Bexar County tax assessor: everything homeowners need to know

Last updated 2026-07-09

What does the Bexar County tax assessor actually do?

Two separate offices run this system, and mixing them up costs homeowners time every single year. Texas has no single "tax assessor" who does everything. The job is split down the middle.

The Bexar County Appraisal District (BCAD) sets the market value of every property in the county as of January 1. That value is what your taxes get calculated from. BCAD is an independent political subdivision run by a board of directors, not a county department. Its chief appraiser holds the authority over your assessed value. ^[1]

The Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector is a separate elected official. That office takes the value BCAD certifies, applies the tax rates set by your local taxing units (the county, your school district, city, and any special districts), and produces your bill. It sends the bill, takes your payment, issues refunds, and processes most exemption applications. ^[2]

Here is why the split matters. Think your value is too high? You file a protest with BCAD. Bill has a math error or a missing exemption? You call the Tax Assessor-Collector. Call the wrong office and you can lose weeks. The Tax Assessor-Collector's main number is (210) 335-2251, and the office sits at 233 N. Pecos La Trinidad, San Antonio, TX 78207. BCAD is at 411 N. Frio St., San Antonio, TX 78207.

How does BCAD set your property's appraised value?

BCAD uses mass appraisal, the same method every large Texas appraisal district uses. Staff appraisers group similar properties by neighborhood, age, construction type, and square footage, then model those values against recent sales. The target is market value as of January 1 of the tax year. Texas Tax Code Section 23.01 defines market value as the price "at which a property would transfer for cash or its equivalent under prevailing market conditions." ^[3]

For houses, BCAD leans on the sales comparison approach: find homes that sold near January 1, then adjust for differences in size, condition, age, and location. For income property, the income approach (capitalizing net rental income) usually carries more weight.

Mass appraisal is accurate on average and wrong on plenty of individual homes. A few renovated houses sell high, the model pulls the whole block up, and your unrenovated place gets dragged along with them. That gap is exactly why protests win. The model can misfire on your specific property while it works fine across the neighborhood.

Texas law requires BCAD to reappraise every property at least once every three years. In practice, San Antonio's fast appreciation has pushed BCAD to reappraise most residential property every year since around 2020. ^[1]

When does BCAD mail notices, and what is the protest deadline?

BCAD usually mails Notices of Appraised Value in April, though the exact date moves a little each year. Once your notice arrives, your protest deadline is the later of May 15 or 30 days after the date printed on the notice. ^[3]

That 30-day trigger is worth memorizing. Notice dated April 20? Your deadline is May 20, not May 15. If BCAD mails late (commercial notices sometimes land in May), your window stretches to match. Always count from the date printed on the notice, never the postmark.

Miss the deadline and your options shrink fast. Texas Tax Code Section 41.44(b) allows a late protest only in narrow cases: a clerical error by the district, an owner who never got the notice, or a property over-appraised in prior years that qualifies for a good-cause exception. Forgetting is not an exception. Set the reminder the moment you open the envelope.

For 2025, BCAD's general protest filing deadline was May 15, 2025. Confirm the current-year dates at bcad.org each spring, since BCAD posts deadline reminders on its homepage. ^[1]

Here is the annual cycle at a glance:

Date (approximate)	Event
January 1	Valuation date (your property is valued as of this date)
March, April	BCAD mails Notices of Appraised Value
May 15 (or 30 days after notice)	Protest filing deadline
May, August	ARB hearings held
July, September	Appraisal roll certified; tax rates set
October, November	Tax bills mailed by Tax Assessor-Collector
January 31	Property tax payment deadline (following year)

What exemptions can reduce your Bexar County property tax bill?

Exemptions are the most reliable way to permanently cut your annual bill, and plenty of homeowners leave real money on the table by never applying.

The general homestead exemption under Texas Tax Code Section 11.13 removes $100,000 from your school district taxable value, a figure set by Senate Bill 2 and effective for tax year 2023. Before that law, the school exemption was $40,000. So if you have not looked at your notice lately, check that the full $100,000 shows up. ^[4]

Each taxing unit in Bexar County can also grant its own optional homestead exemption of up to 20 percent of appraised value. The City of San Antonio, Bexar County, and several school districts offer one. The dollar savings depends on the unit.

