When not to appeal your property tax assessment
Don’t appeal when your assessment is at or below what similar homes sell for, when the yearly saving is smaller than your time is worth, when a cap already keeps your taxable value below the reduction you could win, or when a weak case could prompt the board to raise your value.
Data as of 20 Oct 2026 · primary sources listed belowBy Appealmetrics Research · Updated 20 Oct 2026 · How we check facts
The value is fair
If similar homes nearby sold for about what you’re assessed at, a board has no reason to lower it. Our verdicts say “fair” when that’s the answer, and we don’t sell a packet for a fair verdict.
The saving is small
Multiply the reduction you could realistically win by your effective tax rate. A $10,000 reduction at a 1.5% rate is $150 a year. That can still be worth an online filing, but not a day off work for a hearing.
A cap already holds your value down
With a homestead cap, only the part of a reduction below the capped value saves money. See homestead caps for a worked example.
The board could raise it
In some states the board reviews the whole assessment, not only the reduction you ask for. Illinois boards of review can increase as well as reduce an assessment (35 ILCS 200/16-55). In Ohio a school board can file a counter-complaint asking for a higher value (ORC 5715.19), and a recent purchase above the assessment can be used as the true value (ORC 5713.03).
The deadline has passed
A late appeal on value is almost always dismissed. Note when notices mail in your state and check then. See appeal deadlines by state.
Look up your county’s deadline and forms
Cook County, IL · Franklin County, OH · Cuyahoga County, OH · Harris County, TX · Miami-Dade County, FL · Los Angeles County, CA · 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.
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Related guides
- 35 ILCS 200/16-55, board of review powers and complaints
- Ohio Rev. Code 5715.19, complaints and counter-complaints to the board of revision
- Ohio Rev. Code 5713.03, a recent arm’s-length sale as true value
- Tex. Tax Code ch. 23, appraisal methods (§23.01 market value, §23.23 homestead limit)
- Fla. Stat. §193.155, homestead assessment limit