Dallas CountyLast checked: October 28, 2026
Dallas County protest hearing: informal review and the ARB
In Dallas County a protest can be settled at an informal meeting with a DCAD appraiser, and a protest that is not settled goes to a hearing before the Appraisal Review Board. DCAD says an owner can ask for an informal review at any time before the ARB hearing. The hearing notice goes out at least 15 days before the hearing.
How a protest moves from an informal review with a Dallas Central Appraisal District appraiser to a hearing before the Appraisal Review Board, using DCAD's own hearing materials and the Tax Code. Who provides this service is on the about page. How pages are made is in the editorial policy. Last checked: October 28, 2026.
Two steps: informal review, then the board
DCAD says that an owner who resolves the protest informally with an appraiser has no need for a formal ARB hearing. This page follows the How to protest property taxes in Dallas County guide and uses the same Dallas County sources.
A DCAD news post about certifying the 2026 appraisal roll said its system would be unavailable from July 17 to July 24 and that informal reviews and formal ARB hearings for accounts still under protest would resume Monday, July 27, 2026. A later DCAD news post said the ARB had received over 250,000 protests for 2026 and that hearings would likely continue through September 2026. DCAD's ARB information sheet says hearings typically finish by the middle of July but may continue through October, and its calendar lists July 16, 2026 as the last day of ARB hearings. DCAD's pages give different end points, so each one is credited to the page that states it.
Who is on the appraisal review board
DCAD describes the ARB as a group of private citizens authorized to resolve disputes between taxpayers and the appraisal district, and as a separate entity from DCAD. No employees or officers of the appraisal district or the taxing units it serves may sit on the ARB, and a member must have lived in the district for at least two years before taking office.
The DCAD Board of Directors appoints ARB members to two-year terms, and the board has up to 120 members who sit in panels of one, three or five. ARB meetings are open to the public, and its decisions are binding only for the year in question.
Under the Tax Code, a property owner who protests may appear to offer evidence or argument, may offer evidence or argument by affidavit without appearing, and may appear by telephone conference call or videoconference (section 41.45(b)).
What DCAD says happens at an informal review
DCAD's informal review sheet says an owner must first file a protest and provide evidence of a value position before appraisal staff will conduct an informal review. It says staff will either hold the informal review by telephone with the owner or respond by email through the uFile and Settlement System. The protest guide adds that visiting the DCAD office is not necessary to resolve an issue informally with an appraiser.
An owner who filed a protest with evidence and has not been contacted by phone or email at least 3 days before the ARB hearing is told to call the appropriate division and ask for an appraiser. Once DCAD receives a protest, the evidence it plans to use is available on its website at the account level under the 41.461 evidence link.
The formal hearing procedures the board publishes
DCAD's protest guide says a hearing is conducted very much like a court case, although less formal, with single-member panels and an option to ask for a three-member panel at the time of the hearing. Each side has about 5 to 7 minutes to present and is allowed a rebuttal, and the whole hearing typically takes about 15 minutes. After the panel decides and a quorum of the full board approves, a written Notice of Final Order is sent by certified mail to the owner or agent.
The hearing procedures the Dallas County ARB adopted set these dates and limits.
| Item | What the procedures say |
|---|---|
| Single-member panel | A request for a single-member panel must be made not later than the 10th day before the hearing date, in writing on the notice of protest or by a written submission. |
| Telephone or video hearing | A request to appear by telephone conference call or videoconference must be in writing at least five days before the hearing, or 10 days before if the owner has an authorized representative; evidence goes in by written affidavit before the hearing begins. |
| One postponement | An owner not represented by an agent is entitled to one postponement without showing cause, and unless the chair, the owner and the chief appraiser agree to the new date, the ARB cannot postpone to a date less than five or more than 30 days after the scheduled date. |
| Missed hearing | An owner or agent who fails to appear is entitled to a new hearing by filing, not later than the fourth day after the hearing, a written statement showing good cause and requesting one. |
| Two-hour wait | An owner or agent can request a postponement if the hearing has not started within two hours of its scheduled time. |
| Same-day hearings | On request, the ARB must schedule consecutive hearings on the same day for protests on up to 20 designated properties. |
Notice of hearing
DCAD says the hearing notice is mailed at least 15 days ahead and that the hearing date and time are also posted at the account level on its website. The PIN in the top left corner of the hearing notice opens the account on the DCAD website, which then shows property data and other evidence DCAD used to set the market value.
Under the Tax Code, at least 14 days before a protest hearing the chief appraiser must deliver the Comptroller's pamphlet, inform the owner of the entitlement on request to the data the chief appraiser will introduce, and deliver the ARB's hearing procedures (section 41.461(a)). DCAD says it will always provide its evidence when requested within 14 days of the ARB hearing.
Whether a protest can raise the value is covered at Can a protest raise the appraised value?. The dates for filing are on the Dallas County property tax protest deadline page, and the notice itself is explained at How to read a notice of appraised value.
Sources
- Dallas Central Appraisal District. The Protest Process (PDF, footer dated 04/26) Read: October 28, 2026.
- Dallas Central Appraisal District. News: ARB hearing volume and informal review Read: October 28, 2026.
- Dallas Central Appraisal District. News: roll certification and when hearings resume Read: October 28, 2026.
- Dallas Central Appraisal District. Appraisal Review Board of Dallas County (PDF) Read: October 28, 2026.
- Texas Tax Code. Section 41.45 Read: October 28, 2026.
- Dallas Central Appraisal District. Informal Review Process (PDF) Read: October 28, 2026.
- Dallas Central Appraisal District. Appraisal Review Board of Dallas County Hearing Procedures (PDF) Read: October 28, 2026.
- Texas Tax Code. Section 41.461 Read: October 28, 2026.
Questions
Where are ARB hearings held?
DCAD's ARB information sheet says ARB hearings and meetings are held at the Dallas Central Appraisal District offices.
When should an owner arrive?
DCAD's protest guide says to read the hearing notification for the correct date and time and to arrive at least ten minutes before the scheduled hearing to check in.
What evidence does the ARB take?
DCAD's protest guide encourages bringing one printed copy of any evidence the owner wants the ARB to consider, and says no video or audio files will be accepted.
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