Fort Bend County Property Tax Protests

One-third of all Fort Bend County property owners protested their taxes in 2024, one of the highest numbers seen so far. 126,410 protests divided among homes, commercial properties, industrial plants, and apartment blocks totaling an estimated value of $28.09 billion. $98.32 billion in homes was protested alone. Featuring some of the highest property taxes in the United States, it is no wonder that local residents know how to stand their ground against an aggressive Fort Bend Central Appraisal District (FBCAD). Join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today and have your taxes fought for you annually. There is never an upfront cost to pay or a hidden fee to surprise you, and best yet, you only pay if you lower your taxes. Enroll, relax, and save.

Total Parcels and Total Protests FBCADSource: 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	325.74	328.57	339.58	348.82	359.62	366.22	380.44	387.32	343.59	354.07	426.16
Total Protests Filed	61.07	71.87	72.08	70.35	68.68	71.85	87.72	84.68	112.56	116.51	126.41

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.

FBCAD Tax Protests

The people of Fort Bend have been doing tax protests since before it was cool. As ground zero for the unfair taxable values to follow in the 2010s, Taxpayers in the region have known the score for decades. As a consequence of their history taking on the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District (FBCAD) , the area has continually been the leader in property tax protests in Texas by percentage.

Even if you are a grizzled warrior of the tax fight, it never hurts to have a friend in your corner. O’Connor is a Houston-based property tax consulting firm that has dedicated its long existence solely to fighting the aggressiveness of appraisal districts. As one of the largest firms in America to specialize in reducing taxes, O’Connor has the people and resources necessary to back you in any fight.

Total Parcels in FBCAD

Parcels are a collection of a certain acreage that FBCAD uses to bundle real property together. From farms to office parks, parcels are the basic unit by which taxation can be assessed and ultimately collected. The county has 426,160 parcels as of 2024, three times more than the average Texas county. The most notable thing about the county is that 126,410 parcels were protested in 2024, an extremely high percentage for any county.

Total Protests Fort Bend 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	61.07	71.87	72.08	70.35	68.68	71.85	87.72	84.68	112.56	116.51	126.41
Single Family Home Protests	44.39	55.48	54.50	52.86	50.29	52.67	65.36	62.20	87.27	91.94	98.32
Commercial / Other Protests	16.68	16.39	17.58	17.49	18.39	19.18	22.36	22.48	25.29	24.58	28.09

Texas property owners should protest annually since It is their right.

Total Protests

Fort Bend County does not have the sudden spikes in protests that most counties in Texas have in the last few years. property tax appeals have grown every year, but this problem is nothing new for the people of the county. In many ways, Fort Bend was a preview of things to come, as the devastating property taxes centered in the county eventually spread to most of the state of Texas. 126,410 protests were filed in 2024, the most in the history of the county, and up from 116,510 in 2023.

98,320 single family home protests led the charge, as they always do in Texas. There are simply more homes than businesses, so to see 77.78% of protests be residential is no surprise. There were still 28,090 business protests in 2024, which is a lot when you consider the size of most of those properties. That number includes commercial properties, industrial land, and multi family homes.

% of Parcels Protested Fort Bend 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	18.75%	21.87%	21.23%	20.17%	19.1%	19.62%	23.06%	21.86%	32.76%	32.91%	29.66%

Texas property owners should protest annually since About 60% of appeals are successful.

FBCAD – Percent Parcels Protested

29.66% of all Fort Bend taxpayers protested in 2024, a truly staggering number. This was slightly down for the record of 32.92% set in 2023. The statewide average for Texas is 12.90%, showing how serious the situation is in the county. Back in 2014, only 18.75% of taxpayers regularly protested, while 32.76% of residents protested in 2022. The percentage that appeal their taxes has gone up every year with the exception of 2024.

Protests by Property Type Fort Bend 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	61.07	71.87	72.08	70.35	68.68	71.85	87.72	84.68	112.56	116.51	126.41
Single Family	44.39	55.48	54.50	52.86	50.29	52.67	65.36	62.20	87.27	91.94	98.32
Multi-Family Res	0.39	1.05	0.23	0.21	0.22	0.26	0.51	0.46	0.53	0.25	0.24
Commercial	5.67	6.15	6.26	6.82	6.49	6.76	9.39	9.98	10.23	8.90	9.93
All Other	10.63	9.19	11.09	10.46	11.68	12.17	12.45	12.04	14.54	15.42	17.92

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.

FBCAD Protests by Property Type

As expected, single family homes were the beating heart of Fort Bend County protests. 98,319 homes were protested, making up 77.78% of all appeals. Homeowners in the county are used to high property taxes and have been willing to fight them longer than most Texans. Property values are at an all-time high and are a threat to family homes that have been inhabited for years or even generations.

126,406 protests were launched in total in 2024, and their types can be explored better once they are broken down. 17,920 industrial and utility properties came in second place for the number of protests, followed by 9,929 commercial properties. 242 multi family homes closed out the appeals. While they pale in comparison to homes, these numbers do indicate strong business growth throughout the county.

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	25.01	29.38	33.74	31.25	34.15	36.26	48.62	47.17	62.54	79.77	91.91
Single Family	12.20	15.12	18.05	17.44	16.88	17.57	22.66	22.29	33.92	44.97	50.04
Multi-Family Res	1.49	0.88	1.69	1.56	1.71	1.81	2.61	2.77	3.23	4.95	5.92
Commercial	6.26	9.08	10.40	10.81	11.66	13.00	14.01	14.87	16.95	19.14	20.49
All Other	5.07	4.30	3.60	1.44	3.90	3.87	9.35	7.25	8.45	10.71	15.46

FBCAD Value of Property Protested by Type

The trend of residential dominance continues when the market value of contested property is examined. Of the $91.91 billion in total protested property, $50.04 billion of it was for single family homes. This affirms the suburban nature of the area, as the value of commercial property can sometimes supersede single family homes despite the number of appeals in homeowners’ favor. The value of homes appealed jumped 11.27% between 2023 and 2024.

If they are not No. 1, commercial properties usually come in second for appealed value in Texas. Fort Bend followed this to the letter, with commercial properties protesting $20.49 billion in value in 2024. Industrial and related businesses followed with $15.46 billion. Multi family homes, such as apartment buildings, nabbed $5.92 billion. All of these categories have steadily grown over the past decade, with no major fluctuations.