Nueces Property Tax Protest ARB Tax Savings over $14 MM in 2024

Thanks to growing tech investment, Nueces is quickly becoming one of the hot destinations in Texas, with the economy transforming to match the likes of SpaceX. This has caused a transformation in the real estate market for the county, which has seen property values double in the past 10 years. This had led to higher appeals being filed, especially those with the appraisal review board (ARB). With more money than ever before, the struggle against the Nueces County Appraisal District (NCAD) has never been more important. Get a leg up when you join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today. You only pay if your taxes are reduced. Enroll, relax, and save.

Protests with Written ARB DeterminationSource: 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 protests	1.789	2.497	2.453	2.247	2.409	3.460	3.037	4.485	5.283	7.688	6.918
Protests single family residential	1.159	1.422	1.255	1.169	1.162	1.341	1.076	1.667	2.250	3.414	2.387
Protests with all other	0.630	1.075	1.198	1.078	1.247	2.119	1.961	2.818	3.033	4.274	4.531

Texas property owners should protest annually since Hearing results depend on the appraiser assigned or the ARB; results vary widely. You do not know the appraiser or ARB panel prior to appealing.

NCAD Protests with Written ARB Determination

While informal appeals set records in 2024, formal hearings managed to do even better, with both businesses and homeowners saving big at the second stage of protests. Winning against NCAD in these hearings requires a great deal of evidence, as the ARB will examine the facts from both sides closely. Formal settlements can improve upon those achieved at the first level or can grant a victory after an informal push failed.

Get help gathering evidence and get expert representation with the ARB when you enroll with O’Connor. As one of the largest firms in the nation, O’Connor has the resources to match the CAD at the formal level. Being based in Texas, O’Connor also has the local experts who know how best to please both the board and the CAD. This grants you a true advantage over other taxpayers, which should lead to greater reductions.

NCAD Protests by Property Type

Businesses have historically been the favorite to go to the formal phase. For decades, they were the only ones who had the resources and the reason to get this far. While there was a total of 6,918 protests in 2024, 4,531 of these were for commercial properties. This was a new record, and was a slight improvement over 2023’s 4,274.

Homes have seen a meteoric rise in the past decade, which implies a much stronger push by homeowners to even the score. This is due to rising costs, which make the extra effort worth it. 2,387 homes were protested in 2024. This was down from 3,414 in 2023 and was the first time that residential appeal decreased since 2020. Residential real estate did see record savings at the informal phase, so this may have blunted the desire to go for larger savings at the next level.

Nueces County ARB Decisions with a ReductionSource: 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	1.383	2.032	1.482	1.454	1.397	1.529	1.248	2.050	1.921	3.409	3.053
Single Family Residential	1.036	1.271	1.097	1.083	0.938	1.109	0.792	1.046	1.357	2.163	2.091
Commercial / All Other	0.347	0.761	0.385	0.371	0.459	0.420	0.456	1.004	0.564	1.246	0.962

Texas property owners should protest annually since An annual appeal is an insurance policy to avoid major increases.

NCAD ARB Decisions with a Reduction

The number of reductions achieved often follows a cycle of peaks and valleys, though they are generally on the upswing. 2023 saw the most reductions ever granted in the county’s history, with 3,409. 2024 took a step back but still managed to reach 3,053. Homes have always led in reductions, and did so again in 2024, landing 2,091. Businesses had a good showing with 962. Businesses are much more likely to try litigation, meaning many may have moved on to the next level.

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 Reduction	77%	81%	60%	65%	58%	44%	41%	46%	36%	44%	44%
Single Family Residential	89%	89%	87%	93%	81%	83%	74%	63%	60%	63%	88%
Commercial / All Other	55%	71%	32%	34%	37%	20%	23%	36%	19%	29%	21%

Texas property owners should protest annually since To ensure their property taxes are at the lowest possible level.

Percent That Resulted in A Reduction

44% of formal appeals achieved a reduction in 2024. This has been around the average since 22. Homes reached their second highest ever results with 88% of protests getting a reduction. This was the highest since 2017. Businesses went in the opposite direction, dropping to 21%, which was the third-worst in the past decade. While businesses have been up and down over the past five years, homes have been on a downward trend. 2024 was an impressive spike and may be the harbinger of more formal victories to come.

Value Reduction From Written ARB DeterminationsSource: 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
Total $ Reduction	0.102	0.130	0.105	0.144	0.183	0.228	0.274	0.384	0.404	0.354	0.692
Single Family Residential	0.024	0.048	0.041	0.041	0.040	0.032	0.024	0.034	0.061	0.040	0.179
Commercial / All Other	0.078	0.081	0.064	0.103	0.143	0.196	0.250	0.350	0.342	0.314	0.513

Texas property owners should protest annually since Unequal appraisal allows protests based on neighbors having a better tax assessment.

Dollar Value Reduction from ARB Hearings

While some metrics were down, the most important one was at new heights. In total, $692 million in value was cut, nearly double the 2023 savings of $354 million. This was thanks to a massive leap in the savings for commercial properties, which nabbed $513 million. Homes likewise exploded in reduced value, reaching $179 million. These were both easily the most ever seen in the county. This means that homes and businesses are increasing in value and that protests are becoming more efficient.