• Once you purchase the property your Title Company will file the Deed with the Fort Bend County Clerk’s Office. Note: The date of your closing could be different than the date the Title Company actually files your deed.
• Once that Deed record is recorded with the Fort Bend County Clerk’s Office the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District receives a weekly update 1-2 days a week of all Deed record changes.
• All Deed record changes are then recorded in the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District system to match what has been filed with the County Clerk’s Office.
• It takes about 4-6 weeks for our records to get updated.

Online Protest is only available during protest period beginning April 15th.

Fort Bend Central Appraisal District does NOT collect, bill, invoice or handle any property tax bills. We ONLY APPRAISE Property in Fort Bend County.

If there is any information on the property that is incorrect you can mail a detailed letter to our address here at 2801 B.F. Terry Blvd. Rosenberg, TX 77471.

Please include all the information regarding the property, the reason the information we have is incorrect, and your contact information.

You can also come in person to our address here at 2801 B.F. Terry Blvd. Rosenberg, TX 77471.

Please bring all the information you have regarding the property.

You can call us at 281-344-8623 to speak with a representative.

Please have your account#, or the property address ready when calling.

Effective as of Sept 1, 2005, the Fort Bend County Appraisal District Website will no longer display photographs and building sketches for all property. In accordance with Senate Bill 541, as passed by the Texas Legislature, information in appraisal records may not be posted on the Internet if the information is a photograph, sketch, or floor plan of an improvement to real property that is designed primarily for use as a human residence. Photographs and building sketches of property will still be available for viewing by the public at the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District Customer Service Area located at 2801 B.F. Terry Blvd, Rosenberg, Texas during normal business hours.

The information shown on the website is as of certification date. Any property ownership or value change after certification will not show on the website until the following year when the website will show preliminary data on April 15th.

The data that is being presented on this website is public record and available under laws governing the public’s right to access public information. We cannot selectively remove or withhold this information.
Under Section 25.025, Tax Code defines who can have their information secured. If you feel you qualify for what is allowed by law. You can complete form 50-284 and return it to the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District.

The website for the application is https://www.comptroller.texas.gov/forms/50-284.pdf

The CAD appraisals are audited by the State each year. Appraisals must be 100% of market value to ensure that school districts will not lose any state funding.

Visit https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/property-tax/

Fort Bend CAD does not bill, invoice your taxes. We only appraise property for Fort Bend County. Please contact your taxing entity about your tax bill.

Per Section 22.27 of the Texas Property Tax Code, the Appraisal District is prohibited from disclosing sales information gathered from a private source. Taxpayers who have protested their property are entitled only to a list of sales used to value their property.

Late protests are allowed for good cause if you miss the usual deadline.

The Appraisal Review Board (ARB) decides whether you have good cause.

Late protests are not allowed after the ARB approves the appraisal records for the year.

Submit your late protest and documentation showing good cause to the ARB by mail to 2801 B.F. Terry Blvd, Rosenberg, TX 77471 or by email to info@fbcad.org

Per Section 41.44 (b) of the Texas Property Tax Code, A property owner who files his notice of protest after the deadline prescribed by Subsection (a) of this section but before the appraisal review board approves the appraisal records is entitled to a hearing and determination of the protest if he shows good cause as determined by the board for failure to file the notice on time.

The protest period begins April 15th through May 15th.

We recommend you arrive as early as possible. During the early part of the protest period the average wait times are usually less then 1 hour but during the end of the protest periods have been 4+ hours.

You may leave but you will lose your space in line and your wait time may be extended due to additional protestors.

You are encouraged to bring all pertinent documentation when you arrive for your interview; however, the appraiser can discuss further options with you.

Procedurally, the interview should last approximately 15-20 minutes.

Every value hearing is concerning the market value of the property – what it would sell for on the open market.

In some situations, the assessed value will be lower than the market value. This is typically because a homesteaded property increased in value by more than 10% (the legislated cap for homesteaded properties).

When you file a protest and attend a hearing, the market value may be lowered; however, the assessed value will only go down if the market value drops lower than the assessed value.

Some property owners feel that the assessed value should be lowered at the same percentage as the market value; however, the tax code does not allow for this. The assessed value will only change if the market value falls below that number.

The tax code only allows a protest on the assessed value if the 10% cap is incorrectly calculated.”

FBCAD only appraises property. The local governing bodies (MUDs, School Districts, etc.) determine the tax rate.

There are provisions for valuing agriculture/timber land at production value, exemptions for homeowners, persons over 65 years of age, exemptions for disabled veterans, etc. If you value notice fails to indicate any exemptions or special valuation to which you feel entitled, please contact the appraisal district immediately.

The primary purpose of the notice is to inform you of the value place on your property, so you can determine if you wish to protest.

