Homeowner News
Tarrant County tweaks property tax notices for Fort Worth homeowners
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Fort Worth homeowners will receive their 2025 appraisal notices on April 15, and there are changes underfoot.
In 2024, the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) Board of Directors adopted a reappraisal plan that froze residential values for the 2025 tax year. (This excludes any accounts with new construction or new improvement value.) Property owners can use TAD’s online dashboard to review their appraisal and understand how this policy affects their property value.
New formats
TAD has instituted changes in the ways it is notifying property owners, all made to save money.
State law does not require a notice about property tax values to be sent unless:
- the appraised value increases
- the value is higher than rendered
- a new property was added to the roll
- an exemption was changed or reduced
However, in an effort to improve communication while maintaining fiscal responsibility, TAD did nonetheless send a notice via a postcard to inform taxpayers that their appraised value remained unchanged.
The postcard was chosen because it's more cost-effective than a notice, and a notice would not have clearly notified people that their value did not change. This way, owners can tell that if they got a postcard, the value of their property did not increase.
If the value of a home increases, property owners will get a paper notice — which by the way will be printed on white paper instead of the previously-used colored paper. This is expected to save 6 percent in costs.
Market vs. appraised
TAD offers some clarifying thoughts on the topic of market value vs. appraised value:
- Market value is the price at which a property would sell for if put up for sale in the open market.
- Appraised value is the value or limitation of value allowed by chapter 23 of the tax code.
The appraised value cannot exceed the market value, but it can increase until it equals the market value.
While many homeowners will enjoy a freeze on property values in 2025, this does not apply to properties with new construction or added improvements, or increases to the appraised value as a result of the homestead cap.
Protest
Property owners who saw an increase in values have the right to file a protest by May 15, which they can file electronically, by mail, or in person.
