For homeowners in Carrollton, Texas, May 15th is one of the most consequential dates of the year. It marks the standard deadline to file a property tax protest with your county’s appraisal district, and Carrollton is unique in that it straddles three counties: Dallas, Denton, and Collin. That means, depending on exactly where your home sits within city limits, your protest was handled by one of three separate appraisal districts: the Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD), the Denton Central Appraisal District (Denton CAD), or the Collin Central Appraisal District (CCAD).
All three districts share the same May 15th protest deadline, or 30 days after your Notice of Appraised Value was mailed, whichever is later. With the average Carrollton-area homeowner paying anywhere from $4,649 to over $8,200 per year in property taxes, depending on their county, a successful protest can mean real money back in your pocket. Dallas County homeowners face a combined rate of approximately 2.22%, Denton County homeowners average around 1.94%, and Collin County homeowners pay an effective rate of roughly 1.49%, but all three rates add up to significant annual bills on homes that have seen dramatic appreciation over the past several years.
So what happens if the deadline passes and you did not file? You lose your right to a standard formal protest hearing with the Appraisal Review Board (ARB) for the year. However, all hope is not lost. The Texas Property Tax Code provides specific exceptions and late remedies that may still help you reduce your tax burden. Here is exactly what Carrollton homeowners need to know.
First: Which County Is Your Home In?
Before taking any action, you need to confirm which appraisal district governs your property. Carrollton spans all three counties, and each has its own appraisal district, its own ARB, and its own contact information. If your property sits on a boundary line, you may have received notices from more than one district.
- Dallas County: Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD) | dallascad.org | (214) 631-0910
- Denton County: Denton Central Appraisal District (Denton CAD) | dentoncad.com | (940) 349-3800
- Collin County: Collin Central Appraisal District (CCAD) | collincad.org | (469) 742-9200
Your Notice of Appraised Value will clearly state which district sent it. If you are unsure, you can search your property address on any of the three websites above to locate your account.
Option 1: File a Late Protest for “Good Cause”
Under Section 41.44(b) of the Texas Property Tax Code, the ARB in any of the three counties may grant a late protest hearing if you can demonstrate “good cause” for missing the deadline.
This option applies equally whether your property falls under DCAD, Denton CAD, or CCAD.
To use this option, you must file your written notice of protest before the ARB approves the appraisal records, which typically happens in mid-to-late July. When you file late, the hearing becomes a two-step process: the ARB first decides whether your reason qualifies as good cause, and if they agree, they immediately proceed to hear your actual property value protest.
What counts as “good cause”? Good cause is generally defined as a circumstance that was genuinely outside your control. Acceptable reasons typically include a serious medical emergency, hospitalization, or the death of an immediate family member. The official DCAD protest process guide specifically cites hospitalization as an example.
What does NOT count as “good cause”? The ARB is strict. Being out of town on vacation, forgetting the deadline, being too busy at work, or assuming your mortgage company or escrow account handled it are not considered good cause. These are among the most common reasons homeowners miss the deadline, and unfortunately, none of them will get a late hearing approved.
Option 2: Correct Clerical Errors Under Section 25.25
If you missed the deadline and do not have a qualifying good cause reason, one of your most powerful remaining tools is a Section 25.25 motion to correct clerical errors in the appraisal records. This option is available through DCAD, Denton CAD, and CCAD alike, and it can be filed even after the ARB has approved the appraisal records for the year.
A Section 25.25 correction is not a value protest; it is a request to fix a verifiable, objective factual error in your property record. If successful, corrections can sometimes be applied retroactively to cover the current year and up to five preceding tax years, making it one of the most valuable remedies available to homeowners who missed the standard window.
Common clerical errors worth checking on your appraisal record include:
- Incorrect square footage: Your home is listed as 3,200 square feet, but it is actually 2,700 square feet.
- Wrong property characteristics: The record shows a pool you do not have, or lists the wrong number of bathrooms or bedrooms.
- Duplicate assessments: You are being billed twice for the same property or improvement.
- Incorrect ownership: The appraisal district lists the wrong owner on the account.
- Wrong property use classification: Your property is classified as commercial when it is residential.
To check your property record, visit the website of whichever appraisal district covers your Carrollton home, search your address, and carefully compare every detail on file against the actual characteristics of your property. Even a modest square footage error can translate into hundreds of dollars in unnecessary taxes each year.
Option 3: File a Motion for Substantial Overvaluation Under Section 25.25(d)
What if there are no clerical errors, but your home’s appraised value is dramatically higher than what it is actually worth on the market? If your property has been severely overvalued, you may qualify for a late motion under Section 25.25(d) of the Texas Tax Code, a remedy available to homeowners in all three counties.
