How to Protest Your Property Taxes in Collin and Denton County (Deadline: May 15, 2026)

By Sherra Cameron, REALTOR® | May 7, 2026

Your Notice of Appraised Value arrived in the mail in mid-April. And if you're like most homeowners in Plano, Carrollton, The Colony, or Lewisville, you looked at the number, felt a knot in your stomach, and then put it in a pile to deal with later.

Later is now. The deadline to protest your 2026 property tax appraisal is May 15. That is eight days from today, and it doesn't move.

Here's what I want you to understand before we get into the steps: there is no downside to filing a protest. Texas law prohibits appraisal districts from raising your value as a result of your protest. If CCAD or DCAD doesn't grant a reduction, your appraised value stays exactly where it was. You have nothing to lose and potentially thousands of dollars to gain every year.

After 15 years in mortgage banking, I saw firsthand how many buyers and sellers underestimated property tax impact on total housing cost. It wasn't until I became a REALTOR® that I realized how many homeowners were paying more than they had to, simply because they didn't know the protest process existed, or they assumed it was too complicated. It isn't.

Your appraisal district (CCAD in Collin County, DCAD in Denton County) assigns a market value to your home as of January 1 of each year. That number drives your annual property tax bill.

The problem is that appraisal districts use a mass appraisal system. They're valuing hundreds of thousands of properties at once using models built on sales data, square footage, and neighborhood trends. They don't see inside your home. They don't know about the HVAC system you've been nursing along, the foundation crack in the garage, the roof that's past its useful life, or the fact that your backyard backs up to a commercial lot.

They also don't always catch rapidly shifting market conditions. If values in your neighborhood have softened (and in parts of Plano and Carrollton, median prices are down modestly from their 2024-2025 peaks), your appraised value may reflect a market that no longer exists.

One more thing worth knowing: your appraised value and your home's actual market value are two completely different numbers. A lower assessment reduces your annual tax bill. It does not reduce what your home is worth to a buyer. Those are determined by market forces, not by what CCAD or DCAD has on file.

Step 1: Locate your Notice of Appraised Value. Find the letter from your appraisal district that arrived in mid-April. It shows the proposed appraised value for 2026. That's the number you're contesting.

Step 2: File your protest online, by mail, or in person.

File by May 15, 2026 at the latest, or within 30 days of the date on your notice, whichever is later. If you're not sure whether you're within 30 days, file now and don't wait to calculate.

Step 3: Gather your evidence. Filing the protest holds your spot. Evidence is what wins it. The most persuasive evidence you can bring is recent comparable sales: homes similar to yours in your neighborhood or zip code that sold in the last 6 to 12 months at prices lower than your assessed value.

Because Texas is a non-disclosure state, you cannot pull comps yourself using Zillow, Redfin, or HAR.com. You must reach out to a trusted REALTOR contact to access the MLS and look for comparable properties. They will look for homes with similar square footage, lot size, year built, and general condition. If three or four comparable sales support a value below what CCAD or DCAD assigned, that's a strong case.

Beyond comps, bring:

Step 4: Attend your informal hearing. After you file, the appraisal district will schedule an informal hearing, a brief meeting (often 15-20 minutes) with a district appraiser to review your evidence. This is where most protests get resolved. You present your comps and documentation; the appraiser reviews the district's data; and either a reduction is offered or you can escalate to the Appraisal Review Board (ARB) for a formal hearing.

Most homeowners who file with solid comparable evidence settle at the informal stage. The ARB is a fallback, not the norm.

Step 5: Accept or appeal. If the informal hearing produces a reduction you're satisfied with, accept it. Your 2026 appraised value is adjusted and your tax bill will reflect the lower number when it arrives in the fall. If you're not satisfied, you can proceed to the ARB. The ARB must notify you at least 15 days before your hearing date.

If you bought a home in the past year or two and haven't filed your homestead exemption yet, that's a separate matter from the protest, and potentially a bigger one.

Texas's 2026 homestead exemption removes $140,000 from your home's value for school district tax purposes. At a typical school tax rate of around 1.2%, that exemption alone saves you approximately $1,680 per year. Stack in county and city exemptions and total savings often exceed $2,000 annually.

