won 85% of the vote to increase the amount of the homestead exemption for school district property taxes from $25,000 to $40,000. Proposition 2 is designed to shift more financial burden from property owners to the state.

If you are worried about the schools losing funding, don’t be. The state will pick up the difference in tax revenue, so schools do not lose any funding. Additionally, the amount wealthier schools contribute to the recapture fund (also known as Robin Hood) will be less. The recapture fund is meant to support school districts with lower property values and has been a controversial topic since its origin in Texas.

Proposition 2 takes effect on January 1, 2022, and applies only to a tax year beginning on or after that date.

Need help with your property tax protest?

Give us a call at 214-597-2985.

We’ll be happy to provide comps if you are in the  DFW area to help you plan and institute a dispute on your home’s value!

Property Tax Assessment Protest | Judi Wright Team

About the Judi Wright Team

Judi Wright/The Judi Wright Team is a real estate group specializing in the suburbs of Frisco, Plano, and surrounding areas. Named the “Best Realtor in Dallas,” by D Magazine fifteen times and a Five Star Realtor with Texas Monthly ten timesJudi is also a Company-Wide Top Performer with Ebby Halliday, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate.