Bexar Judicial Appeals Save $51 MM / Year
In Bexar County, informal appeals may be the kings of single family homes, formal hearings the rulers of commercial properties, but it is post-administrative legal action that decides the truly mammoth properties of Texas. When the most expensive property in Bexar needs to be accurately assessed and taxed, there is no final dispute that equals post-administrative lawsuits. 1624 judicial appeals were filed in the San Antonio area in 2024, while savings of $51.66 million were settled. O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ is the perfect way to manage your judicial appeal. O’Connor will find and pay attorneys, witnesses, and experts, while you pay nothing, unless you win in court. You will also never see an upfront cost or be ambushed by a hidden fee. Enroll, relax, and save.
Number Appealed to Binding ArbitrationSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Appeals | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Number Determinations appealed | 47 | 286 | 504 | 438 | 371 | 292 | 256 | 258 | 523 | 877 | 595 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Texas has one of the best systems for appeals for property owners.
BCAD Appeals after ARB Hearing
Informal protests in Bexar County settled for a reduction of 99.05% of the time, formal hearings 92% of the time, but what happens when that is not enough? If a taxpayer wants to get the most out of their struggle against the Bexar Appraisal District (BCAD), then the only option left is post-administrative lawsuits. Judicial appeals, binding arbitration, and State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) are lawsuits against BCAD with the intent to get a final tax reduction number.
Lawsuits need a strong team to be effective, and thankfully O’Connor is here to take care of everything. O’Connor can handle every aspect of your lawsuit, putting together the attorneys, witnesses, and experts needed for your high dollar Property tax protest. You pay no fees, and you only pay out of your tax savings if you win. O’Connor is one of America’s biggest property tax consulting firms and has the right arsenal to win this legal battle for you.
Binding Arbitration
Binding arbitration is the simplest of the post-administrative lawsuits, being restricted to homes that are worth $5 million dollars and under, with the exception of an unlimited cap on homesteads. Binding arbitration is generally the last stop for a property tax dispute involving a single family home. 595cases of binding arbitration were filed in 2024.
Appealed to State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH)Source: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Appeals | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Appealed to SOAH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 13 | |
BCAD State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH)
Appeals to the SOAH are only a decade old and are still rarely used. Years can pass in a county before a single appeal to the SOAH is even held. Bexar County has only had 39 such cases in the previous decade, with 13 coming in 2024. As it becomes understood, the SOAH may become more common, but as of now it remains more of a legal curiosity.
Judicial AppealsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Appeals | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Judicial Appeals | 685.00 | 1,156.00 | 1,322.00 | 1,370.00 | 1,406.00 | 1,336.00 | 1,282.00 | 1,014.00 | 1,259.00 | 1,705.00 | 1,624.00 | |
Bexar County Judicial Appeals
Judicial appeals are generally what people think of when post-administrative suits are mentioned. These are the classic lawsuits against BCAD. The properties in most of these cases are worth either millions or billions of dollars. Mansions, apartment buildings, commercial properties, and industrial plants are only some of the property types that these lawsuits are geared for. Due to rising property values, some single family homes are starting to appear on the judicial appeal rolls.
Due to the relative ease that Bexar County property tax protestors can get through formal and informal protests, the number of lawsuits is quite high. 1624 judicial appeals were filed in Bexar in 2024. It should be noted that these lawsuits can take their time in working their way through the court system, and they may not be settled for years. When they are, however, the savings can be immense.