Other exemptions that move the needle:

• Age 65 or older / disability: adds another $10,000 school district exemption on top of the general homestead exemption, and freezes your school district tax at the level it was when you first qualified. That freeze follows you if you move to another qualifying Texas homestead (you carry the same ceiling). ^[4]
• 100% disabled veterans: a complete exemption from property taxes on one residence homestead, regardless of value. It is one of the most generous veteran tax benefits in the country. ^[4]
• Surviving spouse of a disabled veteran or first responder killed in the line of duty: a full exemption under Texas Tax Code Section 11.131.
• Agricultural use (the ag exemption): technically a productivity appraisal under Tax Code Section 23.41, not an exemption. It values land at its farming income capacity instead of market value. On large rural or semi-rural tracts in Bexar County, that can cut taxable value by 90 percent or more. Qualifying takes five years of agricultural use.

The deadline to apply for most exemptions is April 30 of the tax year you want it for. The homestead exemption has no first-year deadline (BCAD can apply it back to January 1 of that year), but filing by April 30 keeps the processing clean. Valuation-based exemption applications go to BCAD, not the Tax Assessor-Collector. Grab the form at bcad.org or in person. ^[1]

How do you file a property tax protest with BCAD?

Filing costs nothing, and you do not need a lawyer or a contingency firm. Here is exactly how it goes.

Step 1: File a Notice of Protest (Form 50-132) with BCAD by your deadline. File online through BCAD's iFile system at bcad.org, by mail, or in person. Online is fastest and gives you a confirmation number. On the form, check both "value is over market value" and "value is unequal compared with other properties." Check both. The unequal appraisal argument (Texas Tax Code Section 41.43) is strong because you do not have to prove your house is worth less than BCAD says. You only have to show BCAD appraised it at a higher percentage of market value than comparable properties. ^[3]

Step 2: Gather evidence. Pull 4 to 6 comparable sales from around January 1 of the tax year (January 1 values, not recent closings). BCAD's own comparable sale tool on bcad.org is a fair starting point. Redfin, Zillow, and the MLS all carry sales history. Look for homes within half a mile, sold within 12 months of January 1, close in square footage (within 15 percent), age (within 10 years), and condition. If your comps average below BCAD's value on your property, that gap is your case.

Step 3: Attend the informal hearing. After you file, BCAD schedules an informal conference with a staff appraiser before your formal Appraisal Review Board (ARB) hearing. Many protests settle right here. Bring your comps and be direct: "Here are four comparable sales averaging $X; your value of $Y is above market." Appraisers settle reasonable cases because it clears their workload.

Step 4: Formal ARB hearing, if it comes to that. The ARB is an independent panel of citizens appointed by a local administrative judge. They hear your evidence and BCAD's, then vote. You go first. Bring printed comps, photos of any condition problems, and your own appraisal if you have one. The hearing usually runs 15 to 30 minutes.

Step 5: Further appeals. If the ARB rules against you and you still think the value is wrong, you can go to district court, or use binding arbitration (cheaper, for values under $5 million), or the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). District court appeals must be filed within 60 days of the ARB order. ^[3]

If you want a structured system for pulling comps, building your evidence packet, and working the ARB hearing, the TaxFightBack DIY appeal kit gives you the full framework. You keep 100 percent of any reduction instead of handing 40 percent to a contingency firm.

What is the unequal appraisal argument and why does it matter in Bexar County?

Texas is one of a handful of states that lets you protest purely on unequal appraisal, with no requirement to prove your house is worth less than BCAD claims. Texas Tax Code Section 41.43(b) grants a reduction when "the appraised value of the property exceeds the median appraised value of a reasonable number of comparable properties appropriately adjusted." ^[3]

In plain terms, you pull BCAD's own appraised values (not sale prices) for comparable homes and find the median. If your property is appraised higher per square foot than those neighbors, you win a reduction down to that median, even if BCAD's number tracks the market accurately.

Why does this show up so often in Bexar County? Mass appraisal breeds inconsistency. Two houses on the same street, same build year, same square footage, can carry appraised values 10 to 15 percent apart because one sold recently (triggering a higher model value) and the other did not. The unequal appraisal argument corrects that gap.

