Travis Bunn
Founder, AppealDesk · Published March 21, 2026
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Updated March 2026
Bexar County is home to nearly two million people and the city of San Antonio, Texas’s second-largest metro area. With a median home value around $230,000, Bexar County remains more affordable than Austin or Dallas, but that affordability has attracted steady growth. Property values have climbed consistently over the past several years, and the Bexar Appraisal District (BCAD) has raised appraisals to match. If your notice shows a value that does not reflect what your home would actually sell for, you have the right, and good reason, to protest.
San Antonio is also one of the most military-connected cities in the country, with Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base, and Randolph Air Force Base all located in or near Bexar County. That means a significant portion of homeowners may qualify for Texas’s disabled veteran property tax exemptions, which can dramatically reduce or even eliminate property taxes. This guide covers the full protest process, evidence strategies, exemptions, and what to expect at your hearing.
The Bexar Appraisal District, commonly called BCAD, appraises all real property in Bexar County for tax purposes. BCAD serves the city of San Antonio, multiple independent school districts (Northside ISD, North East ISD, San Antonio ISD, Judson ISD, and others), and dozens of special districts. BCAD manages over 600,000 property accounts, making it one of the largest appraisal districts in the state.
Like all Texas appraisal districts, BCAD uses mass appraisal to estimate property values as of January 1 each year. Mass appraisal applies market trends and comparable sales data to large groups of properties at once. This approach works well for homogeneous subdivisions but often misses individual property characteristics, deferred maintenance, a busy street location, functional obsolescence, or other factors that reduce what a buyer would actually pay for your specific home.
For BCAD contact details, office address, and online portal links, visit the Bexar County data page.
The standard deadline to protest your Bexar County property tax appraisal is May 15, or 30 days after BCAD mails your Notice of Appraised Value, whichever is later. BCAD typically mails notices between late March and mid-April.
Look at the “Date Mailed” printed on your notice to determine your personal deadline. If BCAD mailed your notice on April 18, your deadline is May 18 (30 days later), not May 15. This is a critical distinction that gives some homeowners extra time.
Do not wait until the last day. BCAD’s online system handles heavy traffic near the deadline, and filing early locks in an earlier hearing date. Early filers also have more time to gather and organize evidence.
BCAD accepts protests online, by mail, and in person. Online filing is the fastest and most convenient option.
BCAD’s online protest portal allows you to file your protest, upload evidence, and track your case status from any device. You will need your property ID number (printed on your appraisal notice) and a valid email address. The system generates an immediate confirmation, which serves as your proof of timely filing. Visit the Bexar County data page for a direct link to the filing portal.
Download Form 50-132 (Notice of Protest) from the Texas Comptroller’s website, complete it, and mail it to BCAD. The postmark date counts as your filing date. Use certified mail to create a verifiable record of when you filed.
Deliver your completed Form 50-132 to the BCAD office during business hours. Check the Bexar County data page for the current office location and hours before visiting.
When filing, check “Value is over market value” as your primary protest reason. Also check “Value is unequal compared with other properties” to preserve both legal arguments for your hearing. There is no cost to file and no limit on how many reasons you select.
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The outcome of your protest depends almost entirely on the evidence you present. BCAD appraisers and ARB panel members are trained to evaluate market data, not arguments about tax fairness or personal financial situations. Bring data that proves your home is worth less than BCAD says.
Identify 3–5 homes similar to yours that recently sold for less than your BCAD appraised value. Texas uses a 100% assessment ratio, so the sale price compares directly to your appraised value with no adjustment needed. Look for homes within your subdivision or within a one-mile radius that are similar in square footage, age, lot size, and condition. Prioritize the most recent sales. Our guide to finding comparable sales walks through the process step by step.
Under Texas Property Code Section 42.26, you can argue that your property is appraised at a higher rate per square foot than comparable properties in BCAD’s own records. Pull the appraised values and living areas of similar homes in your neighborhood from BCAD’s website, calculate each property’s price per square foot, and show that yours exceeds the median. This argument is powerful in San Antonio neighborhoods where newer construction exists alongside older homes, creating appraisal inconsistencies.
If your home has physical issues that affect its market value, document them thoroughly. Take clear photos of the damage or deficiency, and obtain written repair estimates from licensed contractors when possible. Common issues in Bexar County include:
After filing your protest, BCAD will schedule you for two potential stages: an informal settlement conference and, if needed, a formal Appraisal Review Board (ARB) hearing.
This is a meeting with a BCAD staff appraiser who has the authority to negotiate and settle your protest on the spot. The informal conference may be conducted in person, by phone, or by video. The appraiser will review your evidence against BCAD’s own data and may offer a reduced value.
Come prepared with your evidence organized clearly. If the appraiser offers a value you find reasonable, you can accept it by signing a settlement agreement and your protest closes immediately. Most Bexar County protests, an estimated 60% or more, are resolved at this stage without ever reaching a formal hearing.
If the informal conference does not produce an acceptable result, your case goes to the Appraisal Review Board. The ARB is an independent panel of citizens (not BCAD employees) who hear evidence from both you and the BCAD appraiser, then issue a binding determination of value.
If you disagree with the ARB’s determination, you can pursue binding arbitration (for properties valued under $5 million) or file suit in district court. For most residential homeowners, the protest is resolved at the informal or ARB stage. See our article on property tax protest costs for more on your options.
The numbers favor homeowners who file with evidence. Protesting is not a gamble, it is a well-established process that produces results for the majority of participants.
On a $230,000 Bexar County home, a 10% reduction lowers your appraised value by $23,000, which typically translates to $500–$650 in annual property tax savings depending on your taxing jurisdictions. Over five years, that adds up to $2,500–$3,250.
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Exemptions reduce your taxable value and can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars per year. Make sure you are claiming every exemption you qualify for before or alongside your protest.
All Texas homeowners who use their property as a primary residence qualify for a $100,000 exemption on school district taxes. You must apply with BCAD, it does not apply automatically. Once granted, the exemption stays in effect until you move or change your primary residence. The homestead exemption also activates the 10% annual cap on taxable value increases.
Homeowners aged 65 and older can claim an additional $10,000 school district exemption on top of the general homestead exemption. This exemption also freezes your school district taxes at their current level, your school taxes will not increase even if your appraised value goes up. Many local taxing units in Bexar County offer their own additional over-65 exemptions, so check with each jurisdiction.
Given San Antonio’s deep military roots, Fort Sam Houston is home to the Army’s medical training command, Lackland AFB is where every Air Force recruit completes basic training, and Randolph AFB hosts major Air Education and Training Command operations, the disabled veteran exemption is particularly relevant in Bexar County.
Texas offers property tax exemptions for disabled veterans based on VA disability rating:
Surviving spouses of veterans who died in service or from service-connected causes may also qualify for a full exemption. If you are a veteran or surviving spouse and have not applied for this exemption, contact BCAD immediately, the savings can be substantial.
Homeowners receiving disability benefits under the Federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Program qualify for an additional $10,000 school district exemption and a school district tax ceiling, similar to the over-65 exemption.
Bexar County homeowners, whether you live in Alamo Heights, the Medical Center area, the far West Side near Sea World, or the growing northeast corridor, have a straightforward path to lower property taxes. The protest process is free, carries no risk, and the majority of those who file with evidence receive a reduction. Do not let BCAD’s appraisal go unchallenged. File before the deadline and let the data speak for itself.