Harris County Property Tax Protest: Your Appraisal Notice Checklist

What a notice of appraised value is (and is not)

Your notice of appraised value comes from the appraisal district for your county. It tells you the value the district has placed on your property as of January 1 and explains how to protest that value. It is not a tax bill. The Texas Comptroller's property tax basics page explains that local taxing units, such as your school district, city, county and any utility district, set the tax rates. The appraisal district does not levy a tax. The same page says county tax offices collect taxes around October 1, and taxpayers generally have until January 31 of the following year to pay.

It is also not the same thing as a lender's appraisal. When you buy or refinance, your mortgage lender orders its own appraisal to support the loan. That report and the appraisal district's value are separate. They use different dates and purposes, and one does not set the other.

When notices arrive and how the deadline works

According to the Comptroller's Appraisal Protests and Appeals page, if your value went up from the previous year, the appraisal district must send a notice by May 1, or by April 1 if the property is a residence homestead, or as soon as practical after that.

The same page states the usual protest deadline: May 15 or 30 days after the appraisal district mails your notice, whichever is later. The 30 days run from the mailing date, not the day the notice reached your mailbox. The Comptroller notes that offshore workers and full-time military service members may be entitled to file late, and that an appraisal review board can grant a late hearing for good cause.

The safest rule: use the deadline printed on your own notice, and file a few days early.

Your notice checklist, line by line

1. Confirm the appraisal district and account. Kingwood-area homes are appraised by Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) or Montgomery Central Appraisal District (MCAD), depending on the county. If you are not sure which applies, check what county your Kingwood address is in. Note your account number for every call or filing.
2. Find the mailing date and deadline. Put the deadline on your calendar the day the notice arrives.
3. Read both values. HCAD explains that its notice shows a market value (what the district believes the home was worth on January 1) and an appraised value, which can be lower than market value if your homestead value is capped. HCAD's homeowner exemptions page says the 10% cap starts in the second year you have the homestead exemption, so a first-year owner's two values may match.
4. Check the property details. Square footage, lot size, year built, number of baths, pools and outbuildings. A wrong detail is one of the clearest reasons to protest.
5. Check your exemptions. Make sure your homestead exemption, and any age 65 or disability exemption, is listed. If it is missing, see how to file for the Harris County homestead exemption, including the 2026 amounts and late-filing rules.
6. Check every taxing unit. The notice lists the units that tax your property. If you see a municipal utility district, our guide to MUD taxes in Kingwood and Atascocita explains how to look it up.
7. Find your estimated taxes. The Comptroller's notice requirements page says the notice points you to a website with your appraisal district's database of estimated taxes from each taxing unit, updated during August and September as local officials propose and adopt rates. MCAD also directs owners to Texas.gov/PropertyTaxes to find the local database.
8. Write down each question. Tie every note to a specific line on the notice so your protest or call stays focused.
9. Keep copies. Save the notice, your notes, your evidence and any filing confirmation together.

What you can protest

The Comptroller says you may protest if you disagree with the appraisal district's value or with any action it took concerning your property. At a formal hearing you can raise your value, exemptions, special appraisal qualification and the circuit breaker limitation.

Most homeowner protests come down to one of two arguments. The first is that the value is higher than what the home would sell for. The second is unequal appraisal: your home is valued out of line with similar properties. Pick the argument your evidence supports, because the proof for each looks different.

The appraisal review board (ARB) cannot consider your personal finances or whether you think taxes are too high in general. Neither the ARB nor the appraisal district sets your tax rate. Keep your case to the property and what the market says it is worth.

Filing a Harris County property tax protest with HCAD

HCAD's iFile and iSettle page explains the online route:

• Your account number and a unique iFile number are printed in the upper right corner of your notice. You need both to protest online.
• Look up your account on HCAD's website and use the "File a Protest" button, or go to HCAD's owner portal and create an account.
• If you want to be considered for iSettle, check that option and give your opinion of value. An HCAD appraiser reviews it and notifies you by email.
• If you accept the result, you are done. If you do not, you are scheduled for a formal ARB hearing, and HCAD says you can see the comparable sales it used.

