In Murphy, property owners who disagree with their appraised value have a limited window to file a formal protest.

The process is administered by the Collin Central Appraisal District and follows a timeline set by the Texas Property Tax Code, beginning when Notices of Appraised Value are mailed.

Property owners must submit a written protest by May 15 or within 30 days of the date the notice was sent, whichever is later. If that deadline falls on a weekend or legal holiday, it is automatically extended to the next business day.

A valid protest must identify the property owner, the property in question and the reason for dissatisfaction. Filings can be submitted by mail, in person or by drop box. Eligible property owners may also file online through the district’s eFile system using a personal identification number printed on the appraisal notice at https://onlineportal.collincad.org

Once a protest is filed on time, the case is scheduled for a hearing before the Appraisal Review Board, or ARB. Property owners are notified at least 15 days in advance of the hearing’s date, time and location.

Hearings typically take place from mid-May through early July for residential and commercial properties, with business personal property cases heard from late June through mid-July. In Collin County, ARB hearings are held at the appraisal district’s offices in McKinney.

Panels of one or three ARB members hear each case, with multiple panels operating at the same time. During the hearing, both the property owner and appraisal district staff may present evidence, such as comparable sales, repair estimates or independent appraisals. The panel then issues a decision based on that evidence.

Following the hearing, the ARB sends a written order by certified mail outlining its determination and providing information on further appeal options.

By July 20, the ARB is required to complete most hearings and approve the appraisal records, with no more than a small portion of properties still under protest.

After the appraisal roll is certified, options for challenging a value become more limited. State law allows certain post-certification remedies, including protests for failure to receive required notice before taxes become delinquent on Jan. 31, as well as motions to correct clerical errors, ownership issues or substantial valuation errors under specific conditions.

However, many of those remedies are not available if a property has already been the subject of an ARB hearing or if a settlement agreement has been reached.

Additional forms and information about the protest process are available through the Collin ARB website.

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