The standard deadline to file is April 30. If that's already passed, don't panic. Texas allows late applications for up to two prior tax years. File as soon as possible. The form is available from the Texas Comptroller's website (Form 50-114), and most county appraisal districts now accept online applications with a copy of your ID.

The homestead exemption also activates the 10% homestead cap, which limits how much your taxable value can increase each year, even if your market value climbs faster. If you haven't filed your exemption, you lose this protection entirely.

This is one of those things I remind every buyer I work with at closing: file your homestead exemption immediately. It's free, it's straightforward, and the savings compound every year you stay in the home.

No. Your tax bill, however, absolutely affects your buyer's decision.

When buyers are comparing homes in Plano, Carrollton, or The Colony, their lender runs a total monthly payment calculation that includes principal, interest, homeowners insurance, and property taxes. A home with a $14,000 annual tax bill and a home with an $11,000 annual tax bill look very different on that affordability worksheet, even if they're priced identically.

Protesting and winning before you list doesn't directly change your asking price. But it can reduce one of the most visible ownership costs in your listing, which matters to buyers doing detailed due diligence. If you're planning to sell within the next 12 to 18 months, filing a protest now is worth the 30 minutes it takes.

Your specific situation (how far above market your assessment is, what comparable sales support, and whether the homestead cap has been protecting you) determines how much there is to gain. That's a conversation worth having before you assume the number CCAD or DCAD sent you is correct.

What is the property tax protest deadline in Collin County, Texas for 2026?

The deadline to protest your property taxes with the Collin Central Appraisal District (CCAD) is May 15, 2026, or 30 days from the date your Notice of Appraised Value was mailed, whichever is later. Collin CAD mailed notices in mid-April 2026. There is no exception to this deadline. If you miss it, you cannot protest the current year's appraisal.

Can my property value go up if I protest my taxes in Texas?

No. Texas law prohibits the appraisal district from raising your value as a result of your protest. If the district does not agree to a reduction, your value stays at the proposed amount. There is no downside to filing. The only risk is missing the deadline.

How much can I save by protesting my property taxes in Collin County?

Average savings from a successful Collin County protest run $1,500 to $3,000 per year, depending on how far above market value your home was assessed. The quality of your evidence, particularly comparable sales, is the primary driver of the reduction you'll receive. A professional protest service can handle the process for you, typically for a percentage of the first year's savings.

Does protesting my property taxes affect my home's sale price?

No. Your appraisal district's assessed value and your home's actual market value are two entirely separate numbers. What a buyer pays is determined by current market conditions: comparable sales, days on market, condition, and local demand. A lower assessment reduces your annual tax bill; it does not reduce what your home is worth.

What evidence do I need to protest my property taxes in Texas?

The most effective evidence is recent sales data, specifically homes comparable to yours that sold in the past 6 to 12 months at prices below your assessed value. Reach out to a trusted REALTOR contact for data, where they will look for similar square footage, lot size, year built, and neighborhood. Photos of deferred maintenance on your home, aging systems, or defects also support a lower value. A recent independent appraisal, if you have one, carries significant weight at the informal hearing.

The May 15 deadline doesn't extend, and the process takes less time than most homeowners expect. File now, even if your evidence isn't fully assembled yet, because filing holds your place in line and you can continue building your case afterward.

If you'd like guidance on your specific situation, whether that's understanding what the appraisal means for a potential sale, sorting out the homestead exemption, or just knowing where to start, my property tax resource page has the tools and next steps laid out for you, along with additional resources such as a link to PropertyTax.io that can assist in filing your protest.

Visit my Property Tax Resource Page

About Sherra Cameron, REALTOR®

Sherra Cameron is a top 3% REALTOR® serving Plano, Carrollton, The Colony, and Lewisville in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. With 15 years of prior mortgage banking experience, she helps buyers and sellers make financially sound decisions that build long-term wealth through real estate. Connect with Sherra at sherracameronrealtor.com.

Sherra Cameron, REALTOR® | REAL Brokerage