25%
of your savings. That's the low end.
Dallas County property tax protest
Protest your Dallas County property taxes for a flat $140.
You're on the list. We'll email you before the 2027 notices go out.
Next, finish your sign-up on The Ambrose Group's sign-up page. If you're not taken there, use the button.
Finish your sign-up
- $140 flat.
- A person at your hearing
- A service of The Ambrose Group
In short
The Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD) appraises property in Dallas County and says its uFile system is the preferred way to file a protest.
Texas Property Protest is a flat-fee protest service provided by The Ambrose Group, which files the protest, and a person on its team goes to the hearing. Ambrose Tax Consulting, Inc. (DBA The Ambrose Group) is licensed by TDLR to provide property tax consulting services. Daniel M. Ambrose is a licensed senior property tax consultant with TDLR, number 10992. Check it at www.tdlr.texas.gov/LicenseSearch. The fee is $140 a year paid upfront, or $15 a month on a 12-month plan ($180 in total), and it renews each year.
It's the law
Texans know their rights. Here's one more.
You know the one about bearing arms. This one is about your property taxes.
“One of your most important rights as a taxpayer is your right to protest to the appraisal review board (ARB).”
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Every year DCAD puts a value on your home. Every year you're allowed to challenge it. You can let DCAD's number stand, do it yourself for free, or hand it to us.
Dallas, Irving, Garland, Mesquite, Richardson, DeSoto, Cedar Hill: if it's a home on DCAD's roll, it's on our list.
Meet the contingency fee
Every win gets a haircut.
Most protest companies work on contingency. They get your value lowered, then they bill you a share of the savings. Win bigger and you pay more. At some firms the fee comes back every year they win.
40%
of your savings. Two of the five firms we checked charge it.
50%
Half of your first-year savings, at one large Texas firm.
$140
A year. Whatever the protest saves.
Fees from the websites of five protest companies, checked September 30, 2026. The Houston fee comparison links every source.
Move the slider. Watch the contingency fee grow.
At 25% contingency, that's $110 more than our $140 yearly fee.
- A 25% contingency fee keeps $250
- A 40% contingency fee keeps $400
- A 50% contingency fee keeps $500
- Our flat fee, paid yearly $140
Fee math only. Nobody can promise a reduction, including us. A real protest can save more than this, less, or nothing. The monthly plan, $180 over 12 months, costs more than a 25% fee on any cut under about $720.
The flat‑fee protest
One flat fee, and a real person shows up for you. One price covers the whole protest. Here's what's in it.
- We file with DCAD. Before the deadline, every year.
- We build the case. Comparable sales and the appraisal district's own records.
- A person goes to your hearing. You don't take off work or sit in a waiting room.
- You hear the result from us. We email you, and you get a letter.
- Next spring, we do it again. New value, new protest.
What it costs in Dallas County
Same price in every Texas ZIP code.
It renews each year. Monthly is a 12-month plan: cancel early and the months left on it are still due.
- Pay once Pay yearly $140 a year One payment upfront.
- Pay monthly $15 a month $180 over 12 months.
The truth about contingency fees
Contingency sounds safe: no savings, no fee. Read the rest of the fee page before you sign with anyone.
- The five firms we checked keep 25% to 50% of what they save you
- The better your result, the bigger their fee
- You learn the dollar amount after the hearing
- At some firms the fee comes back every year they win
How a Dallas County protest works
A Dallas County owner can file a protest in uFile, by mail or in person, DCAD says. DCAD says it is responsible for appraising property for the local governing bodies in Dallas County, and names the Online TaxRep Website for authorized tax representatives, which needs a login from the district.
Three ways to file
- uFile. DCAD's preferred route and, it says, the only way for property owners to file a protest electronically. It does not accept email or fax protests.
- Mail. DCAD says no official form is needed, and that a written notice naming the owner and the property and showing dissatisfaction with a district decision is enough. In 2026 it needed a postmark by midnight on May 15.
- In person. Hand delivery to the district's office in Dallas. For 2026, the protest had to be in DCAD's office before it closed at 5:00 p.m. on May 15.
DCAD says not to file a second protest on an account already protested in uFile.
Informal review
DCAD says its appraisers will not hold an informal review until a protest is filed with the owner's evidence and opinion of value. Tax Code Section 41.445 says the appraisal office shall hold an informal conference, before the hearing, with each owner who files a notice of protest and requests one. The owner can ask for one at any time before the ARB hearing, and staff either call or reply by email through uFile.
