What happens after you file a property tax appeal
After you file, the county acknowledges the appeal, often offers an informal settlement, schedules a hearing if you don’t settle, and mails a written decision; meanwhile you pay your taxes on time, and a reduction comes back as a corrected bill or refund.
Data as of 20 Oct 2026 · primary sources listed belowBy Appealmetrics Research · Updated 20 Oct 2026 · How we check facts
Acknowledgement and scheduling
Expect a confirmation that the appeal was received and, later, a hearing notice. In Texas the review board must give at least 15 days’ notice of the hearing and the district must tell you how to get the evidence it will use (Texas Comptroller; Tex. Tax Code ch. 41). Watch your mail and email; a missed hearing usually ends the appeal.
The informal offer
Many assessors call or write with an offer before the hearing. Compare it with the value you asked for and the saving it produces. Accepting usually ends the appeal for the year. See informal review vs formal hearing.
The decision
The board mails a written decision or order with the value it set. The next level has its own deadline, counted from that decision: in Texas, 60 days from receiving the review board’s written order to file in district court (Texas Comptroller; Tex. Tax Code ch. 42).
Paying while you wait
Pay your taxes by the due date even while the appeal is open; late-payment penalties and interest usually apply regardless of the appeal, and some states require payment to keep a court appeal alive. If the value comes down after you paid, the tax office issues a corrected bill or a refund.
Tell us how it went
If you used an Appealmetrics packet, we’ll ask for the outcome. We publish aggregate results, wins and losses alike, on the results page.
Look up your county’s deadline and forms
Harris County, TX · Dallas County, TX · Kings County, NY · King County, WA · Los Angeles County, CA · Fulton County, GA · All states and counties
Check whether yours is over-assessed
Free. We compare your home with recent sales of similar homes nearby (in Texas, with comparable homes on the district’s roll) and tell you whether an appeal is worth filing.
By checking an address you agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy. We keep an address only if you add it to a dashboard; we never sell it.
Related guides
- Texas Comptroller, property tax protests and appeals
- Tex. Tax Code ch. 41, local review (protests, §41.43(b)(3) unequal appraisal, §41.44 deadline, §41.461 evidence)
- Tex. Tax Code ch. 42, judicial review (§42.21 petition)
- New York ORPTS, grievance procedures
- Washington DOR, Appealing your property assessment
- California BOE, Publication 30, Residential Property Assessment Appeals