Montgomery Property Tax Protests - By Value, Property Type, and Number
A record 27.52% of all property subject to taxes was protested in 2023, showing that the people of Montgomery County will no longer tolerate the unfair values of the Montgomery Central Appraisal District (MCAD). With $54.02 billion in market value on the line, property tax protests have never seen higher stakes. This is particularly true for homeowners, who made up 61.05% of all protests. Join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program(TM) today and get ready to get the best property tax appeal possible. You will never pay unless you reduce your taxes, which includes no hidden fees or upfront costs. Enroll, relax, and save.
Total Parcels and Total Protests MCADSource: 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 | 285.80 | 291.58 | 296.17 | 302.03 | 308.53 | 316.96 | 323.36 | 330.29 | 344.38 | 361.33 | 374.62 | |
| Total Protests Filed | 31.49 | 39.30 | 51.02 | 47.91 | 44.88 | 55.79 | 64.41 | 61.03 | 85.08 | 99.45 | 97.67 | |
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.
Montgomery County Property Tax Protests
Texas cannot function without property taxes, as they are used to replace the typical state income tax when it comes to funding the government. The Montgomery Central Appraisal District (MCAD) is in charge of evaluating properties and gathering funds for taxing entities like school districts, MUDs, and the local government. Because they are both vital and one of the major expenses of every Texan’s budget, there is a constitutional right to dispute property taxes. Taxpayers in Montgomery County are some of the more zealous of these protestors, thanks to the aggressiveness of MCAD.
MCAD may have a lot of power, but a Montgomery County taxpayer can find a powerful ally in O’Connor. One of the largest property tax protesting firms in America, O’Connor has been helping Texans pay only their fair share for over 50 years. With experience and manpower on their side, O’Connor is dedicated to bringing you the best property tax protest result possible.
Total Parcels in Montgomery Central Appraisal District
Parcels are the basic unit by which MCAD is able to assess and collect taxes. These are groups of real property that are assigned a value and used to generate tax bills. There were 361,330 parcels in Montgomery County as of 2023, almost four times more than the Texas average of 90,622. The increasing value of each of these parcels has also led to more Montgomery County taxpayers filing protests, with 99,450 of all parcels in the county being protested in 2023.
Total Protests 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 Protests | 31.49 | 39.30 | 51.02 | 47.91 | 44.88 | 55.79 | 64.41 | 61.03 | 85.08 | 99.45 | 97.67 | |
| Single Family Home Protests | 21.12 | 27.04 | 35.39 | 27.63 | 22.58 | 33.41 | 38.81 | 37.44 | 55.00 | 60.71 | 61.72 | |
| Commercial / Other Protests | 10.37 | 12.26 | 15.63 | 20.29 | 22.31 | 22.38 | 25.60 | 23.59 | 30.09 | 38.73 | 35.95 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is their right.
Total Protests
While small compared to Harris or Tarrant, Montgomery County has punched above its weight when it comes to property tax protests. The 99,450 protests in 2023 were some of the highest in comparison to population size, showing that Montgomery County citizens are practicing their rights in record numbers. In fact, property tax protests have tripled since 2014, rising almost every year of the decade.
Like many counties in Texas, Montgomery County’s property tax protests were driven by homeowners. 60,710 single family homes were protested in 2023, the largest number ever seen. Homeowners accounted for 61.05% of all protests, which is to be expected in a suburban area. This is not to discount various business properties, as they still filed a strong 38,730 protests.
% of Parcels Protested Montgomery 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 | 11.02% | 13.48% | 17.23% | 15.86% | 14.55% | 17.6% | 19.92% | 18.48% | 24.71% | 27.52% | 26.07% | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since About 60% of appeals are successful.
MCAD - Percent Parcels Protested
27.52% of all parcels in Montgomery County were protested, which is astounding when compared to the statewide average of 13.57%. This puts Montgomery County closer to high-dollar areas such as Collin, Denton, and Travis Counties. This is of particular importance due to the focus on residential appeals, since these protests can help keep families in homes they have lived in for years or even generations. A decade ago, only 11.02% of parcels were protested.
Protests by Property Type 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 | 31.49 | 39.30 | 51.02 | 47.91 | 44.88 | 55.79 | 64.41 | 61.03 | 85.08 | 99.45 | 97.67 | |
| Single Family | 21.12 | 27.04 | 35.39 | 27.63 | 22.58 | 33.41 | 38.81 | 37.44 | 55.00 | 60.71 | 61.72 | |
| Multi-Family Res | 0.19 | 0.24 | 0.61 | 0.28 | 0.47 | 0.28 | 0.28 | 0.30 | 0.58 | 0.55 | 0.57 | |
| Commercial | 3.16 | 3.76 | 5.81 | 4.36 | 6.77 | 4.86 | 5.41 | 6.28 | 6.50 | 5.34 | 7.51 | |
| All Other | 7.02 | 8.26 | 9.21 | 15.65 | 15.07 | 17.24 | 19.91 | 17.00 | 23.00 | 32.85 | 27.87 | |
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.
Montgomery County Protests by Property Type
When protests are further broken down into property types, the dominance of single family homes is clear to see. At 60,710, homeowners protested twice as much as the next category, which itself is a combination of industrial, utilities, and other related properties. This puts Montgomery County in line with other elite residentially-focused counties, affirming its reputation as the premier Houston suburban area when it comes to housing and general living.
Montgomery County was not just focused on residential properties, however, as commercial and multi family housing also got their chance to appeal. 5,336 commercial properties filed protests, while 551 multi family homes did the same. The aforementioned combination of industrial and other properties was clearly in second place, with 32,850 protests on the books for 2023.
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 | 26.32 | 18.85 | 23.09 | 20.57 | 24.35 | 28.02 | 32.34 | 32.31 | 47.27 | 54.02 | 60.24 | |
| Single Family | 12.21 | 8.16 | 9.34 | 9.06 | 8.34 | 11.81 | 14.41 | 13.75 | 22.80 | 28.32 | 30.28 | |
| Multi-Family Res | 1.48 | 1.79 | 1.56 | 1.67 | 2.44 | 2.51 | 2.57 | 2.85 | 4.79 | 5.38 | 6.18 | |
| Commercial | 8.55 | 6.75 | 5.89 | 7.69 | 9.75 | 9.39 | 11.05 | 12.45 | 13.27 | 12.06 | 15.74 | |
| All Other | 4.09 | 2.15 | 6.30 | 2.15 | 3.83 | 4.31 | 4.30 | 3.26 | 6.40 | 8.26 | 8.03 | |
Montgomery County Value of Property Protested by Type
2023 saw a record for the most value protested by property tax appeals in Montgomery County. $54.02 billion in total market value was protested, $22 billion more than in 2021. The value protested had pretty much plateaued until a huge spike in 2022, which only grew by $7 billion more in 2023. This change was thanks solely to single family homes, which went from $13.75 billion in 2021 to $28.32 billion in 2023, an increase of 105.96%.
Where single family homes go, Montgomery County clearly follows. The $28.32 billion in value contested in 2023 illustrates a significant change in both home values and the attitudes of homeowners. While prices are rising faster than most of Texas, taxpayers are standing their ground at an even greater rate. With such a large percentage of protests, homeowners can have a huge impact on the total market value of the entirety of Montgomery County.