Webb Property Taxes Cut in 72% of Informal Hearings
Laredo is one of the most important internation trade cities in the nation, which boosts the entirety of Webb County to new levels. Despite being a county mostly made up of working people and first-generation Americans, the Webb County Appraisal District (WCAD) continues to increase property values at a growing rate. Many taxpayers are fighting back with informal appeals, the first, and most important step on the tax protest ladder. Get an advantage in your protest when you join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today. Enroll, relax, and save.
Resolved Informally Webb CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number | 4.949 | 6.122 | 7.581 | 9.039 | 10.694 | 11.149 | 8.502 | 11.528 | 13.760 | 15.126 | 14.037 | |
| Single Family | 0.622 | 0.739 | 1.282 | 1.824 | 2.147 | 1.748 | 0.683 | 1.552 | 2.751 | 3.551 | 2.342 | |
| Commercial / Other | 4.327 | 5.383 | 6.299 | 7.215 | 8.547 | 9.401 | 7.819 | 9.976 | 11.009 | 11.575 | 11.695 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Most appeals are resolved with a reduction at the informal level.
WCAD Property Tax Appeals Resolved Informally
Like most working-class counties, informal appeals are by far the most important type of protest in Webb. These simple appeals allow every taxpayer in the county the chance to contest their taxes in a basic fashion. These have proven effective, especially for businesses. O’Connor is here to help homeowners and businesses in Laredo and the surrounding area, backed by more than 50 years of experience and expertise. As one of the largest firms in the nation, O’Connor has the national resources to go with local expertise.
WCAD Informal Settlements
2024 was the second-best year for informal hearings, only beaten by 2023. 14,037 initial protests were launched against WCAD. This allowed homes and businesses to challenge their values directly to the appraiser, which meant less work than going through formal channels. Informal protests are vital for working communities, as they allow every citizen a chance to land a reduction.
Webb County is somewhat unique, in that most appeals are from businesses instead of homeowners. In total, 11,695 businesses challenged their real estate values in 2024, the most ever. Homeowners saw 2,342 cases resolved informally. This was down from the record of 3,561 cases in 2023.
Resulted in Reduction Through Informal Process Webb CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number | 1.994 | 2.773 | 3.336 | 3.898 | 3.948 | 4.060 | 5.070 | 5.671 | 5.701 | 11.637 | 10.197 | |
| Single Family | 0.559 | 0.690 | 1.128 | 1.565 | 1.713 | 1.361 | 0.563 | 1.199 | 2.205 | 3.157 | 1.688 | |
| Commercial / Other | 1.435 | 2.083 | 2.208 | 2.333 | 2.235 | 2.699 | 4.507 | 4.472 | 3.496 | 8.480 | 8.509 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is the world’s safest wager. No cost and a 60% chance of savings annually.
WCAD Informal Hearing Reductions
10,197 taxpayers were able to land informal reductions in 2024, which was the second-most in the county’s history. Once again, businesses led the way with 8,509 successful campaigns, a new record. Homes so a large drop-off, going from 3,157 resolutions in 2023 to 1,688 in 2024. Homes had been on an upward trajectory since 2020, with 2024 marking the first retreat.
Percent That Resulted in A ReductionSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Percent | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number | 40.290% | 45.300% | 44.000% | 43.120% | 36.920% | 36.420% | 59.630% | 49.190% | 41.430% | 76.930% | 72.640% | |
| Single Family | 89.870% | 93.370% | 87.990% | 85.800% | 79.790% | 77.860% | 82.430% | 77.260% | 80.150% | 88.900% | 72.080% | |
| Commercial / Other | 33.160% | 38.700% | 35.050% | 32.340% | 26.150% | 28.710% | 57.640% | 44.830% | 31.760% | 73.260% | 72.760% | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Errors in the appraisal districts records for your property often artificially inflate YOUR property taxes.
WCAD Percentage of Informal Hearings with Reduction
72.64% of initial protests ended with a reduction. To keep the pattern going, that was the second-best results ever achieved in the county, only being beaten by 2023. 72.76% of business properties were able to land a reduction, an impressive feat. Homes saw a precipitous fall from 88.9% in 2023 to 72.08% in 2024. This was the lowest win rate for homes in the past decade.
$ Value Reduction From Informal ProcessSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Billions of $ | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| $ Reduction Total | 0.1597 | 0.1183 | 0.2205 | 0.2680 | 0.3155 | 0.5604 | 0.9745 | 0.8266 | 2.8689 | 4.9112 | 4.5049 | |
| $ Reduction Single Family | 0.0048 | 0.0051 | 0.0067 | 0.0163 | 0.0260 | 0.0247 | 0.0076 | 0.0207 | 0.0396 | 0.0584 | 0.0344 | |
| $ Value Commercial / Other | 0.1549 | 0.1133 | 0.2138 | 0.2517 | 0.2895 | 0.5357 | 0.9669 | 0.8059 | 2.8293 | 4.8528 | 4.4706 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Property taxes are the only type that can be negotiated based on subjective factors and judgment.
WCAD Value Reduction from Informal Process
When reductions were achieved, they were very effective. A total of $4.50 billion in value was cut thanks to these humble protests. This was, again, the second-most ever achieved in the county’s history and triple the numbers from 2021. While 2024 was down from 2023, it was not by much. Without the peak of 2023, 2024 blows the metrics of every other year out of the water.
Businesses led the way with a massive savings of $4.47 billion. While it is typical for businesses to get the biggest share of the pie when it comes to reductions, the ratio of commercial properties to homes was beyond the pale. Homeowners managed to score a combined reduction of $344 million, meaning commercial real estate won by over 1000%.