To use it, look up your neighbors' BCAD values through the property search at bcad.org. Calculate a per-square-foot value for 5 to 10 comparable properties. If yours runs meaningfully above the median, you have a strong case no matter what the market says.

This lever does not exist everywhere. Homeowners in Fulton County, Georgia or Gwinnett County (see our guide on the gwinnett county tax assessor) have no statutory unequal appraisal right like Texas does, which makes Texas protests structurally easier to win.

How do Bexar County tax rates compare, and how is your bill calculated?

Your bill is not BCAD's number times one rate. Several taxing units each set their own rate and apply it to your taxable value (appraised value minus exemptions).

The main taxing units in Bexar County are the county itself, whichever school district your property falls in (often the San Antonio Independent School District), the City of San Antonio if you are inside city limits, and any special districts (hospital, water, and the like).

For tax year 2024, the combined total rate for a typical San Antonio homeowner inside SAISD ran roughly $2.15 per $100 of taxable value, and it swings a lot by school district. Northside ISD, North East ISD, and others each set their own. The Tax Assessor-Collector publishes the adopted rates from all taxing units at bexar.org. ^[2]

Here is a clean example. A home with a BCAD appraised value of $350,000 and a $100,000 school homestead exemption has a school taxable value of $250,000. At a school rate of $0.93 per $100, the school portion of the bill is $2,325. Then you add county, city, and special district rates for the total.

The Texas Comptroller's Property Tax Assistance Division publishes effective tax rates by county each year. In recent years, Bexar County's effective residential rate has run in the $2.00 to $2.25 range per $100, moderate next to suburban Dallas-Fort Worth counties like Tarrant County, where rates have topped $2.50 in some cities. The Tarrant County structure mirrors Bexar's split-office model, with the Tarrant Appraisal District separate from the Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector. ^[5]

Taxing Unit	Approximate 2024 Rate (per $100)
Bexar County	$0.30
City of San Antonio	$0.54
San Antonio ISD	$0.93
San Antonio River Authority	~$0.02
Bexar County Hospital District	$0.28
Approximate combined (SAISD area)	~$2.07

How do you pay your Bexar County property taxes and what happens if you miss the deadline?

The Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector mails tax bills in October. The payment deadline is January 31. Pay by then and you owe no penalty or interest. Miss it and the costs pile up fast. ^[2]

Texas Tax Code Section 33.01 sets the schedule: a 6 percent penalty hits February 1, plus 1 percent more per month through July 1. On July 1, a 20 percent collection fee gets added if the account goes to a delinquency attorney, which Bexar County does for most unpaid accounts. By then, combined penalties and interest can approach 47 percent of the original bill within the first year. ^[3]

Payment options through the Tax Assessor-Collector:

• Online at bexar.org by e-check (free) or credit/debit card (a convenience fee of about 2.2 percent applies)
• By mail to 233 N. Pecos La Trinidad, San Antonio, TX 78207
• In person at any Tax Assessor-Collector branch (there are several across the county)
• Through escrow held by your mortgage lender (your lender pays from your escrow account, but you still need to confirm it actually happened)

Cannot pay the full bill? Bexar County offers installment agreements for homeowners who qualify under Texas Tax Code Section 33.02. There is also a quarter-payment option for certain homestead owners (age 65 or older, or disabled) under Section 31.031. You pay in four equal installments starting January 31, no delinquency penalty.

Got an escrow account? Confirm the payment cleared each January. Servicer errors happen, and the delinquency lands on you no matter whose mistake it was.

How does the Bexar County appraisal process compare to other large counties?

Texas runs its property tax system differently than most states, and Bexar County follows the Texas model exactly. In Georgia, the county tax assessor combines valuation and administration in one office. Fulton County's tax assessor handles both appraisal and records, while a separate tax commissioner handles billing. Gwinnett County and Bibb County follow similar Georgia structures (see our guides on the gwinnett county tax assessor and bibb county tax assessor).

