Why Dallas County homeowners should pay attention in 2026
Dallas County is one of the largest property tax jurisdictions in Texas. With 547,719 properties on the rolls, the Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD) manages an enormous appraisal operation every year. And every year, a significant number of those appraisals come in too high.
In 2024, 206,170 property tax protests were filed in Dallas County. That is more than one protest for every three properties. The median reduction for properties that successfully protested was $29,381. At a typical Dallas County tax rate, that translates to roughly $675 in annual tax savings.
Of those 547,719 properties, 112,131 are currently flagged as over-appraised based on comparable property data. That means about one in five Dallas County properties may be assessed higher than the evidence supports.
If you own property in Dallas County and your Notice of Appraised Value feels too high, you have a constitutional right to protest. Texas Tax Code Chapter 41 gives every property owner the ability to challenge their appraisal. You do not need a lawyer. You do not need a consultant. You need data, a deadline, and a plan.
This guide walks you through the entire process for Dallas County in 2026 — from timeline to filing to evidence to hearing strategy. Every number in this guide comes from DCAD certified data and Texas Comptroller reports.
Dallas County 2026 protest timeline
The property tax protest deadline is the single most important date in this process. Miss it and you lose your right to protest for the entire year. Here is the Dallas County calendar for 2026.
Mid-April — NOAVs mail
DCAD mails Notices of Appraised Value to all Dallas County property owners. This is the official notification of your 2026 appraised value. Open it immediately. The date printed on the notice starts your deadline clock.
May 15, 2026 — Protest deadline
The statutory deadline to file your protest. If your NOAV was mailed after April 15, you have 30 days from the mailing date instead — whichever is later. Do not wait until the last day. File as soon as you receive your notice.
May – June — Informal hearings
DCAD schedules informal hearings within weeks of filing. This is your first chance to present evidence and negotiate a reduction with a DCAD appraiser. Many cases are resolved at this stage. DCAD offers online scheduling for informal hearing appointments.
July – September — ARB hearings
If you and the appraiser cannot agree at the informal stage, your case goes to the Appraisal Review Board (ARB). Dallas County has one of the highest ARB volumes in Texas — 128,650 determinations in 2024. The ARB is a panel of citizens who review evidence from both sides and issue a binding decision.
The key takeaway: file early. Filing the day you receive your NOAV gives you more scheduling flexibility and signals to DCAD that you are prepared. There is no advantage to waiting. For a full breakdown of deadlines across all Texas counties, see our 2026 deadline calendar.
How to file your protest via DCAD uFile
Dallas County uses the uFile Online Protest system for electronic filings. It is the fastest and most reliable way to file your protest. In 2024, 137,231 protests in Dallas County were filed online. Here is exactly how to do it.
Go to onlineprotest.dallascad.org
This is DCAD's official uFile portal. Do not use third-party filing services — the appraisal district's own system is free, and your filing is confirmed instantly.
Enter your property account number
Your account number is printed on your NOAV. It is also available on the DCAD website at dallascad.org by searching your address. The account number is your unique identifier in the DCAD system.
Select your reason for protest
The most common reason is "Value is over market value." For residential properties, you can also select "Value is unequal compared with other properties" — this is the unequal appraisal argument under Tax Code 41.43(b)(3), and it is often the strongest basis for a reduction.
Upload evidence (optional at filing)
You can attach comparable property data, photos, or other evidence when you file. This is not required at the filing stage — you can submit evidence later before your hearing. But having it ready shows preparation. Our 30-minute checklist walks you through the evidence gathering process.
Receive your confirmation
After submitting, you will receive a confirmation number and a copy of your filing. Save this. It is your proof that you filed before the deadline. DCAD will follow up with your hearing appointment details.
That is it. Five steps, no cost, and it takes less than 10 minutes. The hard part is not filing — it is building the evidence that wins your hearing. We will cover that below.
Dallas County protest data: What the numbers say
Before you decide whether to protest, look at what happened in Dallas County last year. These numbers come from DCAD certified data and Texas Comptroller protest statistics.
2024 Dallas County protest statistics
Protests filed
206,170
Out of 547,719 total properties
SFR protests
120,199
Single-family residential filings
Agent-filed
156,823
76.1% filed by agents or consultants
Filed online
137,231
Via uFile or electronic submission
Median reduction
$29,381
Based on certified value changes
Overall win rate
48.4%
Properties with any reduction
Informal hearing outcomes
Of the protests that reached the informal stage, 53,652 were resolved informally. Of those, 27,618 resulted in a value reduction — a 51.5% informal win rate. The total value reduction from informal settlements was $4.3 billion.
