Complete guide to protesting your Dallas County property taxes in 2026. Beat DCAD with comparable sales evidence. Covers Dallas, Irving, Garland, Mesquite, and all DCAD cities.
The Dallas Central Appraisal District uses a computer-assisted mass appraisal system to value every property in Dallas County as of January 1st each year. DCAD groups properties into market areas and applies statistical models to estimate value. The system is designed for efficiency at scale — not accuracy at the individual property level. DCAD has a legal obligation under Texas Tax Code to value your property at 100% of its January 1st market value. If their model produces a number higher than your home's actual market value, you have grounds to protest.
DCAD typically mails Notices of Appraised Value in April. Your protest deadline is the later of May 15, 2026 or 30 days from the date on your notice. Dallas County sends out an enormous volume of notices, so hearings book up quickly.
Dallas home prices surged aggressively from 2020 through mid-2023, then the market shifted. Rising interest rates slowed demand, inventory increased, and days-on-market stretched significantly. In many Dallas neighborhoods, homes that were worth $450,000 in 2022 are now selling for $410,000–$430,000. DCAD's models often lag this kind of correction, leaving homeowners assessed at peak values that no longer reflect reality.
Strong DCAD protests are built on comparable sales evidence. Find recent sales within your neighborhood of homes similar to yours that sold for less than your assessed value.
The Dallas Central Appraisal District covers properties within Dallas County including Dallas, Irving, Garland, Mesquite, Grand Prairie (partially), Duncanville, DeSoto, Cedar Hill, Lancaster, Balch Springs, Seagoville, Hutchins, Wilmer, Glenn Heights, and other Dallas County municipalities. Note: Plano and Frisco are primarily in Collin County (CCAD). Arlington and Mansfield are in Tarrant County (TAD).
$89 flat fee. You sign it, we file it. You keep 100% of your savings.
TaxAppeal USA is a self-service document-preparation and mail filing service. In every state we serve, including Florida, we are not property tax consultants, agents, or representatives, we do not provide tax or legal advice, and we do not represent customers before any appraisal district, board of equalization, value adjustment board, or review board. Every protest and petition is prepared for the property owner, signed by the owner, and filed in the owner’s name. In Florida we also pay your county’s Value Adjustment Board filing fee on your behalf and mail your petition to the Clerk of the Value Adjustment Board. Your petition is signed by you as the property owner under section 194.011(3), Florida Statutes. TaxAppeal USA does not sign as your representative, does not appear before the Board, and does not present evidence or argument at a hearing.