Total Parcels and Total Protests Cameron CADSource: 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 Parcels	208.99	210.02	207.48	207.55	210.08	212.69	214.06	215.06	216.83	219.23	220.96
Total Protests Filed	9.79	10.54	10.09	11.79	11.78	10.32	12.80	11.85	14.87	11.76	14.26

Texas property owners should protest annually since Mass appraisal used by appraisal districts includes many errors based on limited resources. About 500 appraisers value all 20 million Texas tax parcels; about 40,000 per appraiser. Another 1,500 appraisers measure new construction.

Cameron County Property Tax Protests

Being both on the coast and on the border, Cameron is a hybrid county in many ways. Like many border counties, Cameron is huge when it comes to just how much land and water is within its borders and is one of the largest areas in south Texas. Due to its complicated and extensive size, the Cameron Appraisal District (Cameron CAD) has a bear of a task keeping it all assessed, surveyed, and taxed correctly.

If you are looking to use a property tax appeal in Cameron County, be sure to join O’Connor. As one of the largest firms in the nation that specializes in tax appeals, O’Connor has the resources, people, and experience needed to fight Cameron CAD. Since O’Connor is also based in Texas, including several branch offices, they also have the local connections and knowledge needed to get taxpayers the best deal on their taxes.

Total Parcels in Cameron Appraisal District

Texas measures land by binding real estate up into units known as parcels. This allows for a uniform way to assess property and to trim complex situations into manageable blocks. There were 219,230 parcels in Cameron County as of 2023, making it one of the largest counties in Texas. While a huge area, there was a fairly rare number of tax protests, with only 11,760 parcels being protested in 2023.

Total Protests 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 Protests	9.79	10.54	10.09	11.79	11.78	10.32	12.80	11.85	14.87	11.76	14.26
Single Family Home Protests	3.64	3.81	3.79	4.47	5.48	4.01	4.90	4.76	6.48	4.71	6.69
Commercial / Other Protests	6.15	6.73	6.30	7.32	6.30	6.32	7.90	7.10	8.39	7.04	7.57

Texas property owners should protest annually since It is their right.

Total Protests

Protests in the county have been an up-and-down affair in the past decade. 2022 was the all-time high of 14,870 protests, with 2023 seeing a slight downturn with 11,760. While 2023 was higher than the average, it was still below a few recent years. This makes Cameron County unique, as most counties are seeing protests increasing at a steady rate. These fluctuations could correspond to tax hikes, which force more property owners to protest, but then the appeals fall when this is addressed. There seems to be a clear pattern between years, with them waxing and waning between peaks and valleys.

This pattern can be clearly demonstrated by residential properties. In 2021, 4,760 protests were launched, while 2022 saw a record high of 6,480. This then fell back to 4,710 in 2023. In another unusual trend for Texas, commercial properties have been consistently protested more than homes. While it is common for businesses to dispute more value, leading the way in actual protests is rare. 7,040 commercial properties were protested in 2023, down from 8,390 in 2023, but up from 7,100 in 2021. Businesses often appeal every year as a cost-cutting measure, so seeing a large number of businesses is not uncommon, though homes usually put up higher numbers.

% of Parcels Protested Cameron CountySource: 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
Percent Protested	4.69%	5.02%	4.86%	5.68%	5.61%	4.85%	5.98%	5.51%	6.86%	5.36%	6.45%

Texas property owners should protest annually since About 60% of appeals are successful.

Cameron CAD Percentage of Parcels Protested

When it comes to the percentage of parcels protested, the same fluctuating pattern is observed. 5.51% of parcels were protested in 2021, while 2022 saw an all-time high of 6.86%. 2023 then fell to 5.36%, maintaining the pattern. This shows that taxpayers can be motivated to appeal, but it takes a greater push to do so. Since these numbers are influenced so heavily by businesses, it can be assumed that protests are generally predicated on commercial values and tax rates.

Protests by Property Type 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	9.79	10.54	10.09	11.79	11.78	10.32	12.80	11.85	14.87	11.76	14.26
Single Family	3.64	3.81	3.79	4.47	5.48	4.01	4.90	4.76	6.48	4.71	6.69
Multi-Family Res	0.34	0.24	0.27	0.38	0.38	0.42	0.84	0.57	0.72	0.48	0.54
Commercial	2.12	2.13	2.26	2.43	2.27	2.57	3.09	3.05	3.11	2.61	2.67
All Other	3.69	4.36	3.78	4.51	3.65	3.33	3.97	3.48	4.56	3.96	4.36

Texas property owners should protest annually since Correcting an error in the appraisal district’s description of your property can reap savings in future years.

Cameron County Protests by Property Type

When broken down into more accurate property types, it is easier to understand how business real estate was protested. Oil and gas, utilities, and heavy industry saw the highest number of protests at 3,960, down from 2022’s 4,560. Standard commercial property saw 2,613 protests, which was lower than the 2022 number. Apartments and other multi-family residences saw only 476 protests, though even this small figure was down from 717 in 2022.

With businesses categorized, it can be seen that single family homes were actually the No. 1 source of protests. Though they are below business real estate as a whole, they are superior to any one type. Homes had the largest fluctuation between 2022 and 2023, going from 6,479 protests in 2022 to 4,711 in 2023. This was the lowest since4,006 appeals in 2019.

Value of Property Protested by TypeSource: 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 Protested Total	3.03	2.38	1.73	2.69	2.12	3.40	3.92	4.03	7.68	11.33	10.13
Single Family	0.79	0.61	0.43	0.55	0.70	0.55	0.55	0.68	3.65	6.63	3.98
Multi-Family Res	0.14	0.11	0.07	0.14	0.13	0.12	0.59	0.33	0.45	0.57	0.92
Commercial	1.37	1.06	0.74	1.16	0.80	2.08	1.87	1.59	1.92	2.25	3.19
All Other	0.73	0.61	0.49	0.83	0.49	0.65	0.90	1.43	1.65	1.87	2.05

Cameron County Value of Property Protested by Type

While the number of appeals has been hit-or-miss, the same cannot be said for the results achieved by them. The value of property that has been protested has increased virtually every year, with a few exceptions. Value has been going up every year since 2019, with 2022 being a big jump over 2021. In this timeframe, value went from $4.03 billion to $7.68 billion. 2023 did even better, setting the record with $11.33 billion. This is a sure indicator that property values are spiking every year, as protest numbers themselves are so inconsistent that the upward trend has nothing to do with appeals.

Single family homes are the main reason why the average has skyrocketed in the past few years. Home appeals contested only $68 million in taxable value in 2021, but they ended up fighting for $6.63 billion in 2023, an improvement of over 875%. Business properties have also been increasing, albeit at a gradual pace. Commercial real estate reached an all-time high of $2.25 billion, while oil and gas reached $1.87 billion. These were up from $1.92 billion and $1.65 billion from 2022 respectively. Apartments improved from $45 million to $57 million.