Montgomery Property Taxes Cut in 87% of Informal Hearings

Informal appeals are the first recourse that taxpayers have to dispute aggressive taxation from the Montgomery Central Appraisal District (MCAD). In 2024, 87.96% of all of appeals resulted in a reduction, reducing taxable value by $1.12 billion. Commercial owners did better than the statewide average, while homeowners did slightly worse. These appeals still represent major victories for the common taxpayer of Montgomery County and will see more returns in the future. Maximize your informal or formal appeal by joining O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™. Get great service and representation, while not paying anything unless you lower your property taxes. No hidden fees, or upfront costs to stress about, just enroll, relax, and save.

Resolved Informally Montgomery 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	16.451	22.790	27.199	28.660	30.123	31.488	28.181	33.456	26.194	28.511	27.816
Single Family	14.359	15.008	13.651	14.864	14.968	18.258	16.152	18.041	11.199	15.268	8.470
Commercial / Other	2.092	7.782	13.548	13.796	15.155	13.230	12.029	15.415	14.995	13.244	19.346

Texas property owners should protest annually since Most appeals are resolved with a reduction at the informal level.

MCAD Property Tax Protests Resolved Informally

Informal appeals are not just the entry point into the property tax protest process but can be a source of salvation for taxpayers across Montgomery County. Initial appeals are free to file and are easy even for laypeople to understand. Initial appeals can generally be a massive benefit for any taxpayer, from homeowners to business magnates. Let O’Connor lead your entire appeal process and get you the best deal possible on your taxes. With over 50 years of fighting high property taxes, O’Connor is a longtime champion of the rights of Texans. Also, one of the largest firms in America specializing in property tax appeals , O’Connor can bring all the resources needed to get you what you deserve.

MCAD Informal Settlements

Being a residentially focused area, Montgomery County taxpayers’ use of the informal appeal is essential for families that want to stay in their homes. As property values soar to new heights, these appeals are one of the ways to reduce uncontrollable taxes. 27,816 appeals were resolved in 2024, with 19,346 of them being for businesses alone.

Commercial properties and residential ones frequently battle for the top spot when it comes to informal settlements. Businesses came out on top in 2022, but single family homes took the lead in 2023. 2024 saw businesses jump back to a commanding lead, with residential real estate falling to just 8,470 resolved protests. Homes did far better in formal hearings, which is unusual in most of Texas. It is common for homes in high-dollar counties to focus more in formal hearings, so this could be an indication of a shift in the worth of homes.

Resulted in Reduction Through Informal Process Montgomery 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	10.436	15.116	19.135	18.440	21.821	24.825	22.155	22.198	20.251	20.493	24.466
Single Family	9.122	10.504	10.468	12.518	9.110	14.938	14.284	14.062	9.440	11.916	7.546
Commercial / Other	1.314	4.612	8.667	5.922	12.711	9.887	7.871	8.136	10.811	8.577	16.920

Texas property owners should protest annually since It is the world’s safest wager. No cost and a 60% chance of savings annually.

MCAD Informal Hearing Reductions

Informal appeals are very fluid across Texas, often beholden to the whims of various appraisal districts. The Montgomery Central Appraisal District (MCAD) is no different when it comes to handing out settlements and resolutions, with some years being more generous than others. 24,466 informal resolutions ended in a reduction of taxable value. 7,546 homes and 16,920 businesses were able to acquire informal settlements in 2024. The total was a large increase from 20,493 in 2023.

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	63.440%	66.330%	70.350%	64.340%	72.440%	78.840%	78.620%	66.350%	77.310%	71.880%	87.960%
Single Family	63.530%	69.990%	76.680%	84.220%	60.860%	81.820%	88.430%	77.940%	84.290%	78.050%	89.090%
Commercial / Other	62.810%	59.260%	63.970%	42.930%	83.870%	74.730%	65.430%	52.780%	72.100%	64.760%	87.460%

Texas property owners should protest annually since Errors in the appraisal districts records for your property often artificially inflate YOUR property taxes.

MCAD Percentage of Informal Hearings with Reduction

87.96% of informal hearings ended in a reduction of value in 2024. This was the highest seen in the past decade. Commercial properties and other businesses were well above the statewide average, with 87.46% getting a reduction, compared to 54.90% of all of Texas. Due to the value of businesses, this was actually a boon for Montgomery County taxpayers. Homeowners saw a major comeback in 2024, notching a win rate of 89.09%. This was the highest in the county’s history.

$ 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	0.6783	0.9503	1.2457	1.3968	1.5479	1.8769	2.2059	2.5085	2.0084	1.5083	1.1184
$ Reduction Single Family	0.1502	0.2382	0.2141	0.2097	0.2054	0.2543	0.3033	0.3389	0.2932	0.2475	0.3139
$ Value Commercial / Other	0.5282	0.7122	1.0316	1.1871	1.3425	1.6226	1.9026	2.1695	1.7152	1.2608	0.8046

Texas property owners should protest annually since Property taxes are the only type that can be negotiated based on subjective factors and judgment.

MCAD Value Reduction from Informal Process

A total of $1.19 billion was cut from property tax values in 2024, the lowest since 2017. This is partially due to MCAD being tight-fisted with initial settlement and due to property owners looking to get better deals in the formal stage. Like other high-cost areas, formal appeals have become more important to both homeowners and business owners in the past few years. The high point for initial appeals was 2021, where $2.51 billion was cut.

Thanks to both their higher base value and their excellent settlement rate with MCAD, business properties saved a combined $804.60 million in value. This was also the lowest total since 2017. $313.90 million was saved by single family homes, a strong showing, and the highest since 2021. These results are not a reflection of the efficacy of informal appeals but do demonstrate the transition period that Montgomery County is going through, where formal appeals are becoming more prominent, especially for homeowners.