Galveston Property Tax Values and Protest Facts

Thanks to limited supply and high demand, Galveston County property tends to be extremely valuable. While this is a boon for sellers, it is a hinderance for buyers and those simply looking to keep what they have. This is made worse by increasing taxable values and taxes being handed out every year. Taxable value was over $70 billion in 2023 and is only going up. Tax protests are the only way to lower these values and were able to save taxpayers over $130 million in 2023. Get your own personal tax cut when you join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™. Get support from one of the nation’s premier real estate tax firms at no upfront cost, with no hidden fees. You are only charged if your taxes are lowered. Enroll, relax, and save.

Total Market Value Galveston CountySource: 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 Market Value	28.766	29.911	31.776	37.945	37.264	41.397	46.702	54.660	64.418	70.601	76.675
Single Family	16.692	19.542	21.264	23.907	23.051	26.293	29.282	32.313	38.909	46.090	48.658
Multi-family	0.714	0.778	0.889	0.962	0.930	1.052	1.452	1.880	2.231	2.526	2.883
Commercial	4.728	3.303	3.535	3.706	3.575	3.807	4.502	5.476	6.197	6.923	7.880
All Other	6.631	6.288	6.088	9.370	9.708	10.244	11.466	14.992	17.081	15.063	17.254

Texas property owners should protest annually As part of maintaining their property, like a HVAC checkup.

Galveston County Property Tax Trends

Galveston County has some of the highest numbers for property tax protests in the state of Texas. Thanks to somewhat limited space, every piece of land in the county is valued, and this has driven higher demand and taxes. Tax protests are the only way to lower taxable value, outside of exemptions, and are the only way to keep the Galveston County Central Appraisal District (GCAD) honest. Join O’Connor for your tax protest and get help from one of the largest property tax firms in the country.

Galveston County Total Market Value of Property

Virtually every major county in Texas has seen real estate values at least double in the past decade. In some cases, this could be up to being quadrupled, but doubling is far more common. The county has certainly seen this come true, going from $28.77 billion in property value in 2014 to $70.60 billion in 2023. This has been an unbroken string of growth and looks like it will keep moving upwards. With how popular Texas has become for Americans, some of these increases are due to population growth. However, much of these increases can instead be due to errors from GCAD, as they are often stretched too thin to property survey the county.

Like the majority of Texas counties, the largest chunk of value came from single family homes. Galveston homes were assessed at $46.09 billion in 2023, the most ever seen in the county. Oil and gas, industrial, and utility property contributed $15.06 billion, while commercial property added $6.92 billion. The final major category was apartments and other multi family homes, which combined for $2.53 billion.

Property Value Reduction By Type of Appeal Source: 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	0.573	0.823	1.182	1.848	2.162	2.400	4.040	6.999	6.225	7.730	9.77
Informal Appeal	0.286	0.511	0.641	0.752	0.863	0.898	1.139	1.990	2.066	3.242	4.418
Formal ARB Determination	0.1030	0.1570	0.1250	0.4180	0.5890	0.7600	1.4910	2.1960	1.7130	2.6360	3.2180
Judicial Appeal	0.1840	0.1550	0.4160	0.6780	0.7100	0.7410	1.4100	2.8130	2.4450	1.8520	2.1300

Texas property owners should protest annually since Texas law requires property owners to protest to get information on their property and comparable sales in the area. This information is free and available upon request via U.S. mail (once you file a protest).

GCAD Value Reduction by Type of Appeal

Property tax appeals come in three stages, each an escalation of the previous one. Informal appeals are first and are relatively simple and basic. These are usually fine for homes. Formal appeals see the taxpayer and GCAD go before the appraisal review board (ARB) to debate their evidence. This is usually more complicated and is typically where most commercial properties are truly contested, along with other real estate that was either rejected for an informal settlement or received one that was inadequate. Finally, there are post-administrative appeals, often known as judicial appeals. These are actual lawsuits against GCAD.

Galveston County is quite unique, in that judicial appeals are quite high, even being the top disputer of value in some years. This is a strong indicator that businesses and high-dollar homes are taking their fight for the maximum amount. However, the top appeal type in 2023 was ARB hearings, with a total protested value of $2.64 billion. Judicial appeals were in second place with $1.85 billion. Finally, informal appeals were responsible for $1.73 billion.

Total Property Tax Savings All Protests and AppealsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.

	Millions of $
	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
All Property Types	12.02	17.28	24.82	38.80	45.39	50.39	84.84	146.98	130.72	162.33	205.10
Single Family	2.95	6.26	5.87	7.96	8.22	15.07	21.65	30.10	36.17	57.07	64.31
Commercial / All other	9.07	11.02	18.95	30.84	37.17	35.32	63.19	116.88	94.55	105.26	140.79

Texas property owners should protest annually since Because it is the surest way to reduce property taxes.

Total Galveston CAD Property Tax Savings by Property Type

When all things were added together, processed, and adjudicated, taxpayers in Galveston County saw real tax savings of $130.62 million in 2023. This was the third highest seen in the past decade and roughly even with the results of 2022. One reason for the disparity could be the high use of judicial appeals. These can take multiple years to bear fruit, as judges and their dockets need to be open. This can cause numbers to be spread out unevenly. Since these are always for elite properties, this can represent significant savings.

Commercial, utility, and other business properties got back a strong $130.62 million in tax cuts. These results have been down since 2021, but this could be the aforementioned issue with judicial appeals. On the other hand, residential properties have been consistently improving in how much they saved, with $45.42 million coming back in 2023, the most ever seen in Galveston County. The difference between business property and homes is becoming increasingly blurred, especially in resort areas, so this could be contributing as well.