25%
of your savings. That's the low end.
Fort Bend County property tax protest
Protest your Fort Bend 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 Fort Bend Central Appraisal District (FBCAD) lists four ways to file a notice of 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 FBCAD puts a value on your home. Every year you're allowed to challenge it. You can let FBCAD's number stand, do it yourself for free, or hand it to us.
Sugar Land, Missouri City, Richmond, Rosenberg, Katy, Fulshear, Stafford: if it's a home on FBCAD'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 FBCAD. 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 Fort Bend 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 Fort Bend County protest works
An owner who disagrees with a value files a notice of protest, and FBCAD lists four ways to file on its Appeals page. FBCAD determines the market value of all taxable property in Fort Bend County as of January 1 each year.
Four ways to file
- Online Appeal. The district's portal. It needs an account. The district counts it as the informal conference, and says mailing, emailing or hand-delivering a notice of protest forfeits this route.
- eFile. No account. The eFile form asks for the Quick Ref ID and files the notice of protest only. A notice filed this way by the deadline gets an email confirmation and a PDF copy, the district says.
- Mail. Send Form 50-132 by U.S. mail.
- Drop-off. Bring Form 50-132 to the district's office.
The district says one route is enough, and that a duplicate may cause processing delays.
Informal conference
FBCAD says informal conferences are held remotely with one of its appraisers. For Online Appeals, the district says an appraiser is not required to agree and may not offer to reduce the value. The portal guide says an Online Appeal closes if the owner rejects an offer or does not accept it within 5 days, and an ARB hearing is scheduled in its place. After a rejection, the guide says, the owner has 48 hours to schedule the hearing once scheduling opens, or one is scheduled for the owner. Evidence uploaded through the portal is for the informal stage only, the district says.
Formal hearing
If there is no settlement, the owner is scheduled for a hearing with the appraisal review board (ARB). The district describes the ARB as private citizens authorized to resolve disputes between owners and the district, and says formal hearings are held on site in the ARB building in Rosenberg, with telephone and video hearings available on request (see Questions). The ARB asks owners to bring three hard copies of their evidence, which become part of the hearing record and are not returned, per its 2026 information packet.
Online Appeal, step by step
The district's portal steps, from its Online Appeal guide:
- Create an account. The district says your email address becomes your username.
- Add each property with its Quick Ref ID and Passcode from the notice.
- On the Notice of Protest form, check every reason that applies. The district warns that skipping one may mean you cannot protest that reason at the hearing.
- Say how you plan to attend the hearing, then submit.
- Look for the confirmation email. The district says confirming that it received the protest is the owner's job.
The district's 2026 dates
The dates FBCAD published for 2026, as read on its site on October 12, 2026. For 2027, the district had published no notice-mailing date, no hearing dates and no year-specific protest deadline by that day.
- January 1 Market value date. The district determines market value as of January 1, every year.
- April 1, 2026 Notices begin to arrive. Owners begin receiving them that week, the district's release says.
- May 15, 2026 Protest deadline. Or later for some notices.
- May 18, 2026 Daily hearings begin. The start of the ARB's May schedule, at 8:00 a.m.
- July 1, 2026 ARB approves the 2026 records. The district's July 9 release says the ARB approved the records on July 1.
- October 2026 Hearings continue. Monthly schedules. October lists the 13th and 14th.
Sources, all from the district: the 2026 values page, the April 1 notices release, the Appeals page, the May hearing schedule, the July 9 certification release and the ARB agenda page. Last checked: October 12, 2026.
Fort Bend County at a glance
FBCAD's July 9, 2026 certification release gives approximately 446,000 accounts, approximately $185 billion in total market value and 259 taxing units.
| Figure | What the district says | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts appraised each year | approximately 446,000 | FBCAD certification release, July 9, 2026 |
| Total market value | approximately $185 billion | FBCAD certification release, July 9, 2026 |
| Taxing units served | 259 | FBCAD certification release, July 9, 2026 |
The district's other documents print different counts. These rows use one dated release and keep its rounding.
The Fort Bend 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. FBCAD's Appeals page says late protests are allowed for good cause, which the ARB decides. Tax Code Section 41.44(b) gives an owner who files late, but before the ARB approves the appraisal records, a hearing if the owner shows good cause. Section 41.44(c) lets an owner who protests a failure to deliver a notice (Section 41.411) file before the taxes become delinquent.
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
- 1,013 of those in Fort Bend 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
FBCAD values your home as of January 1 every year. We protest it every spring.
Where you'll be during your Fort Bend County hearing
We'll be at the hearing.
We fight every year. 
FBCAD values your home as of January 1 every year, so one protest is never the end of it.
- January 1 FBCAD 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 Fort Bend 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 Fort Bend 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?
FBCAD 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.
Fort Bend County questions
Which district appraises property in Fort Bend County?
The Fort Bend Central Appraisal District (FBCAD). It says it does not set tax rates, impose a levy or collect taxes. Its Contact page sends questions about tax bills to the Fort Bend Tax Office.
Which cities appear as taxing units on the district's 2026 roll?
The district's 2026 certified roll names these cities among its taxing units: Arcola, Beasley, Fulshear, Houston, Katy, Kendleton, Meadows Place, Missouri City, Needville, Orchard, Richmond, Rosenberg, Simonton, Sugar Land, Pearland and the Village of Pleak. It lists taxing units, not addresses, so it does not say which addresses in a city the district appraises.
What do I need from my Fort Bend County notice of appraised value?
The Quick Ref ID, and for an Online Appeal the Passcode too. The district's portal guide says both are on the notice. A Quick Ref ID looks like R987654, in the district's example. The district's property search shows the ID.
Can I appear by phone or video at a Fort Bend County hearing?
FBCAD offers telephone and video hearings on request. Its Virtual ARB Hearings page says the owner must give the ARB written notice at least 10 days before the hearing (5 days for an owner who has not designated an agent), if not already given, and a written affidavit with the evidence. Tax Code Section 41.45(b-1) lets the owner give that notice in the notice of protest. Section 41.45(b) requires an owner who appears by telephone or video to offer any evidence by affidavit. The district's page names Form 50-283 for the affidavit and calls it notarized.
Where does the district post its forms and hearing schedules?
Forms, including the notice of protest, Form 50-132, are on the district's Forms page. Monthly hearing schedules and notices of meeting are on its ARB Agenda page.
Has the district published 2027 dates?
Not as of October 12, 2026: no 2027 notice-mailing or hearing dates, and no year-specific protest deadline. Its Appeals page and eFile form were still the 2026 versions, and its Calendar page lists May 15 as the last day to file most protests (Tax Code Section 41.44(a)(1)) with no year. 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 Fort Bend County. One flat fee. A person at your hearing. Back every year.