That 51.5% may sound modest compared to counties like Harris (88.6%). But the story in Dallas County is different — and the reason has everything to do with the ARB.
ARB hearing outcomes
Dallas County had 128,650 ARB determinations in 2024. Of those, 85,717 resulted in a reduction — a 66.6% ARB win rate. The total value reduction from ARB decisions was a staggering $27.5 billion.
That is not a typo. Dallas County's ARB processes more cases and delivers more total value reduction than nearly any other county in Texas. This is the most important number in this guide.
Is your Dallas County property over-assessed?
112,131 Dallas County properties are flagged as potentially over-appraised. Our free tool checks your address against DCAD data instantly.
Check Your Property FreeWhy Dallas has a lower informal win rate — and why it does not matter
If you compare Dallas County's 51.5% informal win rate to Harris County's 88.6%, you might conclude that protesting in Dallas is less effective. That conclusion would be wrong. The numbers tell a completely different story when you look at the full picture.
Harris County resolves the vast majority of protests at the informal stage. Appraisers there have more latitude to negotiate, and most cases never reach the ARB. Dallas County operates differently. DCAD appraisers are more likely to hold firm at the informal hearing, which pushes a much larger volume of cases to the Appraisal Review Board.
Consider the numbers side by side. Harris County had 83,515 ARB hearings. Dallas County had 128,650 — more than 50% higher. And at the ARB, Dallas County homeowners won 66.6% of the time, generating $27.5 billion in value reductions.
The combined picture
When you add up informal and ARB reductions, Dallas County delivered $31.8 billion in total value reduction in 2024. The lower informal win rate is not a sign of a broken system — it means Dallas resolves its protests through a two-stage process instead of one.
Strategy implication: If DCAD offers you a small reduction at the informal hearing that does not match your evidence, do not accept it just to avoid the ARB. Dallas County ARB panels reduce values in two out of three cases. The second stage is where the real reductions happen.
For a county-by-county comparison of success rates, see our success rates breakdown. Understanding how your county's process works is the difference between accepting a bad offer and pushing for a fair one.
Building evidence for your Dallas County protest
Whether you resolve your case at the informal hearing or take it to the ARB, the quality of your evidence determines the outcome. Dallas County appraisers and ARB panelists respond to data — not complaints, not feelings, not stories about your neighbor's taxes. Data.
The strongest basis for a residential property tax protest in Texas is unequal appraisal under Tax Code Section 41.43(b)(3). This argument says: my property is assessed higher than comparable properties in my area, and that inequity should be corrected. It does not require you to prove your home's market value is wrong — only that you are being treated unfairly relative to your neighbors.
How to find comparable properties
Search DCAD property records at dallascad.org
Use the property search to find homes in your subdivision or within a half-mile radius. Focus on properties with similar square footage (within 20%), similar age, and similar condition.
Calculate the per-square-foot assessed value for each property
Divide each property's total assessed value by its living area square footage. This is the number the ARB will focus on. If your per-square-foot value is above the median for your comparables, you have an equity argument.
Select 5 to 10 strong comparables
Pick properties that are assessed lower per square foot than yours. Exclude properties with obvious differences — pools when you do not have one, recent renovations, or significantly different lot sizes. The closer the match, the stronger the argument.
Organize your evidence into a clear presentation
Create a simple table or grid showing your property alongside the comparables. Include address, square footage, year built, assessed value, and per-square-foot value. Our hearing scripts guide shows you exactly how to present this at your hearing.
You can do all of this manually using the DCAD website. It works. It just takes time — usually two to four hours of searching, calculating, and formatting.
Our toolkit automates this process. It pulls DCAD data for your property, identifies the strongest comparables, calculates per-square-foot values, and generates a formatted evidence packet you can print and bring to your hearing. The same data, without the manual work. You can learn more about the DIY vs consultant tradeoff to decide what makes sense for your situation.
Dallas County protest tips that actually matter
Every county has its quirks. Dallas County is no exception. Here are the things that experienced Dallas County protesters know — and that first-time filers usually do not.
DCAD has online scheduling for informal hearings
After you file your protest, DCAD lets you schedule your informal hearing online. Pick a time that works for you. Morning slots tend to have shorter wait times. Do not skip the informal hearing even if you expect to go to the ARB — it is your first opportunity to see what evidence DCAD has and to understand their valuation methodology for your property.
