Orange Property Taxes Cut in 95% of Informal Hearings

Orange County Appraisal District (OCAD) generates property taxes assessments using a process called "mass appraisal". It is the least reliable method to value property. Hence, their estimates of value are subject to protests on both market value and unequal appraisal. Orange County property owners won 95% of the informal appeals, saving $2 million in just 2021. Orange owners who protest are likely to save, but you must protest to save. There are no voluntary reductions after initial guesstimates are sent. In a typical year, 0 of protests are successful in Orange. If you don't want to protest annually yourself, we can do it for you. There is no flat fee. No upfront cost. No fee ever unless we reduce your property taxes that year. Enroll now in the Property Tax Protection Program(TM) to claim your savings. Three simple steps: 1) enroll, 2) relax and 3) save.

Resolved Informally Orange 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	1.196	1.271	1.345	1.068	2.106	2.481	2.915	2.302	3.434	4.566	2.967
Single Family	0.482	0.521	0.559	0.751	1.074	1.199	1.636	1.411	2.315	3.218	1.809
Commercial / Other	0.714	0.750	0.786	0.317	1.032	1.282	1.279	0.891	1.119	1.348	1.158

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

Orange County Property Tax Protests Resolved Informally

Orange County property owners who file a property tax protest have three primary options to resolve their protest. These include the: 1) informal hearing, 2) the formal hearing (or appraisal review board), and 3) judicial appeal or binding arbitration. Most property tax protests are resolved at the informal hearing.

Home owners accounted for 47% of property tax protests filed with Orange County Appraisal District in 2021.

Orange CAD Informal Settlements

The Orange County Appraisal District cannot require an informal hearing. Most property owners attempt to settle during the informal hearing. In some cases, they agree to the initial value after seeing the appraisal district’s evidence.

This means that they stop their journey to protest right there. However, there is more that property owners can do. By settling at the informal hearing, a property owner is waiving their right to continue the property tax appeal. Property owners not satisfied with the offer at the informal hearing can continue to the appraisal review board hearing, and even to a district court lawsuit.

Resulted in Reduction Through Informal Process Orange 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	0.628	0.729	0.830	0.824	1.696	2.084	1.872	2.195	2.534	2.873	2.209
Single Family	0.268	0.328	0.387	0.605	0.981	0.979	0.983	1.379	1.754	2.128	1.367
Commercial / Other	0.360	0.401	0.443	0.219	0.715	1.105	0.889	0.816	0.780	0.745	0.842

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

Orange County Informal Hearing Reductions

The Orange County Appraisal District accounts that received a reduction at the informal hearing are illustrated below. Informal resolution rates vary sharply from county to county.

Orange County home owners settled 1,411 of the total 1,252 protests for houses with the Orange County Appraisal District at the informal hearings level. 1,379 (98%) of the informal settlements with Orange CAD had a reduction.

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	52.510%	57.360%	61.710%	77.150%	80.530%	84.000%	64.220%	95.350%	73.790%	62.920%	74.450%
Single Family	55.600%	62.960%	69.230%	80.560%	91.340%	81.650%	60.090%	97.730%	75.770%	66.130%	75.570%
Commercial / Other	50.420%	53.470%	56.360%	69.090%	69.280%	86.190%	69.510%	91.580%	69.710%	55.270%	72.710%

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

Orange County % of Informal Hearings with Reduction

Orange County Appraisal District makes massive adjustments to the total values during the informal hearing process for both residential and commercial. Given the large reductions in tax assessments and property tax values, it is surprising more homeowners do not appeal.

Most Orange County property tax appeals for houses were settled at the informal hearing. Orange homeowners accounted for 61% of the 2021 informal protest settlements while commercial / other accounted for 39%. Orange County Appraisal District settled 0 property tax protests informally in 2021. Success rates were 98% (had a reduction) for single family and 92% for commercial / other types of property.

$ 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	0.0055	0.0170	0.0285	0.0124	0.0388	0.0651	0.0722	0.0793	0.1079	0.1365	0.1565
$ Reduction Single Family	0.0051	0.0035	0.0019	0.0036	0.0255	0.0474	0.0389	0.0305	0.0375	0.0445	0.0022
$ Value Commercial / Other	0.0004	0.0135	0.0267	0.0088	0.0133	0.0178	0.0333	0.0488	0.0704	0.0920	0.1543

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

Orange County Appraisal District $ Value Reduction From Informal Process

Property owners scored assessment reductions of $30.52 million for single-family and $48.78 million for commercial / other in informal settlements with Orange CAD in 2021. These informal settlements generated estimated property tax savings of $824,309 for home owners and $1.31 million for owners of commercial / other property in Orange in 2021.