Cameron Property Taxes Cut in 47% of Informal Hearings
CInformal 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. Nearly $17 million in taxes were cut in 2023, as $803.60 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.
7,399 protests were resolved informally in 2023, down from 8,740 in 2022. When all business property types were combined, they were able to beat the numbers achieved by homes. 4,245 businesses had informal resolutions in 2023, which was lower than the 2022 total of 5,250. Homes, meanwhile, scored 3,154 resolutions in the same timeframe. While both homes and businesses were below the all-time high of 2022, these numbers were still quite impressive.
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, 3,431 informal protests were able to land a reduction in 2023. While lower than the 3,746 of 2022, it still showed a better success rate in 2023. While homes and commercial properties have battled it out for years, residential property managed to get more victories in 2023, achieving a total of 1,831. Commercial real estate was right behind with 1,600 victories. In general, like other protest factors in the county, victories waxed and waned, typically from year to year.
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 2023 was the best year since 2020. In 2023, 46.37% of informal appeals ended in a reduction. This is below the statewide average of 73.66%. With 2022 being better than 2021, 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, with 58.05% of single family residences seeing a reduction. This was inferior to the Texas average of 84.28%. Commercial properties saw a large drop-off in the past few years, going from 42.62% in 2020 to 37.69% in 2023. It was the swing from businesses that threw off the average, but it also appears to be bouncing back. Cameron County has always seen reductions below the statewide average, so this is not a new development.
$ 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 downward spiral was seriously averted where it counts, and taxable value reduced via informal means reached new heights in 2023. $803.600 million in taxable value was reduced in 2023, blowing away all previous numbers. Single family homes were able to cut a large swath of value, achieving a reduction of $442.3 million, nearly double the 2022 tally of $233.50 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. This was the first time in the history of the county that homes were able to beat businesses. This implies that the value of homes has increased dramatically in the past few years.