Cameron Lawsuit Property Tax Savings over $910,000 in 2023
The best way to finish a successful property tax protest campaign is to use a judicial appeal. While reserved solely for elite properties, these lawsuits enable taxpayers to get in the last word against the Cameron Appraisal District (Cameron CAD), disputing millions of dollars of taxable value. It takes a strong legal team to get a positive resolution in a lawsuit, which is why it is imperative for taxpayers to work with an expert firm to make this dream a reality. Join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today and let them build your legal team for you. They will hire all the attorneys, experts, and more, all while paying all the legal fees. You only pay if your taxes are lowered. Enroll, relax, and save.
Judicial Appeals by Property Type Cameron CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Judicial Appeals | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number of lawsuits | 23 | 19 | 19 | 30 | 41 | 70 | 99 | 89 | 56 | 60 | 162 | |
| Single Family Residential | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 7 | |
| Multi Family Residential | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 21 | |
| Commercial real and personal property | 14 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 34 | 51 | 67 | 67 | 35 | 31 | 117 | |
| All Other | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 17 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since You can’t evaluate the strength of your appeal until you obtain the hearing evidence file. You have to protest to obtain the hearing evidence file (available free upon request via U.S. mail).
Cameron County Judicial Appeals
Going for a judicial appeal is not for the faint of heart. These organized lawsuits see taxpayers and their legal team take on the Cameron Appraisal District (Cameron CAD) to determine the final value of multi-million-dollar properties. These efforts require patience, funding, and skill to come out on top, but they are usually worth it, as no protest can get the truth of the matter like a judicial appeal.
O’Connor is here to help you make it all the way. One of the largest property tax firms in the nation, O’Connor will run your entire judicial appeal for you. O’Connor will build your legal team, hire expert witnesses, and handle all legal fees. You will incur charges only if your lawsuit results in a reduction of taxes, and any payment due will be made solely from the recovered amount. Based in Houston, O’Connor knows the exact evidence needed to impress the district court and have taken on Cameron CAD numerous times.
Cameron CAD Judicial Appeals Filed by Property Type
2023 saw 60 judicial appeals filed. This was better than the 56 from 2022, but lower than the impressive 89 of 2021. The main reason for the decrease was a sudden drop in commercial properties being contested. 31 pieces of commercial real estate were protested through lawsuits in 2023, down from 67 in 2021. Single family homes, on the other hand, saw their largest total to date with 15. Eight apartments and six oil and gas properties also filed judicial appeals. These protests can take years to complete, so numbers can lag or spike at random times.
Value Involved in Judicial Appeals - Cameron CountySource: 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 of All Judicial Appeals | 0.116 | 0.103 | 0.167 | 0.230 | 0.352 | 0.474 | 0.73 | 0.541 | 0.508 | 0.474 | 0.951 | |
| Single Family Res | 0 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.006 | 0.011 | 0.015 | 0.011 | 0.011 | 0.011 | 0.009 | |
| Multi Family Res | 0 | 0 | 0.005 | 0.011 | 0.005 | 0 | 0.113 | 0.068 | 0.061 | 0.055 | 0.104 | |
| Commercial | 0.003 | 0.076 | 0.141 | 0.207 | 0.328 | 0.45 | 0.54 | 0.401 | 0.376 | 0.351 | 0.788 | |
| All Other | 0.113 | 0.026 | 0.019 | 0.012 | 0.013 | 0.013 | 0.062 | 0.062 | 0.06 | 0.058 | 0.05 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since An annual appeal minimizes property taxes, sometimes well below market value.
Cameron CAD Value Involved in Judicial Appeals
Despite their tiny numbers, judicial appeals are the most valuable protests there are. This is because each piece of real estate is worth millions of dollars, some even more. $474 million in taxable value was disputed in 2023, a large amount considering there were only 60 cases. While impressive, this was the lowest result since 2019. Again, this is due to how long each case takes to work itself through the courts, along with the general up-and-down nature all protests have in Cameron County. 2020 still reigns as the top year for taxable value, amassing a giant $730 million.
$351 million of the value was from commercial properties, which ruled the roost in this category as well. Despite the large drop-off from 2021 to 2023, the value challenged by commercial real estate did not fall much, indicating how much it is truly worth. Single family homes combined for $11 million, a common number that has been seen for much of the decade. Apartments were responsible for $55 million, while oil, gas, and utilities offered $58 million.