Harris County Commercial Property Tax Protest Property Tax Protest

Harris County is the largest county in Texas and home to Houston — the state’s biggest commercial real estate market. HCAD (Harris County Appraisal District) appraises over 1.8 million properties annually, and commercial properties are frequently overassessed due to the district’s mass appraisal methods.

Why Harris County Commercial Properties Are Overassessed

HCAD uses computer-assisted mass appraisal (CAMA) models to value commercial properties. These models apply broad assumptions that don’t account for your property’s specific condition, vacancy rates, lease terms, or capital expenditure needs. The result: most commercial properties in Harris County are assessed above their true market value.

Harris County Tax Rates

Harris County has some of the highest effective property tax rates in Texas. Between the county, city, school district, and special districts, total tax rates on commercial properties typically range from 2.2% to 3.2% depending on location.

On a commercial property assessed at $3 million, that’s $66,000 to $96,000 per year in property taxes. A 15% reduction in assessed value could save you $10,000–$14,400 annually.

Filing Your Protest with HCAD

The deadline to file a Notice of Protest with HCAD is May 15 (or 30 days after your appraisal notice, whichever is later). HCAD accepts protests online through their iFile system at hcad.org.

How We Help Harris County Property Owners

LowerMyCommercialTax specializes in Harris County commercial property tax protests. We know HCAD’s appraisal methods, their common errors, and how to build evidence packages that get results at hearing.

Our process:

1. We pull your HCAD data and run comparable analysis
2. We file your protest before the deadline
3. We build a comprehensive evidence package (income, sales, equity)
4. We attend your hearing and negotiate your reduction
5. You pay only if we save you money — 30% of first-year savings

Request your free Harris County assessment →