The big picture
Since 2024, the county’s total market value, which includes residential, commercial, multifamily and land properties, has increased by $14.41 billion, or by 8.47%.
Protests were due May 15, or within 30 days after a notice of appraised value was delivered, according to the WCAD’s website. The appraisal review board will then mail property owners information for scheduled hearings, which begin in May and end in July.
Zooming in
In 2022, Williamson County saw record increases in property values given the low inventory of homes and high demand for them at the time.
Median residential values in Williamson County are up slightly in 2025, but are not exceeding 2022 values, according to WCAD data.
How it works
Every January, taxable property in Texas must be valued at 100% of its market value to comply with the Texas Property Tax Code. In April or May, a notice of appraised value is mailed out to inform property owners what their proposed values are for the current tax year, according to WCAD’s website.
Property owners may file a protest if they disagree with the proposed value by providing evidence, like comparable home sales, to support their opinion.
To help property owners understand the notice better, WCAD defines the following terms on its website:
- Notice of appraised value: A letter mailed annually in the spring to property owners from appraisal districts to give owners notice about their proposed values for the current tax year. Owners who disagree with proposed values may file a protest.
- Market value: The price a property would be reasonably sold for under existing market conditions. Properties are valued on Jan. 1.
- Assessed value: The reduced value of your property after any qualifying limitation, such as a homestead exemption cap, has been applied.
- Homestead exemption: A homesteaded residence is capped from future assessed value increases of more than 10% per year. A cap amount is calculated by subtracting a property’s assessed value from total market value.
Lawsuits against appraisal districts have increased “dramatically” over the past few years, specifically since 2022 after values increased significantly, Lankford said. In Williamson County, most lawsuits are coming from commercial property owners, he said.
In 2024, 674 individual lawsuits were filed. There were 262 lawsuits filed in 2020 and 42 in 2014, according to Lankford’s presentation.
“That has increased our expenses dramatically and will increase our budget only because of dealing with these lawsuits,” Lankford said.
Additionally, Lankford said local district judges’ rule of clearing their dockets in 18 months means WCAD lawsuits are pushed through the system. WCAD case trials are set daily for the remainder of the year, and “forcing” settlements quickly results in a loss of tax revenue, Lankford said.
“It's a very big concern for appraisal districts,” Lankford said.
Lankford said the WCAD recently hired an in-house attorney to handle the increasing amount of litigation the district is seeing. Since WCAD cases go through district courts, Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said an incoming district judge should help with the case load.
In mid-May, lawmakers approved Senate Bill 4, which would raise tax exemptions on all Texans’ homes to $140,000, up from $100,000 under current law, Community Impact previously reported.
Texas voters will have the final say on the exemption increase this fall, as it will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot. In November 2023, 83% of Texas voters approved a constitutional amendment raising the statewide homestead exemption by $60,000.
Lankford recommends property owners apply for their own homestead exemption at wcad.org instead of paying a tax agency company to do it for them, as they can charge 25% of the savings from a property owner’s homestead.
“It doesn't sound like a lot, but when you figure that your homestead is worth about $1,000 in tax savings, you're now paying $250 to accommodate it for something that you could have done in three to five minutes,” Lankford said.
