Cameron Property Taxes Cut in 69% of Informal Hearings

Informal appeals are the favored way to reduce taxes in Cameron County and bring in record reductions and savings. While the number of protests and winning percentages can both run hot and cold, the tax savings seen by residents have never been higher. Over $11 million in taxes were cut in 2024, as $530.90 million in taxable value was reduced. Improve your odds to win when you enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today. There is no cost to join, and you will only be charged if your taxes are successfully lowered. Enroll, relax, and save.

Resolved Informally Cameron 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	5.529	6.658	6.176	7.379	7.987	6.092	7.430	6.745	8.740	7.399	14.547
Single Family	2.079	2.398	2.165	2.968	3.852	2.784	3.080	2.564	3.490	3.154	8.890
Commercial / Other	3.450	4.260	4.011	4.411	4.135	3.308	4.350	4.181	5.250	4.245	5.657

Texas property owners should protest annually since Most appeals are resolved with a reduction at the informal level.

Cameron County Property Tax Protests Resolved Informally

While the number of appeals in Cameron County has been up-and-down over the past decade, the taxable value they dispute and the tax savings they bring to the people have only increased with every passing year. Informal protests may be simple and the entry point for the protest process, but these humble actions have proven their worth in every county in Texas, especially Cameron. If you are ready to launch your fight against the Cameron Appraisal District (Cameron CAD) , then there is no greater ally than O’Connor. As one of the biggest tax appeal firms in the nation, O’Connor has the national prestige and local experience needed to grant you victory over Cameron CAD when it comes to your appeal.

Cameron CAD Informal Settlements

Informal settlements are often the first resolution to an appeal that taxpayers will see, and it is usually where the journey ends in Cameron County. Though many taxpayers will continue to formal hearings and even lawsuits, most will get sufficient relief at the informal level. Since this can be relatively easy to achieve, these protests are a fair way for the average person to lower their taxable value. While there still needs to be research, evidence, and documents collected, the burden of proof is significantly lower than formal protests.

14,547 protests were resolved informally in 2024, a record for the county and double what has been used in 2023. When all business property types were combined, they were able to reach new heights. 5,647 businesses had informal resolutions in 2024, which was a record. Homes, meanwhile, scored 8,980 resolutions in the same timeframe. Taxpayers across the county all saw unheard of success, at least for the number of resolutions.

Resulted in Reduction Through Informal Process Cameron 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	3.330	4.065	3.410	3.661	4.208	2.980	3.479	2.744	3.746	3.431	10.120
Single Family	1.414	1.602	1.429	1.533	2.485	1.591	1.625	1.425	2.027	1.831	6.985
Commercial / Other	1.916	2.463	1.981	2.128	1.723	1.389	1.854	1.319	1.719	1.601	3.135

Texas property owners should protest annually since It is the world’s safest wager. No cost and a 60% chance of savings annually.

Cameron County Informal Hearing Reductions

When the process was over, 10,120 informal protests were able to land a reduction in 2024. This more than doubled the meager 3,431 of 2023, making 2024 the most successful in the county’s history. While homes and commercial properties have battled it out for years, residential property managed to get more victories in 2024, achieving a total of 6,985. Commercial real estate was far behind with 3,135 victories. Still, businesses saw their best year ever, almost doubling what they had achieved in 2023.

Percent That Resulted in A ReductionSource: 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
Total Number	60.230%	61.050%	55.210%	49.610%	52.690%	48.920%	46.820%	40.680%	42.860%	46.370%	69.570%
Single Family	68.010%	66.810%	66.000%	51.650%	64.510%	57.150%	52.760%	55.580%	58.080%	58.050%	78.570%
Commercial / Other	55.540%	57.820%	49.390%	48.240%	41.670%	41.990%	42.620%	31.550%	32.740%	37.710%	55.420%

Texas property owners should protest annually since Errors in the appraisal districts records for your property often artificially inflate YOUR property taxes.

Cameron County Percentage of Informal Hearings with Reduction

Informal appeals have been seeing fewer reductions over the past few years, though 2024 turned that trend on its head by breaking records. In 2024, 69.57% of informal appeals ended in a reduction. This is below the statewide average of 74.38%. With 2024 being better than 2023, it seems that there is an upward trend starting to form, so hopefully this bodes well for future appeals. Settlements are often rejected by the taxpayer, which would lower the percentage. Taxpayers who do not or cannot settle at this phase move on to formal appeals.

Homes have remained mostly steady since 2019, until 2024 hit like a hurricane, jumping from 58.05% in 2023 to %78.57%. Commercial properties saw a large drop-off in the past few years, going from 42.62% in 2020 to 37.69% in 2023. This changed in 2024, with businesses achieving a success rate of 55.42%. Cameron County has always seen reductions below the statewide average, so this is not a new development, but it was a solid move in the right direction.

$ Value Reduction From Informal ProcessSource: 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
$ Reduction Total	0.1085	0.1176	0.1112	0.1049	0.1209	0.1691	0.2168	0.3738	0.5308	0.8036	0.5309
$ Reduction Single Family	0.0279	0.0241	0.0207	0.0172	0.0331	0.0261	0.0101	0.1218	0.2335	0.4423	0.2242
$ Value Commercial / Other	0.0807	0.0935	0.0905	0.0876	0.0878	0.1430	0.2067	0.2519	0.2972	0.3613	0.3068

Texas property owners should protest annually since Property taxes are the only type that can be negotiated based on subjective factors and judgment.

Cameron CAD Value Reduction from the Informal Process

However, the record success was seriously averted where it counts, and taxable value reduced via informal means fell well below the 2023 score. $530.90 million in taxable value was reduced in 2024, compared to $803.600 million in 2023. Single family homes were the largest faller, achieving a reduction of $224.22 million, nearly half the 2023 tally of $442.30 million. While homes first spiked in 2021, commercial value reductions have been growing every year on record and notched an all-time high of $361.30 million in 2023. 2024 saw businesses drop to $306.80 million, down from the record of $361.;30 million in 2023.