Bell Property Tax Protests - by Value, Property Type, and Number r

Homeowners and businesses across Bell County are protesting their taxes like never before. Over 28,210 protests were filed in 2024 alone, the best effort yet. Thanks to aggressive valuations from the Tax Appraisal District of Bell County (Bell CAD), it is inevitable that more taxpayers will join the fight in 2026 and beyond. Be a part of the movement when you enroll with O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™. There is no cost to join, and you will only pay if we can lower your taxes. Enroll, relax, and save.

Total Parcels and Total Protests BellCADSource: 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 Parcels	159.37	162.77	163.66	164.76	167.58	169.36	172.87	176.01	180.34	183.94	185.58
Total Protests Filed	4.41	4.13	4.59	6.04	4.93	10.67	19.73	17.38	22.45	27.24	28.21

Texas property owners should protest annually since Mass appraisal used by appraisal districts includes many errors based on limited resources. About 500 appraisers value all 20 million Texas tax parcels; about 40,000 per appraiser. Another 1,500 appraisers measure new construction.

Bell County Property Tax Protests

While they do not create tax rates or bills, the Tax Appraisal District of Bell County (Bell CAD) has an outsized impact on the wallets of taxpayers across the county. This is because the CAD assesses homes, businesses, and even raw land, which can then have various tax rates applied. Due to the size of the county, the CAD can rarely survey every property first-hand, leading to estimates and computer models that are often wrong.

Taxpayers can correct these issues by using property tax protests. If you are thinking about appealing your taxes, then O’Connor is here to help. With over 50 years of experience, we know what it takes to win against every CAD in the state. We will put together the perfect appeal case backed by world-class evidence that will get you the win. When you sign up with O’Connor, you also get a client success consultant who will guide you through the entire process, making sure you always have the same point of contact.

Total Parcels in the Bell Appraisal District

All real property in Texas is counted in collections known as parcels. With 185,580 parcels, Bell is one of the largest counties. Out of these parcels, over 28,210 of these were protested in 2024, the most ever seen. Protests have been growing every year and will continue as long as values and taxes keep increasing across the county. As of 2024, all the property in the county was valued at $55 billion.

Total Protests 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 Protests	4.41	4.13	4.59	6.04	4.93	10.67	19.73	17.38	22.45	27.24	28.21
Single Family Home Protests	0.60	0.82	0.96	1.89	1.37	4.17	6.97	5.90	8.54	11.26	11.04
Commercial / Other Protests	3.80	3.31	3.64	4.16	3.56	6.51	12.76	11.48	13.91	15.98	17.18

Texas property owners should protest annually since It is their right.

Total Protests

Thanks to the taxable value across Bell County tripling since 2024, more protests than ever are being filed. 2024 has a record of 28,210, but there has been steady growth for the past decade. Most counties with working-class and rural reputations have not seen that type of appeal growth, but this seems to be because of the stark rise in property values across the county.

Bell County is strange in a lot of ways when it comes to appeals, including formal and informal protests being balanced. The most unusual, however, is the fact that more businesses protest than homes do. In 2024, 17,180 commercial properties protested their taxes, compared to 11,040 residences. Typically, homes are in the lead by several orders of magnitude. Most businesses appeal every year to help cut costs, so it is no surprise that more businesses are protesting every year. Homes have been generally increasing steadily and will see more appeals in the future.

% of Parcels Protested Bell CountySource: 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
Percent Protested	2.76%	2.54%	2.81%	3.67%	2.94%	6.3%	11.41%	9.87%	12.45%	14.81%	15.2%

Texas property owners should protest annually since About 60% of appeals are successful.

Bell CAD – Percent of Parcels Protested

The county has seen a staggering rise in engagement with tax protests in the last decade. In 2014, only 2.75% of parcels were appealed. By 2024, that number was 15.20%. While not the impressive 33% of Travis or Fort Bend counties, this is still quite the feat for any county. Bell seems to be adding more protests every year, which coincides with the rapid rise in taxes and values. Hopefully, as protests rise, values will fall.

Protests by Property Type 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	4.41	4.13	4.59	6.04	4.93	10.67	19.73	17.38	22.45	27.24	28.21
Single Family	0.60	0.82	0.96	1.89	1.37	4.17	6.97	5.90	8.54	11.26	11.04
Multi-Family Res	0.19	0.20	0.24	0.34	0.30	1.07	1.99	2.21	2.43	3.24	3.35
Commercial	0.78	0.57	0.83	1.04	1.10	1.89	4.63	2.64	2.55	3.30	3.56
All Other	2.83	2.55	2.56	2.78	2.16	3.55	6.14	6.64	8.93	9.44	10.27

Texas property owners should protest annually since Correcting an error in the appraisal district’s description of your property can reap savings in future years.

Bell CAD Protests by Property Type

When business real estate is broken into subtypes, it is easier to see how these large properties managed to climb to the top of the rankings. Industrial and oil and gas properties were the largest businesses when it came to protesting, with 10,270. These were so numerous that only homes were able to beat them in total volume. With the breakdown laid bare, it is easier to see why homes ranked below the total of business real estate.

While oil, gas, and industrial ruled the roost, the other types of businesses were much closer. Apartments and other multi family homes were responsible for 3,354 appeals, while retail and other commercial types managed to challenge their values 3,555 times. This clearly demonstrates what the biggest players in the business world are in Bell County, though all other categories were quite impressive.

Value of Property Protested by TypeSource: 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
Value Protested Total	3.07	4.26	4.70	5.15	5.10	5.04	7.31	8.50	8.97	12.43	13.13
Single Family	0.08	0.12	0.20	0.28	0.50	0.72	1.34	1.22	2.14	3.44	3.39
Multi-Family Res	0.31	0.35	0.40	0.45	0.67	0.88	1.40	1.51	1.93	2.67	2.71
Commercial	0.76	0.69	0.87	1.05	1.38	1.70	2.72	2.31	2.59	3.75	4.04
All Other	1.92	3.09	3.23	3.37	2.56	1.75	1.85	3.45	2.31	2.56	2.99

Bell CAD Value of Property Protested by Type

Despite being a small number of protests, commercial properties were able to take the top spot when it comes to disputed values. Of the $13.13 billion protested in 2024, commercial real estate was responsible for $4.04 billion. Homes were in second place with $3.39 billion. Industrial managed to contest $2.99 billion, while apartments took $2.71 billion. This demonstrates both the economic might of the county and the dedication to protesting.