Cameron Property Tax Protest ARB Tax Savings over $9 MM in 2024

Formal appeals in Cameron County have been fluctuating between peaks and valleys for years. However, these are seeing record savings when it comes to value and taxes, showing just how effective they can be. While most taxpayers in the county utilize informal appeals, hearings before the appraisal review board (ARB) actually have a higher success rate and managed to reduce $430 million in taxable value in 2024, a new record. Get the best from your protests when you enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today. There is no cost to enroll, and you will only see a fee if your taxes are lowered. Enroll, relax, and save.

Protests with Written ARB DeterminationSource: 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	1.415	1.299	1.302	1.161	0.910	1.561	2.160	2.559	2.635	2.229	2.344
Protests single family residential	0.476	0.320	0.573	0.331	0.530	0.342	0.484	1.116	1.277	0.805	1.117
Protests with all other	0.939	0.979	0.729	0.830	0.380	1.219	1.676	1.443	1.358	1.424	1.226

Texas property owners should protest annually since Hearing results depend on the appraiser assigned or the ARB; results vary widely. You do not know the appraiser or ARB panel prior to appealing.

Cameron County Protests with Written ARB Determination

Similar to counties like Hidalgo or El Paso, Cameron taxpayers tend to focus on informal appeals to find tax relief. These set records for both tax cuts and value reduction in 2024, and the trend is continuing to go upward. While informal hearings have various ups-and-downs, the taxpayers of Cameron County have generally been engaging with formal hearings at a much steadier pace. There may not be as many protests in this fashion, but there is stable growth in both appeals and results.

Making a formal appeal to the appraisal review board (ARB) is much more difficult than going for an informal result. Taxpayers will need expert advice and representation to defeat the Cameron Appraisal District (Cameron CAD) in front of the ARB. O’Connor is here to help and can be the perfect partner for hearings with the ARB and even beyond. As one of the largest property tax firms in the nation, O’Connor has the personnel and resources needed to bully Cameron CAD into submission. Based in Texas, O’Connor also has an innate understanding of Texas law, evidence, and other requirements, along with connections with the ARB.

Cameron CAD Protests by Property Type

Formal hearings have been growing in Cameron County every year, though 2023 was a bit of a backstep after years of constant growth. There was a total of 2,229 hearings before the ARB in 2023, down from the record of 2,635 in 2022. This was still the third-best total of all time and was another year that towered over the majority of the previous decade. 2024 reversed things, with 2,344 protests appearing before the board.

Single family homes have driven the recent spike in formal protests. After sitting at 484 protests in 2020, hearings exploded to 1,116 in 2021 and 1,277 in 2022. There were 805 formal hearings for homes in 2023, but this was also improved to 1,117 in 2024. Commercial properties have traditionally ruled the formal process and have always been on top of homes. In 2024, there were 1,266 protests from commercial properties, a slightly down year for the type. Business property hearings have generally grown steadily over the past decade, unlike the swings seen in homes.

Cameron County ARB Decisions with a ReductionSource: 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	0.929	0.642	0.712	0.813	0.521	0.699	1.086	1.014	1.492	1.073	1.391
Single Family Residential	0.386	0.316	0.394	0.265	0.316	0.302	0.350	0.572	0.725	0.487	0.836
Commercial / All Other	0.543	0.326	0.318	0.548	0.205	0.397	0.736	0.442	0.767	0.586	0.555

Texas property owners should protest annually since An annual appeal is an insurance policy to avoid major increases.

Cameron County ARB Decisions with a Reduction

While it is certainly a harder road to get a reduction through the ARB, it is often worth it. A total of 1,391 appeals resulted in a reduction in 2024, the second-most ever recorded in the county. Single family homes contributed a record of 836 victories, while commercial properties added 555 to the final sum. Commercial properties tend to see success come in waves, with a pattern of highs and down years. This pattern has been consistent for a decade.

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 Reduction	66%	49%	55%	70%	57%	45%	50%	40%	57%	48%	59%
Single Family Residential	81%	99%	69%	80%	60%	88%	72%	51%	57%	60%	75%
Commercial / All Other	58%	33%	44%	66%	54%	33%	44%	31%	56%	41%	45%

Texas property owners should protest annually since To ensure their property taxes are at the lowest possible level.

Percent That Resulted in A Reduction

59% of all ARB hearings resulted in a reduction for taxpayers. This was the best result seen since 70% in 2017. . The statewide average in 2024 was 66%. 75% of homes were able to land a reduction, their best result since 2019. Business real estate won 45% of the time, up from 41% in 2023. The statewide average for business properties in 2024 was 63%, so Cameron County was behind the average. Formal hearings had lower winning percentage than informal appeals in 2024, as 69.57% of informal protests won. This was a dramatic jump for informal hearings, possibly indicating that the district is becoming more generous.

Value Reduction From Written ARB DeterminationsSource: 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
Total $ Reduction	0.037	0.019	0.028	0.032	0.040	0.173	0.217	0.206	0.195	0.299	0.430
Single Family Residential	0.011	0.007	0.012	0.007	0.010	0.010	0.010	0.059	0.107	0.203	0.141
Commercial / All Other	0.026	0.012	0.017	0.025	0.031	0.163	0.207	0.147	0.087	0.095	0.289

Texas property owners should protest annually since Unequal appraisal allows protests based on neighbors having a better tax assessment.

Dollar Value Reduction from Cameron ARB Hearings

While the number of appeals and victory percentages have certainly bounced all around, the value reduced by formal protests has only gone up annually. The county saw a new record of $430 million in taxable value reduced in 2024. This was an improvement over an already astounding $299 million from 2023. This was thanks to a massive spike from businesses which leapt from $95 million in 2023 to $289 million in 2024. Residential properties have steadily grown in reduced value throughout the entire decade, culminating in a slashing of $361.30 million in 2023. 2024 was the first year where residential properties dropped in value since 2020.