Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

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What is the Brazoria County Appraisal District's role in the tax system?

There are three main parts to the property tax system in Texas:

an Appraisal District in each county sets the value of property each year;
an Appraisal Review Board settles disagreements between property owners and the Appraisal District about property values, exemptions and they also make determinations on challenges initiated by taxing units;
local taxing units, which include the county, city, school district and other special districts, decide how much money they will spend. This, in turn, determines the total amount of taxes that property owners must pay.

How often does the Brazoria County Appraisal District value my property?

The Appraisal District must repeat the appraisal process for each property in the county at least once every three years.

What exemptions are available?

General Residential Homestead, Over-65, Disability, Over-65 Surviving Spouse, Over-65 Tax Deferral, Religious, Agricultural Appraisal, and Freeport Exemptions are available.

How do I apply for exemptions?

Exemption applications are available through the BCAD Customer Service office, and can be picked up between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Our address is 500 N. Chenango, Angleton, TX 77515. You may also have an application mailed to you by calling our Customer Service office at (979) 849-7792. An exemption application can be found by going to the Home Page and clicking on "Forms."

Do I apply for homestead exemptions annually?

Only a one-time application is required. However, a new application is required when a property owner's residence homestead is changed.

Is it true that once I become 65 years of age, I will not have to pay any more taxes?

No, that is not necessarily true. The amount of the exemptions that are granted by each taxing entity is subtracted from the market value of your residence and the taxes are calculated on that "lower value." In addition, when you turn 65, your taxes for the school district in which you reside are frozen at the level established during the first year of qualification for the senior citizen exemption.

How do I protest my value?

To protest an appraisal value set by BCAD, a taxpayer must notify the Appraisal District by May 31 or 30 days from the date of the Notice of Appraised Value. If no Notice of Appraised Value was generated by the Appraisal District, a protest may still be filed. The Notice of Protest need not be an official form, however, the Appraisal District can send you a Notice of Protest form to complete and submit. You can submit a letter stating the protesting property owner's name, identifying the subject property and indicating an apparent dissatisfaction with some determination of the appraisal office. The protest needs to be sent to the Appraisal Review Board, 500 N. Chenango, Angleton, TX 77515.

Why did I not receive a Notice of Appraised Value this year?

You will only receive a Notice of Appraised Value if you rendered your property, if there is a value change or if there is an ownership change.

Why are you inspecting my property?

In order to make accurate appraisals on every property in our jurisdiction, we have to visit them periodically to ensure that the data used in making the appraisal is still correct. For instance, since we last visited your home:

the condition of the structure could have changed;
the Appraisal District could have received a copy of a building permit indicating that a room was being added, the house was being remodeled, or some amenity such as a pool or detached garage was being added to or removed from the property.

Why did my value change?

When an area is selected for reappraisal, value changes may occur for several reasons:

the correction of the data base, such as a change in square footage, a pool not previously accounted for or a correction of property characteristics;
a value may be changed for equalization purposes;
sales information may indicate the current appraised value is higher/lower than fair market value.

How did the Brazoria County Appraisal District arrive at my value?

Utilizing comparable sales, income and/or cost data, a BCAD appraiser applied generally accepted appraisal techniques to derive a value for your property.

What is a rendition?

A rendition is a statement listing taxable property and the name and address of the owner. The statement should also contain an owner's estimate of the property's value. The deadline for filing a rendition is April 15. Be sure to identify your property and attach any documentation that you may have such as closing statements, appraisals or sales of similar properties in your neighborhood.

Who sets the tax rates?

The governing body (city council, school board, county commissioners) of each taxing entity sets the rates for their jurisdiction. The taxing units decide what services they will provide in the coming year and how much money they will need to provide those services. Each taxing unit adopts a tax rate that will raise the needed tax dollars.

Why am I receiving statements from two counties?

More than one Appraisal District may be appraising your property. This situation occurs when a property is located in a taxing unit with boundaries extending into a neighboring county. A property owner must file property tax information with each appraisal district office. An example would be a property located in the City of Pearland in Harris County.

What are the taxes on this property? How much are my taxes?

The BCAD does not levy taxes, set the tax rates or collect any taxes. The Appraisal District does not capture the amount of taxes on each property. You must call your appropriate tax office for that information.

What is fair market value?

Fair market value means the price at which a property would transfer for cash or its equivalent under prevailing market conditions if:

exposed for sale in the open market with a reasonable time for the seller to find a purchaser
both the seller and the purchaser know of all the uses and purposes to which the property is adapted and for which it is capable of being used and of the enforceable restrictions on its use; and
both the seller and purchaser seek to maximize their gains and neither is in a position to take advantage of the exigencies of the other.

What is an improvement?

Improvement means:

a building, structure, fixture, or fence erected on or affixed to land; or
a transportable structure that is designed to be occupied for residential or business purposes, whether or not it is affixed to land, if the owner of the structure owns the land on which it is located, unless the structure is unoccupied and held for sale or normally is located at a particular place only temporarily.

What is a homestead cap value?

Cap value applies to residential homesteads only. If this property is your residence homestead, the appraised value may not exceed the lesser of:

the market value of the property, or
the sum of:

10 percent of the appraised value of the property for the last year in which the property was appraised for taxation times the number of years since the property was last appraised;
the appraised value of the property for the last year in which the property was appraised; and
the market value of all new improvements to the property.

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