Formal hearing
DCAD describes the Dallas County ARB, a separate authoritative body from the district, as private citizens authorized to resolve disputes between taxpayers and the district. It says the ARB typically meets at the district's office, and the ARB's July 2026 public notice lists a second hearing address. Its Protest Process document lists four choices: a telephone hearing, appearing in person, appointing someone to appear, or sending in evidence. Each side has approximately 5 to 7 minutes, and a hearing typically takes approximately 15 minutes. In person, it asks owners to bring one printed copy of their evidence. For residential property it provides a Residential Neighborhood Value Review report and a Value Summary Sheet.
uFile, step by step
From the district's uFile guide and Protest Process document:
- On dallascad.org, use Search Appraisals by owner name, address or account number, open the account and choose Online Protest.
- Enter the PIN and Security Code. The PIN is at the upper left of the Notice of Appraised Value.
- Choose a reason for protest. You may also ask to expedite your hearing date.
- Upload evidence if you have it (PDF, JPG, XLS or XLSX, up to 8 MB a file, 15 MB in all and 20 files) and enter your opinion of value, which DCAD recommends. DCAD says evidence can be attached only when the protest is first filed, and its uFile guide gives a separate route for evidence afterward.
- Confirm your contact details and choose File Protest. DCAD says a confirmation comes within one business day, and that an owner without one should check spam or junk before contacting the district.
The district's 2026 dates
The dates DCAD published for 2026, as read on October 12, 2026. Its Calendar listed 2026 only.
- April 15, 2026 Online protests open. uFile opened for real property. DCAD's pages give April 14 and April 15 for the first notice mailing.
- May 2 and 9, 2026 Saturday phone hours. Residential only, 8:00 a.m. to noon.
- May 15, 2026 Protest deadline. For residential and commercial real property in DCAD's first mailing. DCAD's Calendar lists July 1 for its third mailing.
- June 6 to July 11 Saturday hearings. Available on request. Five Saturdays tentatively designated: June 6, 13, 20, 27 and July 11.
- July 17 to 24, 2026 System unavailable. DCAD said it was certifying the roll.
- July 27, 2026 Hearings resume. DCAD said informal reviews and ARB hearings would resume for the accounts still under protest.
Sources, all from the district: the Protest Process document, Calendar page and News pages on 2026 notices and deadlines and resumed hearings. Last checked: October 12, 2026.
Dallas County at a glance
| Figure | What the district says | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Parcels on the certified roll | 791,131 | DCAD certified report, dated July 25, 2026 |
| Market value on the certified roll | about $608.7 billion | DCAD certified report, dated July 25, 2026 |
| Residence homestead parcels | 410,684 | DCAD homestead values report, July 22, 2026 |
| Cities on the district's list | 31 | DCAD Annual Report, 2025 appraisal year |
The first two rows are the certified part of the roll. DCAD's combined certified and disputed report, with the same date, prints 846,023 parcels.
The Dallas County deadline
The deadline was May 15, or 30 days after your notice if that came later.
Joining the list now gets you in line for 2027.
The Texas protest deadline, explained Missed the deadline? What Texas law says
Why us
Thirty years in the saddle.
Texas Property Protest is run by The Ambrose Group, a Houston firm that has been appraising Texas property and protesting its taxes for more than 30 years. About 30 appraisers, with more than 300 years of experience between them.
- 30+ years in Texas real estate
- 45,000 property accounts protested
- 11,693 of them represented in 2026
- 303 of those in Dallas County
A person, not a bot
A person on our team prepares your protest and goes to your hearing. Nothing is mailed in and left to chance.
We go to the hearing
You don't take off work, sit in a waiting room or argue with an appraiser.
We come back every year
DCAD values your home as of January 1 every year. We protest it every spring.
Where you'll be during your Dallas County hearing
We'll be at the hearing.
We fight every year. 
DCAD values your home as of January 1 every year, so one protest is never the end of it.
- January 1 DCAD values your home. As of this date, every year.
- Spring Notices go out. We already have your home on our list.
- May 15 The deadline. Or 30 days after your notice, whichever is later. A weekend date moves to the next business day. We've filed.
- Hearing season The hearing. Our person is there. You aren't.
- After The result. We email you, and you get a letter.
- Next January It starts over. So do we.
