Galveston Judicial Appeals Save $39 Million
Few counties count on judicial appeals as much as Galveston does. Thanks to a focus on formal appeals, many businesses and a few select homes try to add even more to their victory by taking on the Galveston County Central Appraisal District (GCAD) in district court. This often acts as the final capstone for a successful appeal but can also be used to reverse a bad formal ruling. Since this is a legal matter, every taxpayer needs an expert representative by their side. Join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today and get the ultimate legal team built for you. You can sit back while O’Connor puts together the lawyers, witnesses, and evidence. Enroll, relax, and save.
Judicial Appeals by Property Type Galveston CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Judicial Appeals | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number of lawsuits | 15 | 25 | 29 | 26 | 22 | 18 | 153 | 250 | 248 | 357 | 387 | |
| Single Family Residential | 7 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 22 | 53 | 61 | 96 | |
| Multi Family Residential | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 59 | 45 | 75 | 78 | |
| Commercial real and personal property | 4 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 138 | 157 | 149 | 197 | 208 | |
| All Other | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 24 | 5 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since You can’t evaluate the strength of your appeal until you obtain the hearing evidence file. You have to protest to obtain the hearing evidence file (available free upon request via U.S. mail).
Galveston County Judicial Appeals of ARB Hearing
While post-administrative appeals can mean binding arbitration or State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) protests, judicial appeals are usually the method that is being discussed. Designed for high-dollar properties, including businesses, factories, mansions, and ranches, these protests are standard lawsuits against the Galveston County Central Appraisal District (GCAD) . These protests make a great finishing touch to any campaign, but require a great deal of investment, skills, and patience to pull off.
If you want to launch the perfect judicial appeal, O’Connor is here to make it happen for you. As one of the largest property tax firms in the nation, O’Connor has the knowledge, connections, and resources to help you in your quest. Plus, O’Connor can manage the whole judicial appeal for you, including building your legal team, evidence, and expert witnesses.
GCAD Judicial Appeals Filed by Property Type
The initial purpose of these lawsuits was to help businesses, and that goal is still going strong. Of the 367 judicial appeals filed in 2023, 197 of them were for commercial properties. Both this and the total were at all-time highs. Apartment buildings filed 75 appeals, while industrial properties launched 24. Single family homes going to lawsuits were once unheard of, but 61 did so in 2023. Residential properties taking the ultimate step has become a growing trend and will continue to do so as property values climb ever-upward.
Value Involved in Judicial Appeals - 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 | ||
| Value of All Judicial Appeals | 1.775 | 1.996 | 0.762 | 0.752 | 0.743 | 1.645 | 3.026 | 3.817 | 2.13 | 2.777 | 3.054 | |
| Single Family Res | 0.004 | 0.013 | 0.01 | 0.069 | 0.128 | 0.008 | 0.013 | 0.045 | 0.093 | 0.191 | 0.174 | |
| Multi Family Res | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.023 | 0 | 1.122 | 0.812 | 1.229 | 1.162 | |
| Commercial | 0.021 | 0.073 | 0.06 | 0.065 | 0.069 | 0.031 | 1.722 | 1.258 | 1.225 | 1.332 | 1.682 | |
| All Other | 1.749 | 1.91 | 0.692 | 0.618 | 0.545 | 1.583 | 1.291 | 1.391 | 0 | 0.025 | 0.036 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since An annual appeal minimizes property taxes, sometimes well below market value.
GCAD Value Involved in Judicial Appeals
Judicial appeals and other lawsuits are a vital part of the protest strategy in Galveston County and make up more of the total than in many other counties. $2.78 billion in taxable value was disputed with this technique in 2023. While this is not a record high, that was $3.82 billion in 2021, it still represents an enormous amount. It also takes years for each appeal to make it through the court system, so the true number can be hard to pin down. Still, the value of these lawsuits in Galveston County is outstanding for such a small area.
$1.33 billion in commercial taxable value was disputed in 2023, a significant improvement over the $1.23 billion from 2022. This was followed closely by multi family housing with $1.23 billion, a fast riser in the past few years after being a non-factor for most of the decade. $25 million was disputed by utility and oil and gas companies, which is a decline from their historic dominance. Single family homes added $191 million in disputed value, the most ever seen in the county. Thanks to things like AIRBNB, the line between commercial, multi family, and single family is becoming blurred. This is another reason for the generous uptick in such properties.