Williamson Lawsuits Reduce Taxable Value by $490 Million
Williamson County has certainly become one of the top destinations to live in recent years. As Travis County and Austin both become unaffordable, more people are heading to Williamson County every year. With property values and taxes reaching new heights, the best-of-the-best properties are being protested at all levels, including judicial appeals. Property tax lawsuits nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023, and taxpayers saw their taxable value cut by $490 million. Pulling off a post-administrative appeal is no small feat, and most taxpayers need a helping hand. Enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ and get a solid legal team that will help take your protest to the next level. You will not have to pay legal fees, lawyers, or witnesses; O’Connor will handle it all. You just have to pay from your winnings if your lawsuit is successful. Enroll, relax, and save.
How the Judicial Appeals Were ResolvedSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Judicial Appeals | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Number of Judicial Appeals Resolved | 51.00 | 64.00 | 44.00 | 87.00 | 139.00 | 191.00 | 99.00 | 102.00 | 167.00 | 285.00 | 443.00 |
| By Agreed Judgment | 32.00 | 40.00 | 37.00 | 69.00 | 110.00 | 151.00 | 85.00 | 84.00 | 138.00 | 233.00 | 382.00 |
| By Court Judgment or Other | 19.00 | 24.00 | 7.00 | 18.00 | 29.00 | 40.00 | 14.00 | 18.00 | 29.00 | 52.00 | 61.00 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since An annual appeal is an insurance policy to avoid major increases.
Williamson County Judicial Appeal Resolutions
Judicial appeals are not the quickest tax protests to resolve, as they can take years waiting for a court date to become available. These lawsuits take time, money, and require a great legal team to pull off. Despite the time and the steep barrier for entry, these protests are usually worth it, especially considering they usually decide the fate of some of the most expensive properties in Williamson County. Let O’Connor, one of the largest property tax firms in the United States, run your lawsuit for you. They will build your legal team, recruit witnesses, and hire the best experts, ensuring you have the best chance to win your case.
Williamson CAD Judicial Appeal Resolution Summary
For many post-administrative appeals, there is never a trial at the end of the road. No showdown between the taxpayer and the Williamson Central Appraisal District(WCAD), no objections, and no theatrics. Instead, it will almost certainly be settled out of court in favor of the taxpayer. Of the 285 appeals contested in 2023, 233 of them were settled before court began. That means 81.75% of all lawsuits were a success before things kicked off. In many ways, the barrier to entry is the true trial, as the cost weeds out many taxpayers wishing to get a reduction.court began. That means 81.75% of all lawsuits were a success before things kicked off. In many ways, the barrier for entry is the true trial, as the cost weeds out many taxpayers wishing to get a reduction.
Appraised Value (ARB) of Resolved Judicial AppealsSource: 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 | |
| Appraised Value (ARB) | 1.04 | 0.82 | 1.89 | 1.63 | 1.72 | 1.94 | 2.15 | 3.66 | 5.16 | 8.86 | 7.47 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since To maintain their rights to appeal to or through the judicial appeal process. Owners must exhaust administrative options to pursue binding arbitration or a judicial appeal
Appraised Value of Resolved Judicial Appeals
As judicial appeals are laser-focused on the elite properties of the county, the value contested is usually high, especially for the relatively few cases involved. In 2023, $8.86 billion in appraised value was protested, the highest yet seen in Williamson County. This was an enormous surge from the previous record of $5.16 in 2022. While all values and protests have increased dramatically in recent years, judicial appeals may hold the starkest difference. In 2014, only $1.04 billion in value was appealed, meaning that lawsuits are now protesting values around eight times higher than before.
Value Reduction from Judicial AppealsSource: 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 Reduction from Judicial Appeals | 0.09 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.08 | 0.09 | 0.11 | 0.14 | 0.09 | 0.27 | 0.49 | 0.45 |
| Single Family | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.02 |
| Multi-Family | 0 | 0.03 | 0.05 | 0.02 | 0.07 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.05 | 0.29 | 0.30 |
| Commercial | 0.09 | 0.07 | 0.01 | 0.06 | 0.02 | 0.06 | 0.10 | 0.05 | 0.23 | 0.19 | 0.13 |
| All Other | 0 | 0 | 0.05 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is a responsibility of ownership. Large commercial owners generally appeal annually and obtain a reduction. Why should homeowners be excluded?
Williamson County Taxpayer Value Reduction from Judicial Appeals
Taxpayers that saw their lawsuit through to the end were certainly rewarded. In 2023 the total value of the property appealed was cut by $490 million. This was a huge leap from $270 million in 2022. The biggest winners were multi family homes, and apartments netted a return of $290 million. This was followed by commercial properties at $190 million. This was the first time that apartments beat out regular businesses. This should not be a surprise, as apartments are commonly the most valued commercial properties in Texas. No single family homes achieve a reduction, but that is to be expected, as homes rarely go to judicial appeals. They usually target binding arbitration instead.
Tax Savings From Judicial 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 | |
| Total Tax Reduction | 1.99 | 2.07 | 2.15 | 1.74 | 1.83 | 2.33 | 2.84 | 1.98 | 5.77 | 10.29 | 9.41 |
| Single Family | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.34 |
| Multi-Family | 0.06 | 0.54 | 1.03 | 0.38 | 1.37 | 0.99 | 0.62 | 0.66 | 1.00 | 5.99 | 6.28 |
| Commercial | 1.87 | 1.50 | 0.15 | 1.28 | 0.46 | 1.30 | 2.14 | 1.15 | 4.74 | 4.02 | 2.64 |
| All Other | 0.06 | 0.03 | 0.97 | 0.07 | 0 | 0.03 | 0.06 | 0.16 | 0.02 | 0.27 | 0.15 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since The appraisal district uses inaccurate data, factors and an inaccurate model to estimate values. Half are too high and half too low; very few are just right. Even if you are under-valued on market value, you can appeal on unequal appraisal.
Property Tax Reduction from Judicial Appeals
The value reductions managed to bring in an outsized return for taxpayers, showing the efficacy of these lawsuits. $10.29 million was cut from the tax rolls and put back into the pockets of the elite property owners of Williamson County. This easily dwarfed the previous record of $5.77 million in 2022. It should be noted that these appeals are often stacked on top of previous victories, meaning much of this money was just the icing on the cake of a successful formal appeal.
Though there were no single family homes that received a reduction in 2023, businesses saw quite the windfall. Just as they led cut value, multi family homes also led reduced taxes. $5.99 million was reduced for apartments, a massive improvement over the 2022 total of $1 million. Commercial property may not have been king anymore, but it still landed an impressive $4.02 million. While they were not on the board in 2023, single family homes should soon be seeing a few victories here as well, especially as the county becomes wealthier.