What's Actually Happening in Tarrant County for 2026
In August 2024, the TAD board approved a reappraisal plan that did two things most Texas appraisal districts had not:
- Froze residential market values at 2024 levels for the 2025 tax year.
- Moved from annual to biennial residential reappraisals, meaning values will only be refreshed every other year going forward, in odd years.
TAD carried that freeze into 2026 as well. Commercial, industrial, mineral, and business personal property are still reappraised annually, but residential properties will not see a fresh mass reappraisal until 2027 under the current plan.
In practice, that means the market value printed on your 2026 Notice of Appraised Value is likely identical to the number on your 2024 notice. New construction, major additions, and significant improvements are the main exceptions.
The full plan is publicly available: 2025-2026 TAD Reappraisal Plan (PDF).
Did You Get a Postcard Instead of a Notice?
Because most residential values are frozen, TAD is not mailing a full Notice of Appraised Value to every property this year. Instead, homeowners whose values are unchanged are receiving a short appraisal postcard confirming the frozen value. Full notices are reserved for properties with a change: new construction, improvements, exemption adjustments, or any proposed value increase.
If you got a postcard, two things to know:
- You can still protest. A postcard is not a waiver. Your right to protest applies whether you received a full notice or a postcard. The market has softened since 2024, so your frozen value may be above current market, and you have until May 15, 2026 to challenge it.
- The protest deadline still applies. Filing is May 15, 2026, or 30 days after the postcard or notice is mailed, whichever is later.
TAD maintains a dedicated page with details about the postcard program at tad.org/postcard, and a phone line at 817-595-6104 for postcard-specific questions.
Why You Should Still Protest, Even With a Frozen Value
It is a fair question: if my market value did not go up, why would I protest?
There are three strong reasons.
1. The market has softened. Your frozen 2024 value may be above current market.
The freeze locks values at 2024 levels, but the Tarrant County housing market has cooled since then. Zillow reports average Tarrant County home values are down about 2.9% year-over-year, and Redfin and Orchard both show median prices flat to slightly negative in 2026. For homes that peaked late in the 2024 cycle, the frozen assessed value is now higher than what the home would actually sell for today.
Texas law lets you protest to current market value, not just push back against an increase. If the market has moved beneath your frozen number, that is a textbook case for a reduction.
2. A freeze on values is not a freeze on your tax bill.
Your property tax bill is calculated from two numbers:
- Your taxable value, set by TAD.
- The tax rates set by each taxing unit: county, city, school district, junior college, hospital district, and any special districts.
The reappraisal plan affects only the first number. School districts, cities, and the county all still set their own tax rates every year. If those rates rise while your value stays flat, your bill still goes up. And if your value is both flat and above current market, you are paying on a number that no longer reflects reality.
The only lever a homeowner directly controls is the taxable value. Protesting is how you pull that lever.
3. Unequal appraisal. Your neighbor's frozen value may be lower than yours.
Texas Tax Code Section 41.43(b)(3) lets you protest on unequal appraisal grounds: if your home is valued higher than the median of a reasonable number of comparable, similarly-situated homes, you can argue for relief regardless of what the market has done.
Because TAD froze values at 2024 levels, any inequities between neighboring properties were baked in and carried forward. A protest that surfaces those discrepancies can still produce a reduction, and the freeze does not change that right.
How a Protest Actually Lowers Your Taxes
A successful protest reduces your certified assessed value. The taxing units then apply their tax rates to that lower number.
A simple example using Tarrant County's roughly 1.70% combined effective tax rate:
| Scenario |
Assessed Value |
Estimated Annual Tax |
| Before protest |
$500,000 |
$8,500 |
| After $40,000 reduction |
$460,000 |
$7,820 |
| Annual savings |
|
$680 |
The exact savings depend on your taxing jurisdictions, homestead and other exemptions, and how much reduction we secure. The mechanism is the same in every case: lower the taxable value, lower the bill. Tax rates vary by property and jurisdiction, so your actual effective rate may differ.
Key 2026 Tarrant County Dates
- Notices and postcards: TAD began mailing 2026 Notices of Appraised Value (for changed properties) and appraisal postcards (for frozen-value properties) in April 2026.
- Protest deadline: May 15, 2026, or 30 days after your notice or postcard is mailed, whichever is later.
- Informal and ARB hearings: Scheduled after the protest deadline, typically May through August.
Protest in Your County
If you also own property elsewhere in Texas, the same protest logic applies. Only the deadlines and appraisal district procedures differ:
The Plan Is Still Under Political Pressure
The freeze and biennial schedule remain contested. Several Tarrant County school districts, including Azle, Castleberry, Everman, Fort Worth, Kennedale, and Northwest ISDs, have passed formal resolutions asking TAD to reappraise residential properties within their boundaries. Fort Worth ISD officials estimated a loss of $26 million to $51 million in revenue as a result of the freeze.
TAD board members have reopened debate on the reappraisal plan as recently as February 2026, and legislation targeting portions of the plan has been proposed at the state level. Depending on what the board or the legislature decides, the 2027 reappraisal cycle could look different than the current plan suggests.
For homeowners, the practical takeaway is unchanged: residential values are frozen for 2026, but your right to protest is not. If your 2024 value no longer reflects current market, you have until May 15 to challenge it.
How Ballard Property Tax Protest Can Help
We handle the full 2026 Tarrant County protest end-to-end: filing with TAD, building the comparable-sales and unequal-appraisal case, and representing you at informal and ARB hearings. There is no upfront cost, and our fee is 1% of any reduction we secure. If we do not reduce your value, you pay nothing.
Estimate your 2026 savings or visit our Tarrant County page for county-specific details.
Property tax laws and appraisal district policies change frequently. This article reflects the current TAD reappraisal plan as of April 2026. Consult a licensed property tax consultant for advice specific to your property.