The comparable sales HCAD shows you after an iSettle decision are worth reading closely even if you plan to accept. They tell you which homes the district treats as similar to yours, which is exactly what you would argue about at a hearing. If you would rather talk to someone, HCAD's Telephone Information Center takes calls on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Filing a protest in Montgomery County (MCAD)

The MCAD home page has a "File Your Protest" link that opens its public portal, where you sign in or create an account. The same page links to ARB hearing check-in and a request form for electronic delivery of notices.

In either county, you can also protest in writing. The Comptroller says you may use Form 50-132, Property Owner's Notice of Protest, but you are not required to. A written notice is enough if it identifies the property, the owner and what you disagree with. If someone will represent you, file Form 50-162, Appointment of Agent for Property Tax Matters.

If your property is split by the Harris-Montgomery county line, HCAD notes that you receive notices from both districts and must protest with both appraisal review boards.

How to build your evidence

You cannot simply tell the ARB the value is wrong. The Comptroller lists the kinds of evidence that help, including:

• Photos of your property and of comparable homes.
• Repair estimates or receipts for problems that affect value.
• Sales price documents, such as listings or a closing statement if you bought recently.
• Surveys, engineering reports, or plans that show the property's true size or condition.
• For an unequal appraisal claim, median level of appraisal calculations comparing your value with similar properties.
• Affidavits, deed records, architectural drawings or news articles that bear on value.

If you bought in the last year, your closing statement is strong evidence of what the home sold for. Compare it with the closing costs in Texas on your closing statement, including property tax prorations.

After you file, you can ask for an informal conference with the appraisal district before the formal hearing. The ARB must give you at least 15 days' notice of your hearing, and you can appear in person, by phone or video, or by written affidavit. Because the ARB's job is to set value based on what the market shows, recent sales of similar nearby homes are central evidence. If you are not sure which sales are truly comparable, a local agent can help you find closed sales in your neighborhood. For broader context on how prices have been moving, see our Kingwood housing market snapshot, then narrow down to sales of homes like yours.

What happens at the hearing

The Comptroller's protest page sets out the ground rules. The ARB must send you notice of the hearing date, time and place at least 15 days ahead, and the appraisal district must send you the ARB's adopted hearing procedures at least 14 days before the hearing. The Comptroller also asks you to arrive on time, come prepared, and treat the hearing with the respect you would give a court proceeding.

• Format. MCAD's protest process page says its ARB usually sits in panels of three, both you and the appraisal district present evidence and answer questions, and hearings typically last about 15 minutes. Organize your strongest two or three points so they fit that window.
• How to attend. You can appear in person, by phone or video conference, or by written affidavit. HCAD lists Saturday hearings in June and July and has a page on accessing remote hearings.
• Timing. The Comptroller's basics page says ARBs begin hearing protests around May 15, and MCAD's property tax system page says its ARB starts around June 1.
• Rescheduling and the decision. MCAD says owners who cannot make their hearing time may ask to reschedule, and that the written Notice of Final Order arrives about three to four weeks after the hearing, by certified mail or by email on request.

If you disagree with the ARB's decision

The ARB's written order is not the last word. The Comptroller lists three routes:

Keep paying on time while you appeal. The Comptroller says you generally must pay the taxes that are not in dispute before the delinquency date. Tax bills usually go out in October and are due by January 31; the Comptroller's January 2026 newsletter notes that unpaid taxes pick up a 6% penalty and 1% interest on February 1, with the penalty growing each month until July.

If you just bought or plan to sell

If you bought recently, check who the notice is addressed to and which exemptions it lists. Your own homestead exemption applies only after you apply and the appraisal district approves it. HCAD also cautions that a buyer of a capped home may see a large increase the year after purchase, because the 10% cap takes effect only in the second year of ownership. Budget for that before you assume next year's bill will match this year's.

If you are planning to sell, your notice is a useful data point but not a list price. The appraisal district's value is set as of January 1 for tax purposes. Pricing a home for sale depends on current condition and recent comparable sales. If you are weighing a sale, Peaches can walk you through how pricing works for Kingwood and Lake Houston listings, and what buyers are weighing when they look at Kingwood, TX homes for sale.