The threshold is steep. To qualify, you must prove with solid evidence that your property was overvalued by at least one-fourth (25%) above its correct appraised value if it is your primary residence homestead, or at least one-third (33%) for non-homestead properties such as investment or rental homes.
There are important conditions attached to this remedy:
- You must file the motion before the taxes become delinquent, which is typically January 31 of the following year.
- You must pay the property taxes on the undisputed portion of the value before the delinquency date to avoid penalties while the motion is pending.
- If your motion is successful, you will receive a refund on any overpaid taxes, but a 10% late-correction penalty will be assessed on the taxes calculated at the corrected value.
Given the dramatic appreciation Carrollton has experienced in recent years, driven by its desirable location across three of DFW’s fastest-growing counties, it is worth pulling recent comparable sales in your specific neighborhood to see whether your assessed value holds up against the actual market.
Option 4: Protest Failure to Receive a Required Notice
Texas law requires each appraisal district to send you a Notice of Appraised Value if your property value increased from the previous year, if your property was reappraised, or if you are a new owner. If DCAD, Denton CAD, or CCAD failed to send you this required notice and you missed the deadline as a result, you have the right to file a protest based on failure to receive notice.
You must file this protest before the delinquency date (generally January 31 of the following year), and you must not allow your property taxes to become delinquent while the protest is pending. If the ARB determines that the appraisal district did indeed fail to deliver the required notice, your taxes will be adjusted accordingly.
This is a particularly relevant remedy for Carrollton homeowners who recently purchased their home, as new ownership records sometimes lag behind in appraisal district databases, and notices can be sent to the previous owner.
A Note on Carrollton’s Unique Three-County Situation
Because Carrollton spans Dallas, Denton, and Collin counties, some homeowners whose property sits near a county boundary may have received notices from more than one appraisal district. If that is the case, each county’s portion of the property is assessed separately, but you will not be double-taxed. Each tax item, county, city, and school district, is assessed in proportion to the share of the property located within each county’s lines.
This also means that if you missed the deadline, you need to pursue any of the above remedies with the correct appraisal district for your specific parcel. Filing with the wrong district will not be accepted. When in doubt, contact the City of Carrollton directly or search your address on all three appraisal district websites to confirm your county assignment.
What to Do Right Now: A Step-by-Step Checklist
If the May 15th deadline has passed and you have not yet filed a protest, here is what to do immediately:
Step 1: Confirm your county. Look at your Notice of Appraised Value or search your address on dallascad.org, dentoncad.com, or collincad.org to confirm which district governs your property.
Step 2: Check whether the ARB has approved the appraisal records. If the records have not yet been approved (typically mid-July), you may still be able to file a late protest for good cause. Contact your appraisal district directly to ask.
Step 3: Pull your property record. Log into your appraisal district’s website and review every detail of your property record for clerical errors; square footage, bedroom and bathroom count, lot size, pool or outbuilding listings, and ownership information.
Step 4: Compare your value to recent sales. Look at what similar homes in your specific Carrollton neighborhood have sold for recently. If your appraised value is dramatically higher than comparable sales, you may qualify for a Section 25.25(d) motion.
Step 5: Consider professional help. Licensed property tax consultants operate on a contingency basis; they only collect a fee if they successfully reduce your bill. Given the complexity of navigating three separate appraisal districts, professional representation can be especially valuable for Carrollton area homeowners.
Prepare Now for Next Year: The 10% Cap Matters
Even if none of the late remedies apply to your situation this year, do not walk away without a plan for 2027. Because Texas law caps the annual increase in a primary residence’s taxable assessed value at 10% per year (known as the Homestead Cap), the appraised value established this year becomes the baseline for future years. A high unchallenged value today can compound into significantly higher tax bills for every year you own the home.
Set a reminder now for April 15th, when DCAD, Denton CAD, and CCAD typically mail their Notices of Appraised Value, and for May 15th, the standard protest deadline. Begin gathering evidence early: take photos of any deferred maintenance, foundation issues, roof wear, or outdated interiors that would affect your home’s market value. Monitor comparable sales in your
neighborhood throughout the year. The homeowners who win their protests are almost always the ones who started preparing months before the deadline, not the week of.
Final Thoughts
Have questions about your property taxes or the Carrollton real estate market? I am here to help, reach out anytime.
Contact Greg Douglas today!
Carrollton & DFW Real Estate Specialist
Committed to helping you love where you live.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Property tax laws and deadlines are subject to change. Please consult directly with the Dallas Central Appraisal District, Denton Central Appraisal District, or Collin Central Appraisal District — or a licensed property tax professional — regarding your specific situation.
