Lubbock Property Taxes Cut in 59% of Informal Hearings
While protesters in Lubbock County have routinely focused on formal hearings, informal protests are still seeing their best results yet. The easiest protests to file, these initial appeals give all taxpayers a chance to take on the Lubbock Central Appraisal District (LCAD) and win. Get a winning edge in all of your appeals when you join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today. There is no upfront cost, and you will get premium support from the first day. Enroll, relax, and save.
Resolved Informally Lubbock CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number | 1.577 | 2.301 | 2.395 | 2.054 | 2.548 | 2.592 | 1.961 | 1.330 | 17.175 | 16.410 | 19.957 | |
| Single Family | 0.978 | 1.630 | 1.504 | 1.201 | 1.368 | 1.590 | 1.203 | 0.816 | 12.059 | 14.307 | 15.373 | |
| Commercial / Other | 0.599 | 0.671 | 0.891 | 0.853 | 1.180 | 1.002 | 0.758 | 0.514 | 5.116 | 2.103 | 4.584 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Most appeals are resolved with a reduction at the informal level.
LCAD Property Tax Appeals Resolved Informally
While most Texas counties have originally been geared toward informal appeals, before transitioning to formal protests, Lubbock bucked that trend. For the past decade, the county has mostly emphasized appeals to the appraisal review board (ARB). While the more advanced protests have benefited businesses and high-dollar homeowners, the informal appeals have still helped the average taxpayer. Join O’Connor and get premium and personalized support from one of the largest firms in the nation.
Home owners accounted for 68% of property tax protests filed with Lubbock Central Appraisal District in 2021.
LCAD Informal Settlements
Informal protests had their best year ever in 2024, showcasing how much the people of Lubbock have embraced the opportunity to dispute the values of LCAD. 19,957 protests were resolved informally in 2024, up from 2023’s 16,410. After years of underperformance, these initial protests caught fire in 2022 and have never looked back. To illustrate this, 2021 saw 1,330 protests, while 2022 notched 17,175.
Both homes and businesses spiked in the past three years, but the majority of the increase was thanks to homes. Easily outnumbering businesses, homes resolved 15,373 informal challenges in 2024. Businesses followed with 4,584, a huge jump from 2,103 in 2023. 2024 was the best year on record for homes and the second-best for businesses. Commercial property would turn that on its head at the formal level.
Resulted in Reduction Through Informal Process Lubbock CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number | 1.145 | 1.690 | 1.589 | 1.279 | 1.775 | 1.838 | 1.349 | 0.859 | 10.367 | 9.870 | 11.821 | |
| Single Family | 0.722 | 1.163 | 1.044 | 0.779 | 1.050 | 1.136 | 0.854 | 0.572 | 6.633 | 8.261 | 8.834 | |
| Commercial / Other | 0.423 | 0.527 | 0.545 | 0.500 | 0.725 | 0.702 | 0.495 | 0.287 | 3.734 | 1.609 | 2.987 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is the world’s safest wager. No cost and a 60% chance of savings annually.
LCAD Informal Hearing Reductions
Because they rely solely on LCAD playing ball, informal protests can vary wildly in success between years. Even with this in mind, 2024 was still an excellent year for taxpayers. Homeowners were granted 8,834 reductions, while businesses scored 2,987 victories. The combined 11,821 reductions were the best ever achieved in Lubbock County.
Percent That Resulted in A ReductionSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Percent | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number | 72.610% | 73.450% | 66.350% | 62.270% | 69.660% | 70.910% | 68.790% | 64.590% | 60.360% | 60.150% | 59.230% | |
| Single Family | 73.820% | 71.350% | 69.410% | 64.860% | 76.750% | 71.450% | 70.990% | 70.100% | 55.000% | 57.740% | 57.460% | |
| Commercial / Other | 70.620% | 78.540% | 61.170% | 58.620% | 61.440% | 70.060% | 65.300% | 55.840% | 72.990% | 76.510% | 65.160% | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Errors in the appraisal districts records for your property often artificially inflate YOUR property taxes.
LCAD Percentage of Informal Hearings with Reduction
Despite a great number of protests, 2024 was mediocre when it came to winning percentage. 59.24% of disputes ended with a victory for the taxpayer. To put that in context, the Texas statewide average was 74.38%. 57.46% of homes were able to land a reduction, which was around what they have been able to achieve in the past three years. Businesses fell to 65.16% after a record of 76.51% in 2023. This still bested the statewide average of 54.9% easily.
$ Value Reduction From Informal ProcessSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Billions of $ | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| $ Reduction Total | 0.0580 | 0.0336 | 0.0672 | 0.0530 | 0.0740 | 0.0645 | 0.1734 | 0.2823 | 0.5126 | 0.5362 | 0.6637 | |
| $ Reduction Single Family | 0.0218 | 0.0096 | 0.0191 | 0.0331 | 0.0262 | 0.0417 | 0.0601 | 0.0785 | 0.1497 | 0.2675 | 0.2706 | |
| $ Value Commercial / Other | 0.0362 | 0.0241 | 0.0481 | 0.0199 | 0.0478 | 0.0227 | 0.1133 | 0.2038 | 0.3629 | 0.2687 | 0.3931 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Property taxes are the only type that can be negotiated based on subjective factors and judgment.
LCAD Value Reduction from Informal Process
Though the winning percentage was relatively low, the same could not be said for the overall value reduction achieved with initial protests. In 2024, $663.70 million in property value was removed from the tax rolls, resulting in substantial tax savings for taxpayers. While each individual appeal may not have been as successful as in previous years, the high number of appeals contributed to a significant total reduction. This extensive reduction provided real financial relief by lowering the tax burden for many property owners. The quality of appeals may have declined due to the increased volume being filed against LCAD.
The large overall reduction was thanks to a sudden increase in business cuts. After only reaching $268.70 million in 2023, commercial property surged to $393.10 million in 2024. This certainly marked a good year for businesses overall, as they also saw record victories at the formal and litigation phases. Homes slightly retreated from their 2023 high, but still managed to reduce $270.60 million.