Section 23.01 of the Texas Property Code states that “all taxable property is appraised at its market values as of January 1”.

Section 1.04 of the Texas Property Code defines market value as follows: ‘the price in which a property would transfer for cash or its equivalent under prevailing market conditions if: (A) exposed for sale in the open market with a reasonable time for the seller to find a purchaser: (B) both the seller and the purchaser know of all the uses and purposes to which the property is adapted and for which it is capable of being used and the enforceable restrictions on its use; and (C) both the seller and the purchaser seek to maximize their gains and neither is in a position to take advantage of the exigencies of the other”.

After determining the taxing unit’s total budgetary needs, its elected governing body decides what actual tax rate it must levy to generate the amount of revenue needed.For example, the total assessed value of a jurisdiction is $10 million and $100,000 is needed for its budget. To fund the budget, its governing body must set a tax rate $1 per $100 valuation ($10 million multiplied by $1 / $100 valuation equals $100,000).

1. An Informal Conference with an appraiser, if an agreement is not reached, then;
2. File a written protest for a hearing before the Appraisal Review Board (ARB). You will be notified of your hearing date and time after your protest is filed. You are not required to be represented by an attorney.

Evidence must be presented to the ARB in the following manner:

• In person; or
• By an authorized agent; or
• By affidavit (a notarized sworn statement)

Note: At the conclusion of the hearing the ARB will issue an order determining value and inform you of post ARB appeal.

No. In fact, your local government encourages you to appeal if you sincerely question your assessment. Our taxing jurisdictions would like for all tax payers to be satisfied within the legal limits set by the state, and at the same time for everyone to be on a fair share basis. In the great majority of cases when an appraiser finds the taxpayer right, an adjustment is made immediately. The appraiser would like for each property owner to be satisfied. However, the appraiser has a duty to all taxpayers to be fair.

The ARB is an independent panel of citizens responsible for hearing property protest.

Fort Bend CAD does not collect or bill taxes. Fort Bend CAD ONLY Appraises Property for Fort Bend County.

Please contact your taxing authority for your property.

A homestead can be a separate structure, condominium or a manufactured home located on owned or leased land, as long as the individual living in the home owns it.
A homestead can include up to 20 acres, if the land is owned by the homeowner and used for a purpose related to the residential use of the homestead.

• General Residence Homestead
• Age 65 or Older Exemption
• Age 55 or Surviving Spouse of individual who qualified for Age 65 or Older Exemption
• Disabled Person Exemption
• 100% Disabled Veterans or Surviving Spouse of Disabled Veteran who received the 100% Disabled Veteran’s Exemption.
• Donated Residence Homestead of Partially Disabled Veteran or Surviving Spouse of Disabled Veteran who qualified for Donated Residence Homestead
• Surviving Spouse of Member of Armed Forces Killed in Action
• Partially Disabled Veteran or Survivor (not limited to your homestead).
• Charitable, Religious, Freeport and Pollution Control.

No, only a homeowner’s principal residence qualifies.

To qualify, a home must meet the definition of a residence homestead:

The home’s owner must be an individual (for example: not a corporation or other business entity) and use the home as his or her principal residence on January 1 of the tax year.
If you are age 65 or older, or disabled, the January 1 ownership and residency are not required for the age 65 or disabled homestead exemption.

An exemption removes part of the value of your property from taxation and lowers your tax bill.

In addition to the state mandated exemption amounts for school taxes, each taxing unit decides whether to offer the optional exemption and at what percentage.

For example, Fort Bend County offers a 20 percent exemption for the Homestead exemption.

If your property were valued at $200,000 and you qualify for the 20 percent Homestead exemption from the county ($40,000), you would pay county taxes on your home as if it were worth only $160,000. The amount of savings depends on the exemption and the amount of exemption allowed by each taxing unit.

You may apply for homestead exemptions on your principal residence.

Homestead exemptions remove part of your home’s value from taxation, so they lower your taxes.

For example, your home is appraised at $100,000, and you qualify for a $15,000 exemption (this is the amount mandated for school districts), you will pay school taxes on the home as if it was worth only $85,000.

Taxing units have the option to offer a separate exemption of up to 20 percent of the total value.

You may apply on or after your 65th birth date.

Once applied it will have an effective date of January 01 of the year you are applying.

No, that is not necessarily true.

If you are 65 or older your residence homestead qualifies for more exemptions which will result in greater tax savings. The amount of the exemptions that are granted by each taxing unit is subtracted from the market value of your residence and the taxes are calculated on that “lower value”.

In addition, when you turn 65, you may receive a tax ceiling for your total school taxes; that is, the school taxes on your residence cannot increase as long as you own and live in that home. The ceiling is set at the amount you pay in the year that you qualify for the aged 65 or older exemption. The school taxes on your home subsequently may fall below the ceiling. If you significantly improve your home (other than ordinary repairs and maintenance), tax ceilings can go up.

