Williamson Property Tax Values and Property Tax Protest Facts
The primary suburb of Austin, Williamson County is quickly becoming one of the hottest places to live in the United States. As big tech, entertainment, and other huge businesses continue to move to the area, the demand for spaces to live and work will continue climbing. Much like Travis County, Williamson is seeing property values and taxes quickly heading out of control, especially for longtime residents and people looking to buy in the area. Property tax appeals are quickly becoming the great equalizer in the war against gentrification and rising costs, and O’Connor is here to help you. When you join the Property Tax Protection Program™,, you get annual appeals, help filing exemptions, and assistance in every part of the protest process. Best of all, there is no fee to join, and you will only pay if O’Connor can lower your taxes. Enroll, relax, and save.
Total Market Value Williamson CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Billions of $ | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| $ Total Market Value | 48.229 | 53.929 | 61.171 | 71.351 | 78.450 | 78.940 | 90.004 | 107.218 | 155.228 | 153.654 | 160.881 |
| Single Family | 28.364 | 32.071 | 36.329 | 40.102 | 44.214 | 48.084 | 51.054 | 63.542 | 99.185 | 92.843 | 96.815 |
| Multi-family | 2.799 | 3.370 | 3.722 | 4.581 | 5.117 | 5.635 | 6.131 | 7.149 | 10.594 | 13.147 | 12.815 |
| Commercial | 8.582 | 9.628 | 9.375 | 11.449 | 12.726 | 13.898 | 14.497 | 16.307 | 19.099 | 20.416 | 25.262 |
| All Other | 8.485 | 8.860 | 11.745 | 15.219 | 16.392 | 11.324 | 18.323 | 20.220 | 26.350 | 27.248 | 25.989 |
Texas property owners should protest annually As part of maintaining their property, like a HVAC checkup.
Williamson County Property Tax Trends
The Austin area is the fast-growing region of Texas and one of the most in-demand places to live in the nation. With Travis County becoming unaffordable for many residents, Williamson County has quickly transformed into one of the nation’s elite suburban areas. The task of assessing and cataloging the property of this growing community falls to the Williamson Central Appraisal District(WCAD). Travis County has already become infamous for its overvaluation and Williamson seems to not be far behind. Along with exemptions, the only way to counter these increasing values is with a property tax appeal. O’Connor is here to help and can bring the staff and resources of one of the top property tax firms to bear against WCAD in an effort to reduce taxes.
Williamson County Total Market Value of Property
Williamson County has seen one of the most spectacular and meteoric rises in Texas. In just a decade, the county has gone from a total property value of $48.23 billion in 2014 to $153.65 billion in 2023. While a few Texas counties have seen their value quintuple or more, the tripling of total market value in Williamson is a true feat. This is certainly thanks to the titanic growth of Austin, which has been lifting all boats in the area. While this makes the area the dream situation for someone selling a home, it is a nightmare for both buyers and those that want to stay on their property.
While property values across the board have been on an upward trend, it has been single family homes that have truly driven values to where they are today. This demand has taken the value of homes from $28.36 billion in 2014 to $92.84 billion in 2023. This is a combination of rising values for existing properties, new construction, and overappraisal. This heady concoction has been seen from Denton to Fort Bend counties and is quickly spreading across Texas. While more gradual, commercial properties have also grown at a rapid clip, reaching $20.42 billion.
Property Value Reduction By Type of Appeal Source: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Billions of $ | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Total | 0.921 | 1.109 | 1.307 | 1.620 | 1.533 | 1.942 | 1.644 | 1.509 | 2.821 | 4.167 | 3.91 |
| Informal Appeal | 0.763 | 0.902 | 1.020 | 1.323 | 1.203 | 1.519 | 1.387 | 1.255 | 2.085 | 2.914 | 2.008 |
| Formal ARB Determination | 0.0630 | 0.1090 | 0.1850 | 0.2140 | 0.2430 | 0.3120 | 0.1230 | 0.1600 | 0.4610 | 0.7630 | 1.4570 |
| Judicial Appeal | 0.0950 | 0.0990 | 0.1020 | 0.0830 | 0.0870 | 0.1110 | 0.1350 | 0.0940 | 0.2750 | 0.4900 | 0.4480 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Texas law requires property owners to protest to get information on their property and comparable sales in the area. This information is free and available upon request via U.S. mail (once you file a protest).
WCAD Value Reduction by Type of Appeal
The two main appeal types in Texas are informal appeals to the appraisal district and formal hearings before the appraisal review board (ARB). All protests start as informal appeals but can graduate to become formal hearings if a taxpayer chooses to do so. If these protests are rejected or not enough, then high-dollar properties can become subject to post-administrative action, better known as judicial appeals. Most counties tend to favor one over the other, with high-dollar counties focused on ARB hearings, while working-class areas tend to lean on informal appeals.
Oddly, Williamson County skews heavily in favor of informal appeals, which is the opposite of Travis County. This may be because taxpayers have yet to catch on to the potential of ARB protests, though the number of formal appeals is slowly growing. Of the $4.17 billion in protested value for 2023, $2.91 billion was contested informally. Formal protests accounted for $763 million in value, while lawsuits managed to protest $49 million in value. It seems taxpayers in Williamson County are learning the value of protests, as they had only contested $2.82 billion in value in 2022.
Total Property Tax Savings All Protests and AppealsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Millions of $ | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| All Property Types | 19.34 | 23.30 | 27.45 | 34.02 | 32.19 | 40.78 | 34.53 | 31.68 | 59.24 | 87.51 | 82.18 |
| Single Family | 3.46 | 5.73 | 6.91 | 7.99 | 7.88 | 9.84 | 7.80 | 5.67 | 9.28 | 12.88 | 15.67 |
| Commercial / All other | 15.88 | 17.57 | 20.54 | 26.03 | 24.31 | 30.94 | 26.73 | 26.01 | 49.96 | 74.63 | 66.51 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Because it is the surest way to reduce property taxes.
Total Williamson CAD Property Tax Savings by Property Type
While the value contested by various protest types has been gradually increasing, the actual tax savings have been shooting through the roof. A total of $87.51 million was cut from tax rolls in 2023, up substantially from $59.24 million just a year prior. The difference is even more stark when you realize that appeals saved only $19.34 million a decade ago, showing both the aggressiveness of protests and how much property values have changed in such a short time.
These savings were led by commercial properties, which snipped $74.63 million from their tax burden. This is the typical pattern in Texas, as businesses usually protest every year as a cost-cutting measure. Plus, each commercial property is typically worth multiple homes. Single family residences were certainly not left in the dust; however, as they scored a reduction of $12.88 million in 2023. As more taxpayers learn the secrets and benefits of protesting, these savings are sure to keep expanding in the years to come.