Williamson Property Tax Protests - by Value and Property Type
As Williamson County continues its rise to become one of the most prestigious suburbs in Texas, property values are going to rise with it. Nearly one third of all properties in the county are currently protested, with over $88.36 billion in value being protested in 2023 alone. Residents and business owners are practicing their right to appeal in record numbers and this is only growing with each year, in a valiant attempt to keep rising costs in check. Get in on the action when you enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™, today. There is no cost to join, and your taxes will be protested for you automatically every year. No upfront costs or hidden fees, you will only pay from your savings if you win. Enroll, relax, and save.
Total Parcels and Total Protests WCADSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Parcels | 191.33 | 198.78 | 203.64 | 214.47 | 222.94 | 236.99 | 232.81 | 253.12 | 258.54 | 264.93 | 272.35 | |
| Total Protests Filed | 29.77 | 33.80 | 47.23 | 55.49 | 58.04 | 57.64 | 55.02 | 60.00 | 78.40 | 84.45 | 85.03 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Mass appraisal used by appraisal districts includes many errors based on limited resources. About 500 appraisers value all 20 million Texas tax parcels; about 40,000 per appraiser. Another 1,500 appraisers measure new construction.
Williamson County Property Tax Protests
The taxpayers of Williamson County are learning on the fly. While it took little time for the Austin suburb to begin seeing record property values it taxes, the reaction to the situation was just as rapid. The people of Williamson are filing property tax appeals like never before and went from relatively few to around 31% of all properties being protested in less than a decade. This quick reaction time may help put things back on the right track and keep Williamson County from becoming another Denton, Collin, or Travis County.
The Williamson Central Appraisal District(WCAD) may be the most powerful organization in the county, but O’Connor is here to help even the odds. As one of the largest property tax firms in the nation, O’Connor has the experts, resources, and local connections needed to get you a great reduction of your taxable value and taxes. For the low cost of free, O’Connor will protest your taxes every year, building a portfolio of victories that leads to more victories as the years wear on.
Total Parcels in Williamson Central Appraisal District
While Williamson has some of the most in-demand land in Texas, it is not the largest county in the Lonestar State. Made up of around 264,930 parcels of land, Williamson County is a medium-sized area. What is remarkable about the county is that a great deal of the parcels are protested. Of the 264,930 parcels, 84,450 of them were protested in 2023. That was just under one third, the best yet seen in Williamson County. This means that WCAD is being challenged regularly, though there is still room for overvaluation to take place.
Total Protests Williamson CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Protests | 29.77 | 33.80 | 47.23 | 55.49 | 58.04 | 57.64 | 55.02 | 60.00 | 78.40 | 84.45 | 85.03 | |
| Single Family Home Protests | 17.54 | 22.97 | 29.77 | 36.85 | 39.63 | 46.22 | 42.66 | 44.97 | 61.04 | 57.01 | 55.66 | |
| Commercial / Other Protests | 12.23 | 10.84 | 17.46 | 18.64 | 18.41 | 11.43 | 12.36 | 15.02 | 17.36 | 27.44 | 29.38 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is their right.
Total Protests
With more parcels being protested than ever, that means that there are record protests going on in Williamson County. 84,450 protests were filed in 2023, an impressive number for a growing community. The majority of these protests were for single family homes, with a total of 57,010 appeals being aimed at residential property in 2023. This was slightly down from 61,004 in 2022, but still the second-highest ever.
The small decline in homes was made up for by an uptick in commercial properties. 27,440 pieces of business real estate were protested in 2023, a large jump from 17,360 in 2022. This is even more impressive when the value of each commercial property is factored in. An individual business is usually worth many homes when it comes to value. This is why the overall value being protested has shot to the moon in the past few years, even with a small drop in home appeals.
% of Parcels Protested Williamson CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Percent | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Percent Protested | 15.56% | 17% | 23.2% | 25.87% | 26.03% | 24.32% | 23.63% | 23.7% | 30.32% | 31.88% | 31.22% | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since About 60% of appeals are successful.