For example, if you add a room or garage to your home, your tax ceiling can rise. It will also change if you move to a new home.

The appraisal district can only automatically process the over 65 exemption if it has the appropriate documentation on hand.

Fort Bend CAD requires proof of age to grant an over 65 exemption.

Acceptable proof of age includes either a copy of the front side of your Texas driver’s license or Texas Identification card or a copy of your birth certificate.

It is always best to file an exemption application with the appropriate documents to ensure that the Over 65 exemption is processed.

The last day for property owners to file most exemption and special appraisal applications is April 30. Certain property owners may late file homestead exemption applications, as indicated below:

• A property owner may file an age 65 or older exemption application up to two years after the date on which he or she became age 65.
• A property owner may file a donated residence homestead of a partially disabled veteran exemption application for up to two years after he or she qualifies.
• A property owner may file a homestead exemption application up to two years after the date the taxes become delinquent.
• A property owner may file a disabled veteran exemption application up to five years after the date the taxes become delinquent.

A religious organization denied a Tax Code Section 11.20 exemption because of its charter must amend the charter and file a new application by May 31 or before the 60th day after the date of notification of the exemption denial, whichever is later.

A private school denied a Tax Code Section 11.21 exemption because of its charter must amend the charter and file a new application by June 30 or the 60th day after the date of notification of the exemption denial, whichever is later.

If you have an over-65 or a disability homestead exemption you should be benefitting from a tax “ceiling” applied to your school taxes. If you decide to move, you can request a Tax Ceiling Certificate from your former appraisal district that may help reduce the school taxes on your new home.

It is important to understand how this works. The “tax ceiling”, sometimes erroneously called a “tax freeze”, is an upper limit dollar amount applied by your local school district’s tax office to your school taxes. It is set when you first qualify for either the over-65 exemption or the disability exemption.

Generally, your school taxes can never go above the tax ceiling for as long as you live in your home. Taxes may be lower than the ceiling for some years, but never higher. The only exception would be if you significantly improved your house; for example, by adding a new room or a second story. (Normal repairs and maintenance such as a new roof or new paint do not count.) If significant improvements were ever made, then a new tax ceiling including the improved value would be calculated.

What happens if you move? First you need to apply for the over-65 exemption or the disability exemption on your new home. The application will ask for the new and old addresses. When you get the new exemption, you can benefit by transferring the percentage of school taxes paid on your former home.

Please note: it is not the upper limit dollar amount but the percentage of school taxes paid that is transferable.

For example, if your school tax ceiling is currently $1,000, that number is compared to what you would be paying in school taxes without the tax ceiling in place. If you would be paying $4,000 in school taxes, then the percentage of taxes you are paying is 25%. (1,000 divided by 4,000 = 1/4 or 25%.) It is this percentage that is transferrable by the Tax Ceiling Certificate. This means that if the school taxes in your new home would be $5,000 with your new Over 65 or Disability Exemption in place, your new school taxes could have the 25% limit transferred and applied from your former home. Then your new school taxes would only be 25% of $5,000 or $1,250. That’s a savings of $3,750 per year, which can make a big difference if you are on a fixed income.

To Request a Tax Ceiling Certificate

Please call (281) 344-8623, email info@fbcad.org, or stop by the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District at 2801 B.F. Terry Blvd, Rosenberg, Texas 77471. We will make sure we have all your correct information on file and have your new address and phone number. Then we will contact your school district and calculate your transferable percentage. If you have any questions about the process, please call or visit our office.

When you receive your Notice of Appraised Value, you may notice two different values printed on it. Having multiple and different values on the notice can be confusing, especially with regards to the Homestead Exemption and the “homestead cap.”

Market Value

Per the Texas Property Tax Code, all taxable property must be valued at 100 percent of market value as of January 1 each year. This value is shown on your notice as “Market Value.” Because it is based on recent sales, the Market Value may change upwards or downwards any amount depending on recent market trends and is not limited to increases of 10 percent or more. It may change as much as the current market changes.

Appraised Value (“Homestead Cap Value”)

Per the Texas Property Tax Code, an exemption for taxation is available to an individual’s primary residence. One of the features of the exemption is a limit to the amount that the value for taxation can increase from one year to the next. This limit is frequently referred to as the “homestead cap.” The “capped” value is shown as the “Appraised Value”. The appraised value is limited by the Homestead Exemption and may not go up more than 10 percent in one year in most cases as long as the exemption was in place for the prior year for the current owner (There’s an exception for new construction). This number is calculated using the previous year’s Appraised Value and a “cap” of 10 percent.”