Protesting After You Buy: What New Homeowners Need to Know

New homeowners get a lot of mail. Somewhere in the following spring there's one envelope that matters a lot more: your first appraisal notice. If the number on it is higher than what you just paid, you have the kind of evidence most protesters would love to have.

Can I protest my property taxes the first year I own my home?

Yes. Texas Tax Code §41.41 gives property owners the right to protest, and that includes you from the day you close. The deadline is the same as everyone else's: May 15, or 30 days after your appraisal notice is mailed, whichever is later.

One wrinkle. If you closed in the spring, the notice may have gone to the previous owner. Don't wait for it to find you. Look up your property on the appraisal district's website as soon as you close, and update the mailing address while you're there.

Can I use my purchase price as evidence in a property tax protest?

Yes, and it's often the strongest evidence a homeowner can bring. Your home is valued at its market value as of January 1 (Tax Code §23.01), and the same section says the district has to consider all available evidence specific to your property's value. A recent sale of the house itself is about as specific as evidence gets. The Texas Comptroller lists closing statements among the kinds of evidence you can use.

Timing matters. A purchase in December or February is close to January 1 and says a lot about value on that date. A purchase from two summers ago says less, because the market has moved since then. Bring your Closing Disclosure (from your lender, if you financed) or the settlement statement from your title company. Both show the price. If the price reflected problems found during inspection, bring the inspection report or repair estimates too. Our Recent-Purchase Protest Guide walks through filing with it.

Does the appraisal district know what I paid for my house?

Maybe not. Texas has no law requiring home sale prices to be made public, and deeds here usually don't show the price. Appraisal districts collect sale information where they can, and what's given to them confidentially stays confidential under Tax Code §22.27.

So you get to decide whether to bring it up. If you paid less than the district's value, your price helps you, so use it. If you paid more, it doesn't help, and it's evidence the district can use against you. In that case, an unequal appraisal argument (comparing your appraised value to similar homes nearby) is usually the better route. We explain the difference in Unequal Appraisal vs. Market Value.

Why did my appraisal jump the year after I bought?

Usually because the 10% homestead cap didn't come with the house. The previous owner's cap expires on January 1 of the first year that neither they nor their spouse qualifies for a homestead exemption on the house, which after a sale is usually the next January 1 (Tax Code §23.23(c)). Your own cap starts on January 1 of the year after you first qualify. If you bought partway through a year, the law treats you as qualifying the following January 1, so a home bought in 2026 gets its own cap starting with the 2028 tax year. In between, the district can move the value straight to full market value.

That's why a just-sold house can jump much more than its neighbors in the same year. Sometimes the jump is fair. Sometimes the district has moved the sold house up to market while similar homes on the street stayed at their capped or older values. If your home is now appraised well above comparable homes nearby, that's an unequal appraisal argument. Expect the district to push back if your comparables are long-held homes with capped values.

While you're at it, file for your homestead exemption. Since 2022, if you buy partway through the year, you can get it for the rest of that year as long as the previous owner didn't already have it for that year (§11.42(f)). Apply before the first anniversary of your purchase.

What if I closed after the protest deadline?

Your options narrow, but they aren't gone. Under §41.44(b), the Appraisal Review Board can accept a late protest if you show good cause and file before the board approves the year's records, which usually happens by July 20. Closing after the deadline is a reasonable thing to explain, though whether it counts as good cause is up to the board.

If the value is wildly off, Tax Code §25.25(d) lets you ask for a correction when a homestead's appraised value is more than one-fourth too high, as long as that year's value wasn't already decided in a protest hearing or set by agreement. You have to file before that year's taxes become delinquent, and there's a late-correction penalty. Otherwise, mark next spring on the calendar and be ready on day one.

Your price isn't magic, though. If you paid well above what similar homes went for, the district may argue your sale was the outlier. Our free tool compares your appraisal to similar nearby homes using the district's own records, which is a good gut check either way.

Quick answers

Can new homeowners protest their property taxes in Texas? Yes. Anyone who owns the property can protest. New owners have the same deadline as everyone else: May 15, or 30 days after the appraisal notice is mailed, whichever is later.

Can I use my purchase price to protest my property taxes in Texas? Yes. Texas Tax Code §23.01 requires appraisal districts to consider all available evidence specific to a property's value, and a recent purchase close to January 1 is direct evidence of market value.

Are home sale prices public record in Texas? No. Texas doesn't require sale prices to be disclosed, and deeds usually don't show them. Sale information given to an appraisal district confidentially stays confidential under Texas Tax Code §22.27.

Why did my property taxes go up so much after I bought my house? The previous owner's 10% homestead cap ends after a sale, and your own cap doesn't start until January 1 of the year after you first qualify for the homestead exemption. In between, the district can raise the value to full market value.