Bell Judicial Appeals Save $560,000 / Year
While Bell County is seeing more property tax appeals than ever before, sometimes these savings are not enough. In those cases, taxpayers can take their fight against the Tax Appraisal District of Bell County (Bell CAD) to court. Litigation includes binding arbitration, hearings with the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH), and judicial appeals. Let O’Connor build your legal team for you, including paying all fees, while charging nothing upfront when you join the Property Tax Protection Program™ today. You only pay if your taxes are lowered. Enroll, relax, and save.
Number Appealed to Binding ArbitrationSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Appeals | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Number Determinations appealed | 1 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 40 | 56 | 74 | 91 | 104 | 116 | 53 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Texas has one of the best systems for appeals for property owners.
Bell County Appeals after ARB Hearing
Litigation is the final option for taxpayers in Bell County who want to reduce their taxes. Usually reserved for the most expensive homes and businesses, these post-administrative appeals take extensive evidence and an elite legal team. O’Connor can provide both, while also running the judicial appeal for you. As one of the largest firms in the nation, O’Connor can call upon the best property tax experts and attorneys in the state to come to your aid.
Bell CAD Binding Arbitration Cases
The simplest form of litigation, binding arbitration, sees Bell CAD and the taxpayer meet in front of an impartial arbiter. The arbiter will review the evidence from both sides before picking a winner based on merit. This type of lawsuit is reserved for homes worth under $5 million, though the cap does not apply if the residence is a homestead. There were 53 cases of binding arbitration in the Killeen area in 2024.
Appealed to State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH)Source: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Appeals | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Appealed to SOAH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Bell CAD State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH)
State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) cases are the rarest of all property tax protests. These are dedicated exclusively to homes valued at over $1 million. Filling a niche between the two other forms of litigation, it is common for counties to never see a single SOAH case in their history. Bell County bucked this trend, hosting a single SOAH case in both 2023 and 2024.
Judicial AppealsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Appeals | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Judicial Appeals | 8.00 | 12.00 | 32.00 | 33.00 | 23.00 | 76.00 | 87.00 | 68.00 | 71.00 | 94.00 | 84.00 | |
Bell CAD Judicial Appeals B
Despite their high-stakes nature, judicial appeals are so common that they are often synonymous with litigation in Texas. These are the classic lawsuits that most people picture, featuring teams of lawyers, a judge, and perhaps a jury. In these cases, real estate worth millions of dollars are contested, with extensive evidence needed to sway the court. Judicial appeals often function like a means test, where simply having resources to reach the final stage is can be enough to land a solid reduction.
There was a total of 84 judicial appeals filed in 2024, the third-most in the county’s history. These have stayed largely the same, while administrative appeals have increased in success, especially those with the administrative review board (ARB). Greater success at lower levels means less reason to go all the way, but many high-value taxpayers will still pursue a lawsuit to build on an ARB victory.