AssessCheck

Harris County Property Tax FAQ

Who determines my Harris County property value?

The Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD), a political subdivision of the State of Texas, appraises roughly 1.9 million parcels for more than 600 taxing units. HCAD determines value; it does not set your tax rates or collect your taxes.

How do I file a protest in Harris County?

File a written notice of protest with the HCAD Appraisal Review Board by the deadline (May 15 or 30 days after your notice was delivered, whichever is later). HCAD offers online filing through its official iFile protest system, and the form is available on HCAD's forms page. The process and deadline rules are described on our how to file and deadlines pages.

How do I apply for a homestead exemption in Harris County?

File with HCAD — it accepts residential homestead applications electronically, including through its official mobile app. The general state deadline for exemption applications is before May 1. See exemptions.

Where can I see my property's record and value?

HCAD's official website provides a public property search by account, address, or owner name, plus a property tax database showing the taxes each taxing unit will impose. Start at hcad.org.

Does Harris County have different protest deadlines than the rest of Texas?

No — the statewide statutory deadline applies. County-specific dates, such as when the ARB begins hearing protests, appear on your notice of appraised value and on HCAD's official site. We link rather than restate because we cannot verify a local calendar daily.

How does the 10% homestead cap work in Harris County?

The same as anywhere in Texas: if your property qualifies for a residence homestead exemption, its appraised value generally cannot rise more than 10% per year (plus the value of new improvements). In practice this means a Harris County home whose market value rose 25% may show an appraised-value increase well below that once the cap applies — a large jump can also mean the cap took effect this year, or that improvements were added. The Harris County checker screens this for you.

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