WCAD - % Parcels Protested
Just under one third of parcels were protested, which translated into around 31.86% of all properties. This puts Williamson in line with other high-dollar counties, such as Travis, Fort Bend, and Denton. Those counties generally took years to get up a head of steam, but William County has embraced property tax protests in record time. This could bode well for the community, as one that is constantly protested often sees smaller growth across the board. In some cases, aggressive protests can force an appraisal district to be more honest, which saves everyone money.
Protests by Property Type Williamson CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number | 29.77 | 33.80 | 47.23 | 55.49 | 58.04 | 57.64 | 55.02 | 60.00 | 78.40 | 84.45 | 85.03 | |
| Single Family | 17.54 | 22.97 | 29.77 | 36.85 | 39.63 | 46.22 | 42.66 | 44.97 | 61.04 | 57.01 | 55.66 | |
| Multi-Family Res | 0.92 | 1.04 | 1.15 | 1.32 | 1.60 | 1.57 | 1.47 | 1.42 | 1.35 | 1.66 | 1.86 | |
| Commercial | 3.79 | 3.46 | 4.30 | 4.82 | 5.13 | 5.32 | 5.68 | 6.08 | 6.51 | 8.51 | 8.12 | |
| All Other | 7.52 | 6.34 | 12.01 | 12.50 | 11.68 | 4.53 | 5.21 | 7.52 | 9.51 | 17.28 | 19.40 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Correcting an error in the appraisal district’s description of your property can reap savings in future years.
Williamson County Protests by Property Type
The majority of protests were to do with single family homes. 57,013 protests were filed for residential properties in 2023. In total, homes were responsible for 67.51% of all protests. While extensive, this is about the average when it comes residential vs. commercial property in Texas. Homes were slightly down from their 2022 peak of 61,037 protests, the 2023 number was easily the second-highest ever seen.
When commercial properties are separated into categories, it allows for some more information to be gleaned. The top category was for utilities, oil, and gas. With 17,280 protests, this miscellaneous category was on top for the third-straight year. Standard commercial properties finished a distant second with a total of 8,506 appeals filed. Multi family residences came in last with 1,655 protests.
Value of Property Protested by TypeSource: 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 | ||
| Value Protested Total | 16.43 | 18.08 | 22.58 | 35.07 | 23.88 | 38.99 | 33.02 | 40.70 | 71.56 | 88.36 | 71.15 | |
| Single Family | 4.38 | 6.15 | 8.89 | 11.71 | 7.64 | 14.71 | 11.42 | 14.49 | 33.94 | 28.88 | 24.63 | |
| Multi-Family Res | 2.44 | 3.30 | 3.72 | 4.58 | 4.64 | 6.29 | 5.90 | 0.43 | 0.68 | 22.55 | 12.82 | |
| Commercial | 6.43 | 6.64 | 8.21 | 11.45 | 9.33 | 13.69 | 11.27 | 19.00 | 28.71 | 20.42 | 22.46 | |
| All Other | 3.18 | 1.99 | 1.75 | 7.33 | 2.27 | 4.30 | 4.43 | 6.78 | 8.24 | 16.51 | 11.24 | |
Williamson County Value of Property Protested by Type
A record $88.36 billion in value was protested in 2023. This easily eclipsed the previous record of $71.56 set in 2022. The largest category of value came from single family homes, which, as we have seen, made up the majority of protests. Single family homes were responsible for $28.88 billion of the protested value. While businesses are worth more individually, residential property took the top spot through sheer numbers.
The business properties were an interesting mix. Despite being the lowest when it came to overall protests, multi family homes were the top category when it came to businesses with $22.66 billion. As the demand for housing increases across the county, the value of apartments will continue to climb. Standard commercial property was in second place with $20.42 billion, a sharp decline from the 2022 value of $28.71. Oil, gas, and utilities combined for $16.51 billion.