Print your evidence — bring hard copies
Both informal appraisers and ARB panelists work from paper. Bring at least three printed copies of your evidence packet: one for you, one for the appraiser or panel, and one spare. A well-organized printed packet signals that you did your homework. Digital-only evidence is harder for panelists to review during the hearing.
Know your neighborhood's average price per square foot
This is the single most important number in an unequal appraisal argument. If the average assessed value in your immediate area is $145 per square foot and your property is assessed at $168 per square foot, you have a quantifiable inequity. DCAD appraisers and ARB panels understand and respond to per-square-foot comparisons.
Do not accept a bad informal offer just to avoid the ARB
This is the most common mistake Dallas County protesters make. The informal appraiser offers a small reduction — say $5,000 off a $400,000 value — and the homeowner accepts because they do not want to deal with an ARB hearing. But with a 66.6% ARB win rate and $27.5 billion in total ARB reductions, the data says you should push forward if the evidence supports a larger reduction.
Understand the cap-gap before you protest
If you have a homestead exemption, check whether your assessed value is already below your market value. If there is a large cap-gap, reducing your market value will not change your current tax bill. Our decision framework helps you determine whether a protest makes financial sense for your specific situation.
For a complete walkthrough of what to say during your hearing — word for word — see our hearing scripts guide. It covers both the informal meeting with the DCAD appraiser and the formal ARB panel presentation.
Should you hire an agent or protest yourself?
In 2024, 76.1% of Dallas County protests were filed by agents or consultants — that is 156,823 out of 206,170. Dallas has one of the highest agent-filing rates in Texas. That does not necessarily mean hiring an agent is the right move for you.
Property tax consultants typically charge 33% to 50% of your first-year tax savings. On a $29,381 median reduction at a 2.3% tax rate, that is roughly $225 to $338 in fees. For that price, they handle the filing, evidence gathering, and hearing attendance.
The tradeoff is straightforward: convenience versus cost. If your time is worth more than the fee, hire an agent. If you are comfortable spending a few hours gathering data and attending a hearing, you can do everything an agent does — and keep 100% of the savings.
Our toolkit sits in between. We provide the same DCAD-sourced evidence packet that agents use — comparable properties, per-square-foot analysis, formatted for the hearing — at a fraction of the cost. You still attend the hearing yourself, but you walk in with professional-grade evidence. For a deeper analysis of the options, read our DIY vs consultant comparison.
Common mistakes Dallas County protesters make
After analyzing 206,170 protests, certain patterns emerge. Here are the most common reasons Dallas County homeowners leave money on the table.
Missing the deadline entirely
The May 15 deadline is absolute. There are narrow late-filing exceptions under Tax Code 41.44(b), but they require good cause and are not guaranteed. Every year, thousands of Dallas County homeowners realize their property is over-assessed but miss the window to protest. Set a calendar reminder for April 15 so you are ready when your NOAV arrives.
Filing a protest with no evidence
Filing is easy. Winning requires evidence. An informal appraiser will listen to your comparable data and per-square-foot analysis. They will not reduce your value because you feel it is too high. The evidence preparation guide covers exactly what to bring.
Using the wrong comparables
Picking a recently foreclosed property two miles away as your comparable will not work. DCAD appraisers know the difference between good and bad comps. Use properties in your subdivision or immediate neighborhood, similar in size and age. The closer the match, the harder it is for the appraiser to dismiss your argument.
Accepting the first informal offer without checking ARB odds
As we covered above, Dallas County has a 66.6% ARB win rate. If the informal offer does not reflect your evidence, declining it and proceeding to the ARB is a statistically reasonable decision. Know your numbers before you decide.
Get started with your Dallas County protest
Dallas County's property tax system is not designed to make protesting easy. The process has multiple stages, the informal win rate is moderate, and 76.1% of filers hire professional help. But the data also shows that the system responds to evidence. A $29,381 median reduction is real money. A combined $31.8 billion in value reductions across informal and ARB stages proves that the process works for homeowners who show up prepared.
You do not need to be a tax expert. You need your property's per-square-foot value, five to ten good comparables, and a willingness to present that data at a hearing. That is the entire playbook.
If you want to start right now, check your Dallas County property with our free tool. It pulls your DCAD data, compares you to your neighbors, and tells you whether the numbers suggest you are over-assessed. If they do, we can generate the evidence packet you need for your hearing.
Read the full Texas protest guide for statewide context, or jump straight to our free guides library for step-by-step resources.