El Paso Judicial Appeals Claw Back $19.4 Million in Taxes
The final option for taxpayers in the property tax protest journey is post-administrative appeals. Often known simply as judicial appeals, these are lawsuits against the El Paso Central Appraisal District (EPCAD). Often used to get a further reduction on elite properties, like large businesses or mansions, these protests can take months or even years to resolve, while attempting to save a taxpayer millions or even billions of dollars. Whether you are looking for simple binding arbitration, the rare State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) appeal, or a standard judicial appeal, you can get help from O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™. O’Connor will pay all legal costs and attorney fees for you, and you will only pay from your winnings if your lawsuit is successful. Enroll, relax, and save.
Number Appealed to Binding ArbitrationSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Appeals | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Number Determinations appealed | 98 | 173 | 145 | 116 | 113 | 283 | 274 | 366 | 334 | 473 | 490 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Texas has one of the best systems for appeals for property owners.
El Paso County Appeals after ARB Hearing
If informal and formal protests have been exhausted and there is still a need for a taxpayer to keep on the protest path, then the final option is post-administrative appeals. This is the most extreme solution, as it represents legal action in some form against the El Paso Central Appraisal District (EPCAD). Each type is a lawsuit of a sort, and while there is a lot of work involved, these types of protests can bring in some of the biggest savings possible.
Because of the complexity of each of these options, it is best to have a professional and experienced legal team behind you. Thankfully, we at O’Connor are here to help and will construct the perfect legal team to meet your needs, stacked with attorneys, expert witnesses, and other highly skilled professionals. Best of all, O’Connor will run your lawsuit for you, allowing you to relax. We will pay all legal fees, experts fees, and even pay the attorneys. You will only pay a contingency fee if your lawsuit is successful.
EPCAD Binding Arbitration
Binding arbitration is a common form of post-administrative protests and the least complex. This is aimed at single family homes wort less than $5 million, though this limitation is waved if the residence is a homestead. This is something of an ARB hearing on steroids, as both the taxpayer’s legal team and the EPCAD representative present a case before a subject matter expert. This expert will hear all of the evidence and then return a verdict in favor of one party or the other. The taxpayer will post a small fee in advance, which the arbiter will collect. This fee will be paid by EPCAD if the lawsuit is successful, while it is forfeited if the appraisal district is successful. 473 cases went to arbitration in El Paso during 2023.
Appealed to State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH)Source: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Appeals | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Appealed to SOAH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
El Paso State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH)
These rarest of post-administrative appeals are designated only for the most expensive family homes in existence. Focused on single family residences worth over $1 million, State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) appeals are only used in a small handful of cases every year in Texas. A county can go years without seeing one, on the oft chance it ever does. The last SOAH appeal in El Paso County happened in 2016.
Judicial AppealsSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Appeals | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Judicial Appeals | 319.00 | 462.00 | 484.00 | 526.00 | 463.00 | 523.00 | 539.00 | 554.00 | 581.00 | 576.00 | 885.00 | |
El Paso County Judicial Appeals
Judicial appeals are by far the most common of post-administrative lawsuits and are often synonymous with the process. These are lawsuits focused almost exclusively on commercial properties. Due to the cost of reaching this point, it is usually only the largest of business that will go all in on a judicial appeal. Some single family homes are starting to pop up in these lawsuits as well, but these are generally some of the most expensive on the market.
The main purpose of a judicial appeal is to help a commercial venture put a capstone on a successful ARB hearing, with the goal often being to shave a few additional percentage points off the number. This means that usually millions of dollars hang in the balance, though billions for one lawsuit are not unheard of. This is largely a dog-and-pony show, as the appraisal district typically caves and settles before ever going to court. Thanks to relying on the court system, judicial appeals can take years to finally be cleared, so attributing a number of successful lawsuits to any given year is difficult. Still, El Paso County saw 576 judicial appeals filed in 2023.
TERMS/ DISCLAIMER
This website makes data obtained from third parties available in various formats, including graphs and charts. You acknowledge and agree that the data presented on this site is not created or endorsed by O’Connor. The information presented is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to provide tax or legal advice. You acknowledge that the information provided to you is obtained from sources believed to be reliable and that no guarantees are made as to its accuracy, completeness or timeliness. You agree not to hold O’Connor liable for any decision made based on your reliance on or use of such information or data, or any liability that may arise due to delays or interruptions in the delivery of the information or data. There is no warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the data presented on this site.