Form 41 44 – Fill Out and Use This PDF

	Harris County Appraisal District				PROPERTY TAX
	Information & Assistance Division
					NOTICE OF PROTEST
	P.O. Box 922004
	Houston TX 77292-2004
	FORM 41.44 (10/13)
					HCAD Account Number:		Tax Year:
			Save a Stamp!
	File Online at www.hcad.org/iFile
	INSTRUCTIONS: If you want the appraisal review board (ARB) to hear
					Owner Name
	and decide your case, you must file a written notice of protest with the
	ARB for the appraisal district that took the action you want to protest. To
	be valid, a notice of protest must identify the owner and the property, and
	must indicate the nature of the protest. For this reason, it is important that
	the notice of protest form be fully completed. If you are leasing the
	property subject to the protest, you must have a contract requiring you to
	pay the property taxes.				Mailing Address
	The deadline for filing your protest is May 31. If you mail the notice,
	it must be postmarked on or before this date. If you drop it off in
	person or file online, you must do so on or before this date.
					City	State	Zip
	You may file this form in person or by mail. If you have internet
	access, you can file your protest online. You will need your account
	number and the iFile number. Go to www.hcad.org/iFile			for
	instructions for online protests.				This space is reserved for HCAD use only
	Step 1:		Telephone (area code and number)		* NEWPT6 1 1 *
	Phone Number
			Mobile Homes: (Give make, model, and identification
	Step 2:		number)
	Describe
	Property under
	Protest

Give street address and city if different from above, or legal description if no street address

Failure to check a box may result in your inability to protest an issue. If you check “value is over market value,” you are indicating that the

market value is excessive and your property would not sell for the amount determined by the appraisal district. If you check “value is unequal

as compared to other properties,” you are indicating that your property is not appraised at the same level as a representative sample of

comparable properties, appropriately adjusted for condition, size, location, and other factors. Your property may be appraised at its market

value, but be unequally appraised. An appraisal review board may adjust your value to equalize it with other comparable properties. Please

check all boxes that apply in order to preserve your rights so that the appraisal review board may consider your protest according to law.

Step 3:

Value is over market value.

Change in use of land appraised as ag-use,

open-space, or timber land.

Check

Value is unequal compared with other properties.

Reason(s) for

Ag-use, open-space, timber, or other special valuation

Protest

Property should not be taxed in

denied, modified, cancelled.

(name of taxing unit)

Owner's name incorrect.

Failure to send required notice

Property description incorrect.

(type)

Improvement (structures, etc.)

Exemption denied, modified, or cancelled.

Land (attach copy of deed)

Property should not be taxed in this appraisal district.

Other

Step 4:

Give facts that

may help resolve

your case

Continue on additional pages as needed

What do you think your property's value is? (Optional)

$

Step 5:

I want the ARB to send me a copy of its hearing procedures.

Yes

No

*

ARB Hearing

*If your protest goes to a hearing, you will automatically receive a copy of the ARB's hearing procedures.

Procedures

Step 6:

Signature of Owner

Agent Agent Code # ______________

Date:

Sign the

(Sign here)

Application

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON BACK

FILING DEADLINES: While April 30 is the early deadline to file a residence homestead protest and May 31 usually is the last day to file other protests, a different deadline will apply to you if:

1)your notice of appraised value was mailed to you after May 1;

2)your protest concerns a change in use of agricultural, open-space, or timber land;

3)the ARB made a change to the appraisal records that adversely affects you and you received notice of the change;

4)the appraisal district or the ARB was required by law to send you notice about a property and did not;

5)you had good cause for missing the May 31 protest filing deadline; or

6)the property is your residence homestead and you file before the earlier of the date the ARB approves the appraisal records or May 31.

WEEKENDS, HOLIDAYS: If your deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday, it is postponed until midnight of the next working day.

POSTPONEMENT: You are entitled to one postponement of the hearing on your protest without showing cause if you have not designated an agent to represent you at the hearing and you request the postponement with the appraisal review board before the date of the hearing. You are also entitled to postpone your hearing if you or your agent show good cause for the postponement. ”Good cause” is defined in Texas Tax Code, section 41.45(e-2) as a “reason that includes an error or mistake that: (1) was not intentional or the result of conscious indifference; and (2) will not cause undue delay or other injury to the person authorized to extend the deadline or grant a rescheduling.”

When the appraisal review board schedules your protest hearing, the board will send you (or in some cases your authorized agent) a notice giving the date, time, and place of the hearing at least 15 days in advance.

Once your hearing has been scheduled, you will be able in most cases to view the documents that the chief appraiser intends to submit to support the value online at www.hcad.org/ifile. If unable to do so, you may wish to visit the Harris County Appraisal District's Information & Assistance Division at 13013 Northwest Fwy., Houston, Texas. You may conduct research using public computer terminals, and you may review the chief appraiser's evidence for the hearing at that time.

Many questions about appraisal and the protest process may be answered by one of our informative videos. They can be viewed online at www.hcad.org/video. If you cannot or do not want to attend your scheduled hearing in person, the law allows you to submit your evidence in the form of a sworn affidavit. The affidavit must state that you swear or affirm that the information it contains is true and correct, and it must be sworn to and subscribed before a notary public or other public official who is authorized to administer oaths.

After you receive your scheduling notice, if you decide you want to submit an affidavit, please make sure that it includes

(1)the owner's name and address; (2) the property account number and description, and (3) the date and time of your hearing. To ensure that the affidavit is available for consideration, it should be received at the hearing location at least two

(2)business days prior to the date and time of the hearing.

You may also have a representative appear for you. This person should be able to discuss your property from personal knowledge. A valid agent appointment form must first be filed with the appraisal district. Agent appointments must be made on Texas State Comptroller's Form 50-162 (or Comptroller Form 50-241, but only for use as required by court order existing as of Oct. 3, 2013). You can obtain Form 50-162 by calling our office or downloading it from www.hcad.org/forms.

Fill out the following authorization if you want to have a family member or friend represent you at the protest hearing. Use this only for family or friends who do not charge you for representation. You must use state form 50-162 to appoint a paid representative or to have notices and tax bills mailed to a representative.

In the event a protest or correction is filed on this account, we intend to use as part of our evidence any and all information included in this notice.

APPOINTMENT OF FAMILY OR FRIEND TO REPRESENT ME IN PROTEST HEARING

I hereby appoint:

First Name

Last Name

to represent me in my protest hearing. My representative has general authority to review confidential information, appear for me at the protest hearing, and to negotiate and resolve the matters covered by this protest.

This appointment applies only for the hearing on this account. I understand that notice will be delivered to me.

Property Owner's Signature

Name Printed

Date