Every Collin County homeowner has the legal right to challenge their appraised value — no lawyer required. This guide walks you through the exact process for filing a protest with the Collin Central Appraisal District (CCAD).
Texas Tax Code gives every property owner the right to protest their appraisal annually. You don't need a lawyer, a tax agent, or any special expertise. The two most effective grounds for Collin County homeowners are:
You may assert both grounds simultaneously. Most successful protests use unequal appraisal as the primary argument.
Citizens Tax Protest Project pulls live data from CCAD's public records, runs a comparable property analysis, and generates everything you need to file — in about 5 minutes. No signup, no fee, no agent commission.
Start Your Free Analysis →| CCAD Contact & Filing Details | |
|---|---|
| Address | 250 Eldorado Pkwy, McKinney, TX 75069 |
| Phone | (469) 742-9200 |
| Property search | search.ccad.net |
| Online protest portal | ccad.net → Online Services → iFile |
| Portal login | Account Number + Property PIN (from appraisal notice) |
| Protest deadline | May 15, or 30 days from notice date |
| Typical combined tax rate | ~1.7–2.2% (varies by city and school district) |
No. Texas law gives every property owner the right to protest their own appraisal. You can file, present evidence, and argue your case before the ARB entirely on your own. Citizens Tax Protest Project generates the analysis and documents — you just upload and show up.
May 15, or 30 days after the date on your Notice of Appraised Value — whichever is later. Notices are typically mailed in April. Don't wait: file as soon as you receive your notice.
You lose the right to protest for that tax year. There are very limited exceptions (such as a correction for a clerical error). File on time — it takes less than 10 minutes with our tool.
Citizens Tax Protest Project pulls properties from CCAD's public ArcGIS data with similar square footage, year built, and location. It adjusts each comp's value per square foot to account for size differences, calculates a median adjusted value, and compares it to your appraised value. If your home is over-appraised by more than 3–10%, there is a clear case to present.
Your closing disclosure (HUD-1 or Closing Disclosure) is powerful evidence. Under Texas Tax Code §41.43(b)(3), the purchase price in an arm's-length transaction creates a presumption that the appraised value exceeds market value. You can protest on this basis alone — see our recent purchase protest guide.
No. Protesting your value has no effect on your homestead exemption status. You can protest every year without any risk to your exemption. If you haven't applied for a homestead exemption yet, see our Homestead Exemption Guide.
The ARB is an independent panel of Collin County citizens appointed to hear property value disputes between homeowners and CCAD. If your informal review with CCAD does not result in a settlement, the ARB holds a formal hearing where you present your evidence. The ARB's decision is binding (though you can appeal to district court or SOAH if you disagree).
CCAD covers all of Collin County, including McKinney, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Prosper, Celina, Murphy, Wylie, Sachse, Anna, Melissa, Fairview, Lucas, Parker, and other communities. Note that parts of Frisco, Plano, and Garland extend into neighboring counties (Denton or Dallas), but if your property is in Collin County, CCAD sets your appraised value.
Citizens Tax Protest Project is a free, self-service web tool built specifically for Texas homeowners. It connects directly to the Collin Central Appraisal District's public data to pull real comparable appraisals — the same data CCAD uses — and generates a complete protest filing packet at no cost.
There is no signup, no subscription, and no agent commission. You keep 100% of any tax savings. The tool supports Collin County (CCAD), Williamson County (WCAD), and Brazos County (BCAD), with additional counties planned.
The tool is designed for homeowners who want to handle their own protest — which is the most direct and cost-effective approach for most cases.