Bell Property Taxes Cut in 78% of Informal Hearings
As property values across Bell County have tripled in the past decade, property tax protests have risen to the occasion. As the first and most basic step in securing a tax reduction, informal appeals help homes and businesses solve simple problems with assessments and help fight overaggressive valuation by the Tax Appraisal District of Bell County (Bell CAD). Enroll with O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today and get support for your annual protest. There is no cost to join, and you will only pay a percentage of your winnings if you are successful. Enroll, relax, and save.
Resolved Informally Bell CountySource: 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 Number | 4.650 | 4.321 | 4.614 | 5.499 | 4.570 | 12.431 | 13.497 | 15.062 | 16.627 | 17.046 | 17.204 | |
| Single Family | 0.849 | 1.063 | 0.750 | 1.849 | 1.665 | 5.764 | 4.436 | 5.089 | 5.741 | 6.307 | 5.252 | |
| Commercial / Other | 3.801 | 3.258 | 3.864 | 3.650 | 2.905 | 6.667 | 9.061 | 9.973 | 10.886 | 10.739 | 11.952 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Most appeals are resolved with a reduction at the informal level.
Bell County Property Tax Protests Resolved Informally
Unlike most counties, Bell relies on informal and formal hearings almost equally to protect the interests of taxpayers. To make things more interesting, more businesses protest every year than homes, a truly Texas anomaly. No matter if you are a business owner or a homeowner, O’Connor is here to guide you through the appeal process. We will guide your appeal to the level that best fits your situation and support you by representing you at hearings, gathering evidence, and analyzing your appraisal. As one of the largest firms that handles property tax in America, we have the resources to help your case.
Bell CAD Informal Settlements
While formal hearings are slightly above informal ones in saving generated and the number of protests, that does not mean that these initial appeals have fallen off. On the contrary, there are more of these initial protests than ever, and they landed a record number of victories in 2024. 17,204 informal settlements were achieved in 2024, slightly besting the previous high-water mark of 17,046 in 2023.
When it came to protests, commercial properties had a huge lead over homes, with 11,952 protests filed compared to 5,252 homes. This would be considered usual in Texas, but it is par for the course when it comes to Bell County. Businesses reached a record of 17,204 informal settlements, while residential real estate lost a tiny bit of ground when compared to 2023. Both categories saw even greater numbers at the formal level.
Resulted in Reduction Through Informal Process Bell CountySource: 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 Number | 1.050 | 1.261 | 1.247 | 2.421 | 1.770 | 5.642 | 10.170 | 10.682 | 11.194 | 16.894 | 13.518 | |
| Single Family | 0.425 | 0.531 | 0.522 | 1.074 | 0.881 | 2.952 | 3.264 | 3.889 | 4.514 | 6.251 | 4.584 | |
| Commercial / Other | 0.625 | 0.730 | 0.725 | 1.347 | 0.889 | 2.690 | 6.906 | 6.793 | 6.680 | 10.643 | 8.934 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is the world’s safest wager. No cost and a 60% chance of savings annually.
Bell County Informal Hearing Reductions
While the number of protests was at an all-time high, the number of reductions was down from the record in 2023. This may be why so many more taxpayers took their fight to the formal stage, as they could not get adequate reductions informally. 13,518 reductions were achieved in 2024. Of that total, 8,934 were for businesses, while 4,584 were for residences. Both types of real estate saw a retreat in 2023, but this seems to have been made up for by these taxpayers going to the formal stage. This is the natural progression of the process.
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 Number | 22.580% | 29.180% | 27.030% | 44.030% | 38.730% | 45.390% | 75.350% | 70.920% | 67.320% | 99.110% | 78.570% | |
| Single Family | 50.060% | 49.950% | 69.600% | 58.090% | 52.910% | 51.210% | 73.580% | 76.420% | 78.630% | 99.110% | 87.280% | |
| Commercial / Other | 16.440% | 22.410% | 18.760% | 36.900% | 30.600% | 40.350% | 76.220% | 68.110% | 61.360% | 99.110% | 74.750% | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Errors in the appraisal districts records for your property often artificially inflate YOUR property taxes.
Bell County Percent of Informal Hearings with Reduction
78.57% of all informal appeals managed to land a reduction in 2024. This was much better than the statewide average of 74.38%. While impressive, this was a step back from 2023’s success rate of over 99%. Homes managed to do better than businesses, with 87.28% of residential real estate finding a reduction. Businesses managed to grab a reduction of 74.75% of the time. Both were well ahead of Texas averages, and a win rate of 74.75% for businesses was one of the better results for the entire state.
$ Value Reduction From Informal ProcessSource: 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 | ||
| $ Reduction Total | 0.0260 | 0.0341 | 0.0421 | 0.0876 | 0.1332 | 0.1613 | 0.1893 | 0.3364 | 0.4836 | 0.4837 | 0.4839 | |
| $ Reduction Single Family | 0.0056 | 0.0066 | 0.0077 | 0.0109 | 0.0142 | 0.0243 | 0.0344 | 0.0634 | 0.0924 | 0.0936 | 0.0948 | |
| $ Value Commercial / Other | 0.0204 | 0.0274 | 0.0344 | 0.0767 | 0.1189 | 0.1369 | 0.1549 | 0.2730 | 0.3912 | 0.3901 | 0.3891 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Property taxes are the only type that can be negotiated based on subjective factors and judgment.
Value Reduction from Informal Process
Even though informal protests had a lower success rate in 2024, they managed to reduce the greatest amount of taxable value ever seen in the county. A total of $484 million was sliced from the books. A decade prior, appellants only managed to save $26 million. This clearly demonstrates that initial appeals still have a huge impact, even as formal protests generated greater savings. Businesses managed to cut over $389 million from their taxable value, the second-most ever. Homes, on the other hand, managed to reach an all-time high of $94.80 million.