Bell Property Tax Protest - Reduction from Lawsuits $560,000 / Year
While property taxes in Bell County have doubled in the past year, residents have been fighting back in record numbers. With informal and formal appeals finding purchase like never before, more taxpayers are exploring lawsuits against the Tax Appraisal District of Bell County (Bell CAD). If you are looking to file a judicial appeal, join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today and get the full support of one of the nation’s top firms. Enroll, relax, and save.
How the Judicial Appeals Were ResolvedSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Judicial Appeals | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Number of Judicial Appeals Resolved | 9.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 9.00 | 16.00 | 24.00 | 36.00 | 34.00 | 32.00 | 33.00 | 75.00 |
| By Agreed Judgment | 9.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 7.00 | 13.00 | 21.00 | 11.00 | 19.00 | 27.00 | 27.00 | 50.00 |
| By Court Judgment or Other | 0 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 25.00 | 15.00 | 5.00 | 6.00 | 25.00 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since An annual appeal is an insurance policy to avoid major increases.
Bell CAD Judicial Appeal Resolutions
2024 was a record year for lawsuits against the Tax Appraisal District of Bell County (Bell CAD). A total of $819 million in property value was contested at the peak of the appeal ladder. The county even witnessed the number of litigation resolutions double from the previous year. If you are looking to make the ultimate protest, O’Connor is here to help. O’Connor will gather evidence and build your legal team for you, paying all legal fees. You will only pay from your savings if your taxes are lowered.
Bell CAD Judicial Appeal Resolution Summary
Despite the cost of getting to this final step, judicial appeals are often settled out of court in favor of the taxpayer. In 2024, 66% of cases were settled before the court could even meet. There was a total of 75 resolutions in 2024, with 50 of them being handed to the taxpayer. The rest were decided in front of a judge. This is a low percentage of settlements for Texas, but still impressive. Many counties will see the CAD capitulate over 90% of the time.
Appraised Value (ARB) of Resolved Judicial AppealsSource: 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 | |
| Appraised Value (ARB) | 0.03 | 0.06 | 0.09 | 0.06 | 0.07 | 0.13 | 0.36 | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.47 | 0.82 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since To maintain their rights to appeal to or through the judicial appeal process. Owners must exhaust administrative options to pursue binding arbitration or a judicial appeal
Appraised Value of Resolved Litigation
Litigation in Bell County hit its current high point in 2024, and the appraised value of all real estate disputed was $820 million, while the market value was $918 million. This meant a large increase in both the number and value of cases filed. With so much success already happening at the administrative level, this shows that taxpayers are becoming more willing to take the biggest and final step to protect their real estate.
Value Reduction from Judicial AppealsSource: 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 | |
| Total Reduction from Judicial Appeals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.03 |
| Single Family | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Multi-Family | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.01 |
| Commercial | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| All Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is a responsibility of ownership. Large commercial owners generally appeal annually and obtain a reduction. Why should homeowners be excluded?
Value Reduction from Appeals
While 2024 was a big step forward for taxpayers, the amount of value reduced through litigation was about equal to what it had been in the last few years. Since 2022, Bell taxpayers have reduced around $300 million in value with judicial appeals, and 2024 was no different. This was in spite of multifamily homes dropping in reduced value, going from $200 million to $100 million. Commercial properties managed to reduce their value by a strong $100 million.
Tax Savings From Judicial AppealsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Millions of $ | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Total Tax Reduction | 0.04 | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.08 | 0.26 | 0.34 | 0.51 | 0.69 | 0.71 | 0.56 |
| Single Family | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Multi-Family | 0.02 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.24 | 0.11 | 0.22 | 0.32 | 0.44 | 0.27 |
| Commercial | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.23 | 0.24 | 0.26 | 0.27 | 0.25 |
| All Other | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.05 | 0.10 | 0 | 0.04 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since The appraisal district uses inaccurate data, factors and an inaccurate model to estimate values. Half are too high and half too low; very few are just right. Even if you are under-valued on market value, you can appeal on unequal appraisal.
Property Tax Reduction from Lawsuits
While most metrics were up, the elite of Bell County were not able to secure as large a tax savings as they had over the last few years. A total of $560,000 was stricken from the rolls and returned to the people. While still an impressive number, it was lower than the 2023 record of $710,000. 2022 also scored higher with $690,000.
This was thanks to a large drop in reductions for multi family housing, such as apartments. While getting a cut of $440,000 in 2023, this fell to just $270,000 in 2024. Commercial properties managed to win back $250,000, while oil and gas got $40,000. Single family homes did not see any tax cuts thanks to district lawsuits in 2024, but this is typical for the county.