PRESS RELEASE / May 12th, 2020
Protest Deadline Is May 15 For Property In Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County — The protest deadline date to appeal your 2020 appraisal value is quickly approaching for most property owners in Fort Bend County. Property owners who believe there is an error in the market value set by the appraisal district have until Friday, May 15 to protest the value of their property.
Some business personal property and real property owners may not have received their Notice of Appraised Value yet. If that is the case, their protest deadline date will be 30 days after the date the appraisal notice is mailed. The deadline date can be found on the 2020 Appraisal Notice.
“The Fort Bend Central Appraisal District must operate within the deadlines prescribed by the Texas Property Tax Code. Once notices are mailed, our office does not have the authority to change the protest deadline,” Chief Appraiser Jordan Wise said.
Fort Bend Central Appraisal District (FBCAD) has included a Property Owner’s Notice of Protest form with the property value notice that was sent to each property owner.
A Notice of Protest form may be downloaded from the district’s web site under Forms (https://www.fbcad.org/forms/). The Notice of Protest is the first form listed under the ARB/Protest section.
Instructions for filing a protest are located in the upper left corner of the Notice of Protest form. Protests may be mailed or dropped off to 2801 B.F. Terry Blvd or emailed to info@fbcad.org. All protests must be postmarked by the deadline date.
Property owners are encouraged to use FBCAD’s online protest system to submit their protest when able. Once an online protest has been submitted, a property owner may choose to upload any supporting documentation (exs: closing statement(s), date stamped photos, current repair invoices on company letterhead, etc.) for an appraiser to review. An appraiser will review the information provided and make an offer to settle the protest. If a settlement through the online system is not possible, the homeowner will be scheduled for a hearing with the Appraisal Review Board. More detailed instructions on filing a protest using the online system can be found on the district’s website at www.fbcad.org under the Protest tab.
At this time, informal meetings with an appraiser will continue to be conducted remotely by phone and email. This informal meeting process still allows property owners the opportunity to provide information to an appraiser and to ask questions about the information the district is using to value their property. If you would like an informal meeting with an appraiser, please submit your Notice of Protest timely and request an informal in section 4 of the form. Please provide a contact phone number and email so an appraiser may contact you. If you have already filed a protest by mail or through the online protest portal and would like to have an informal meeting with an appraiser, please email the request to info@fbcad.org. Remember to leave your phone number so that an appraiser may contact you. You may also submit a request for an informal meeting by phone at (281) 344-8623.
The Appraisal Review Board (ARB) is scheduled to start formal hearings at the end of May. At this time, the ARB expects to conduct in-person formal hearings.
“The appraisal district is responsible for appraising properties at market value as of January 1st. This ensures the tax burden is fairly allocated among all owners of taxable property. The actual amount of tax due is determined by the tax rate set in the fall. The governing body of each jurisdiction, such as the city, county, school district, and special district, sets the tax rate for their entity. The appraisal district is not involved in the process of setting tax rates,” Wise said.
If you have any questions concerning protesting your market value, please call the appraisal district’s customer service at (281) 344-8623 or email info@fbcad.org
About FBCAD
The Fort Bend Central Appraisal District is a political subdivision of the State of Texas established in 1982 for the purpose of discovering and appraising property for ad valorem tax purposes for each taxing unit within the boundaries of the district. The district has approximately 376,000 accounts to appraise each year with a total market value of approximately $108 billion. The Fort Bend Central Appraisal District serves approximately 215 taxing units. For further information, visit www.fbcad.org
Related Forms
Property Owner’s Notice of Protest / Form 50-132