Why protest in Dallas County every year
- Your value starts over every January 1. Last year's protest doesn't carry forward. This year's value is what next year's is measured against.
- Growth compounds. $400,000 growing 5% a year is about $651,558 in ten years. That's arithmetic, not a forecast for your home.
- The cap isn't the floor. A homestead cap limits how fast the taxed value can rise. A protest can still argue the market value down under it.
- Your street is part of your case. Texas lets you protest on unequal appraisal: your value against similar homes nearby.
- You get your time back. No evidence packet, no trip to the appraisal district, no hearing to sit through.
Who files it
A service of The Ambrose Group.
Texas Property Protest is a service of The Ambrose Group, a Houston appraisal and property tax consulting firm. Its team files your protest and goes to your hearing.
We're a private company. We're not part of the Dallas Central Appraisal District or any government office.
Questions, answered straight
What does it cost?
$140 a year paid upfront, or $15 a month, which is $180 over 12 months. It renews each year. The price is the same whatever the protest saves. Monthly is a 12-month plan: cancel early and the months left on it are still due.
What if the protest saves nothing?
You still pay the flat fee. A contingency company would charge nothing that year. That's the trade: a known price instead of a share of every win.
When does a contingency firm cost less?
When the reduction is small. Below about $560 in tax savings, a 25% contingency fee costs less than our $140 a year. And in a year when the protest wins nothing, most contingency firms charge nothing.
Can I still protest my 2026 value?
The regular deadline has passed. It was May 15, or 30 days after your notice if that came later. For a late protest, see the deadline section. Joining the list now gets you in line for 2027.
Do I have to go to the hearing?
No. A person on our team goes for you.
Why every year?
DCAD values your home as of January 1 every year. Last year's protest doesn't file this year's.
Who files my protest?
The Ambrose Group. Texas Property Protest is a service of The Ambrose Group, and its team files your protest and goes to the hearing.
I got an email from you. How do I stop them?
Reply "stop" to any email from us and you won't hear from us again. Our email policy says who we write to and why.
Dallas County questions
Which district appraises property in Dallas County?
The Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD). Its Texas property tax FAQ says local taxing units, not the appraisal district, adopt the tax rates.
Which cities are on DCAD's list?
DCAD's 2025 Annual Report lists 31 cities among the entities it serves, including Dallas, Irving, Garland, Grand Prairie, Mesquite, Richardson, Carrollton, Rowlett, DeSoto, Cedar Hill, Lancaster, Duncanville, Coppell, Farmers Branch, Sachse, Addison, Highland Park, University Park, Balch Springs, Seagoville, Glenn Heights, Hutchins, Wilmer, Sunnyvale and Cockrell Hill. The list names entities, not addresses, so it does not say which addresses inside a city DCAD appraises.
What do I need from my notice to file in uFile?
The PIN at the upper left of the Notice of Appraised Value, and the Security Code on the login screen. Without the notice, DCAD says you can request the PIN by email through uFile, and that requesting a PIN does not file a protest.
Can I appear by phone at a Dallas County hearing?
Yes. Tax Code Section 41.45(b) lets an owner appear by telephone conference call to offer argument, and requires an owner who appears that way to offer any evidence by affidavit. DCAD's notice insert says telephone hearings take the place of in-person hearings unless the owner makes a written request for an in-person one. Section 41.45(b-1) requires the ARB to hold the hearing by telephone conference call or videoconference, as the owner elects, if the owner gives notice of that choice. The notice goes in the notice of protest or in a written notice filed no later than the fifth day before the hearing, or the 10th day if the owner has designated an agent. The ARB's 2026 hearing procedures cover remote hearings. DCAD's Protest Process document says each hearing notice gives the date, time and location of the hearing.
Where does DCAD post its forms, schedules and evidence standards?
Its Forms page lists the Standards of Documentation for informal and formal hearings. The Calendar page lists 2026 dates, and the Boards page holds ARB agendas, minutes and notices of public hearings. Your own hearing date and time appear at the account level on its website.
Has DCAD posted 2027 dates on its Calendar or News pages?
Not on its Calendar or News pages as of October 12, 2026, which carry no 2027 notice, protest deadline or hearing dates. Texas Property Protest writes to people on the list before the 2027 values go out.
One flat fee. $140 a year.
Join the 2027 list for Dallas County. One flat fee. A person at your hearing. Back every year.
