Travis County Commercial Property Tax Protest Property Tax Protest

TCAD just sent out 2026 market values, and the numbers are significant. The total Travis County appraisal roll increased 5.48% to $482 billion, with commercial properties in healthcare, industrial, and office sectors driving the bulk of that growth. If you own commercial property in Austin or greater Travis County, your assessed value almost certainly went up.

Here’s the thing most commercial owners don’t realize: nearly 187,000 property tax protests were filed in Travis County in 2024 — that’s 39% of all parcels in the county. Of those, 87% resulted in a reduced value. When cases reached the ARB, the success rate climbed to 89%. The protest system works, but only if you actually use it.

How TCAD’s Overassessment Hits Commercial Owners

Travis County’s commercial real estate market has been through a rollercoaster. The Austin tech boom pushed values sky-high, then office vacancy rates climbed as remote work reshaped demand. Meanwhile, TCAD’s mass appraisal models have been slow to account for these shifts.

Office market disconnect. Austin’s office vacancy rate has risen substantially since 2022, but TCAD often values office properties based on trailing data that reflects peak-market conditions. If your building’s actual occupancy is 75% but TCAD is modeling at 90%, you’re paying taxes on phantom income.

The Domain and suburban corridor effect. Heavy development along MoPac, the Domain area, and the 183 corridor has created a wide range of commercial property quality within small geographic areas. TCAD’s comparable sales sometimes lump a 15-year-old retail center with new construction nearby, which inflates the older property’s assessed value.

Income approach gaps. For commercial properties valued using the income approach, TCAD’s cap rates and expense ratios don’t always match current market reality. Operating expenses for Austin commercial properties have climbed — insurance, maintenance, property management — and those costs should reduce your property’s value for tax purposes.

Data Point	Value
2026 total appraisal roll	$482 billion
Year-over-year roll increase	5.48%
County tax rate	$0.3145 per $100 valuation
City of Austin tax rate	$0.4253 per $100 valuation
Austin ISD tax rate	$0.8643 per $100 valuation
Protests filed (2024)	187,000 (39% of parcels)
Protest success rate	87% reduced

Filing with TCAD

Your deadline to file a Notice of Protest is May 15, 2026, or 30 days after TCAD mails your Notice of Appraised Value — whichever is later. TCAD typically begins mailing notices in April.

You can file three ways:

• Online at traviscad.org — fastest, and you get immediate confirmation
• By mail to Travis Central Appraisal District, PO Box 149012, Austin, TX 78714
• In person at 850 East Anderson Lane, Austin, TX 78752

TCAD’s online system is one of the better ones in the state. You can file, upload evidence, and track your protest status all through the portal. That said, the evidence you submit matters more than the filing method. A strong protest needs current comparable sales, actual income and expense data, and documentation of any property condition issues that affect value.

Property Types Commonly Overassessed in Travis County

Austin’s commercial property landscape is diverse, and each sector has its own overassessment patterns:

• Tech office space in the Domain, downtown, and East Austin — vacancy has reshaped these markets but assessments lag behind
• Retail centers along South Lamar, Burnet Road, and in Round Rock — tenant turnover and changing retail dynamics affect income
• Industrial and flex space along Highway 130 and in East Travis County — rapid new construction inflates comps for older buildings
• Hotels and short-term rental properties in the downtown and South Congress areas
• Medical office buildings near Dell Seton and St. David’s medical campuses
• Multi-tenant strip centers in Cedar Park and Pflugerville, where suburban growth has pushed values aggressively

What This Means in Dollars

Take a typical $5 million office building in Travis County. At a combined effective tax rate around 2.1%, that’s $105,000 in annual property taxes. A 15% reduction in assessed value drops your tax bill by roughly $15,750 per year. For larger properties or those with significant overassessment, we regularly see savings of $22,000 to $35,000 annually.

With an 87% success rate on protests in Travis County, the odds are heavily in your favor. Our fee is 30% of first-year savings — nothing if we don’t get a reduction. That’s the deal.

Send us your property details and we’ll evaluate your assessment within 48 hours. You can also read more about how the protest process works before getting started.