Formal Bell Property Tax Protest Savings over $10.75MM in 2024

While they spent most of the past decade as an afterthought, formal hearings have quickly become the top way to fight the excessive values of the Tax Appraisal District of Bell County (Bell CAD). Reducing taxable value by $512 million in 2024, over 83% of all taxpayers who went to the formal round won. Join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today and get support from one of the nation’s largest firms with no upfront costs or hidden fees. You only pay if we can lower your taxes. Enroll, relax, and save.

Protests with Written ARB DeterminationSource: 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	0.122	0.300	0.342	0.383	0.337	1.691	2.585	2.646	3.548	4.516	8.259
Protests single family residential	0.021	0.049	0.053	0.057	0.050	0.599	0.807	1.048	1.729	2.500	4.789
Protests with all other	0.101	0.251	0.289	0.326	0.287	1.092	1.778	1.598	1.819	2.016	3.470

Texas property owners should protest annually since Hearing results depend on the appraiser assigned or the ARB; results vary widely. You do not know the appraiser or ARB panel prior to appealing.

Bell CAD Protests with Written ARB Determination

The people of Bell County are taking their protests to the appraisal review board (ARB) in record numbers, with 2024 being the peak so far. While the county has a strong balance of informal and formal protests, these second stage hearings are seeing better results every year, adding additional returned funds to the people of Killeen, Fort Hood, Temple, and more.

O’Connor specializes in ARB hearings and gets some of the best results in Texas. This is thanks to local expertise and national resources from being one of the largest firms in the nation. O’Connor feels that this stage of the process is the fairest and guides over 70% of all appeals to the formal stage.

Bell CAD Protests by Property Type

After initial hearings are exhausted, taxpayers can take their protests to the next level by pursuing a formal appeals with the ARB. These are generally considered fairer, as the independent board rules solely on evidence, leaning neither toward the taxpayer nor the appraisal district. This has become a vital cog in the process for Bell County, with over 8,259 protests being filed in 2024 alone. This was nearly double the 2023 total of 3,714. There has been a dramatic rise in taxpayers going to this stage, with only 25 such hearings being held in 2014.

Bell County is unique in the fact that businesses file more informal appeals than homes. This is basically unheard of in Texas. This was also the case for ARB hearings, until recently. In 2024, homeowners filed 4,789 protests, compared to 4,470 businesses. This could be because residential properties fare poorly at the informal level, forcing homeowners to push on. Either way, these types of protests are seeing record success and could mark a sea change in how things are determined in the future. /p>

Bell County ARB Decisions with a ReductionSource: 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	0.022	0.092	0.071	0.050	0.075	0.851	1.858	1.767	2.526	3.714	6.852
Single Family Residential	0.005	0.019	0.022	0.025	0.037	0.426	0.687	0.831	1.554	2.304	4.516
Commercial / All Other	0.017	0.073	0.049	0.025	0.038	0.425	1.171	0.936	0.972	1.410	2.336

Texas property owners should protest annually since An annual appeal is an insurance policy to avoid major increases.

Bell CAD ARB Decisions with a Reduction

Not only were there more hearings in 2024, but they were more effective than ever. A total of 6,852 protests ended in a reduction for taxpayers. Homeowners got the most, winning 4,516. This was a huge leap over the 2,304 victories in 2023. Businesses likewise had their best year yet with 2,336 reductions. Victories have increased every year since 2021, and this trend is expected to continue in the future.

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 Reduction	18%	31%	21%	13%	22%	50%	72%	67%	71%	82%	83%
Single Family Residential	24%	39%	42%	44%	74%	71%	85%	79%	90%	92%	94%
Commercial / All Other	17%	29%	17%	8%	13%	39%	66%	59%	53%	70%	67%

Texas property owners should protest annually since To ensure their property taxes are at the lowest possible level.

Percent That Resulted in A Reduction

The growing efficacy of ARB hearings is evident when the percentage of victories is looked at. In 2024, 83% of all formal protests ended in a reduction. This was the largest ever seen in Bell County and a huge advantage over the statewide average of 66%. 94% of homeowners who reached this stage ended up with a reduction. Meanwhile, businesses saw a win rate of 67%. Both of these easily exceed the Texas averages and also surpass Bell County’s success rate for informal hearings.

Value Reduction From Written ARB DeterminationsSource: 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	0.010	0.012	0.016	0.021	0.013	0.091	0.117	0.080	0.185	0.594	0.512
Single Family Residential	0.001	0	0.001	0.001	0.001	0.008	0.022	0.025	0.075	0.164	0.164
Commercial / All Other	0.009	0.011	0.015	0.019	0.013	0.083	0.095	0.055	0.110	0.430	0.347

Texas property owners should protest annually since Unequal appraisal allows protests based on neighbors having a better tax assessment.

Bell CAD Dollar Value Reduction from ARB Hearings

The only metric that did not see record improvements was in how much value was cut from the tax rolls. 2024 saw $512 million in taxable value reduced. While the second-most ever, it trailed 2023’s $554 million. This was mostly thanks to a decline in business value, which dropped from $430 million to $347 million. Homes stayed around their record high, though they fell a bit to $164 million. There has been a hefty increase in litigation savings, indicating that businesses have begun moving on to the third and final stage.