In California, the Los Angeles County Assessor handles valuation under Proposition 13's acquisition-value model, which caps annual increases at 2 percent unless the property changes hands. Bexar County has no such cap on appraised values. The homestead 10 percent annual increase cap under Texas Tax Code Section 23.23 limits how fast a homestead's appraised value can rise, but not its market value. ^[3]

Arizona counties like Maricopa also split the assessor from the treasurer (see our guide on maricopa property tax). Tarrant County in North Texas mirrors Bexar's setup: the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) appraises, and the Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector bills and collects. The real difference is scale and market pressure. Tarrant County holds Fort Worth and many fast-growing suburbs, and TAD has taken heavy criticism over assessment accuracy in recent years.

The Texas protest system is friendlier to DIY homeowners than most. State law spells out the unequal appraisal argument, the ARB process is administrative rather than judicial, and filing costs zero. Compare that to Illinois, where Cook County appeals run through a more complicated multi-stage process (see our guide on cook county tax assessor tax bill).

What records does BCAD keep and how do you access them?

BCAD keeps public property records for every parcel in Bexar County. Search by owner name, address, or account number at bcad.org. The property detail page shows the current appraised value, the prior year value, square footage, land size, improvement type, exemptions on file, and the sales history BCAD has recorded. ^[1]

These records are your first stop when building a protest. You want three things in particular:

• The property characteristics sheet: this is what BCAD thinks your house has (bedrooms, bathrooms, garage, pool, year built, effective age). Errors here are common. If BCAD credits you with a two-car garage you do not have, that mistake inflates your value.
• The sales comparables tool: BCAD's system lets you pull neighborhood sales by date range. The sales they actually used to build your value show up in the appraisal evidence packet you can request after filing.
• The hearing evidence packet: once you file, you are entitled to the evidence BCAD plans to present at your ARB hearing. Request it at BCAD's office or, in some cases, through iFile. You must receive it at least 14 days before your hearing under Texas Tax Code Section 41.67. ^[3]

Find a factual error in your record (wrong square footage, wrong improvement type, an addition BCAD does not know about that it might be counting) and you can request a correction directly, no formal protest required. A certified appraisal or a permit showing the actual construction usually does the job.

Can a property tax lender or contingency firm help, and is it worth it?

Property tax lenders and protest firms are two different animals. A tax lender pays off your delinquent Bexar County bill, then charges you interest to pay them back, usually 12 to 18 percent a year. It can stop a foreclosure, but it is expensive and the interest compounds. Use one only as a last resort, when you truly cannot pay and need to hold onto the property.

Contingency protest firms are far more common. They file your protest for free and take a cut of any tax savings, typically 25 to 40 percent of one year's savings, sometimes structured as a share of the value reduction. On a home where a good protest saves $600, the firm keeps $150 to $240. Over five years of repeated protests, you might hand a firm $1,200 for savings you could have gotten yourself with two hours of work a year.

Contingency firms earn their fee in a few spots: very high-value properties where the math favors paying for expertise, commercial properties with income-approach complexity, and owners who flat out will not do it themselves. For the typical Bexar County homeowner with a $300,000 to $600,000 house, DIY is almost always the better financial call.

Want to go it alone with a real structure? The TaxFightBack appeal kit walks you through the whole process for a flat cost, and you keep every dollar of savings. That is completely different economics from a contingency deal.

What should you do right now if you just got your BCAD notice?

First, read the deadline date on your notice and put it in your calendar today. Blowing the protest window by forgetting is the most common and most avoidable mistake there is.

Second, check your exemptions. Look at the exemption section of your notice. If you own and live in this home as your primary residence and do not see a homestead exemption, file one. If you are 65 or older and do not see the senior exemption, file it. The savings run larger and more permanent than any protest reduction.

Third, look up your comparable neighbors on bcad.org. Search three to five houses within a few blocks that are similar in size and age. Check their appraised values per square foot. If yours runs higher, you have an unequal appraisal case.

Fourth, note any condition problems BCAD would not know about: foundation cracks, roof damage, a dying HVAC, no garage despite the record showing one, a drainage problem. Document these with photos and repair estimates. Condition adjustments work especially well in informal hearings, where the appraiser has room to use discretion.

Fifth, file online through iFile at bcad.org. It takes about 10 minutes. Even if you are unsure your case is strong, filing preserves your rights and costs nothing. You can always settle informally or walk away once you see BCAD's evidence.

For how similar appeals run in other big Texas-area counties, our guide on montgomery county tax assessor covers the Harris County adjacent district and shares evidence strategies that carry straight over to BCAD hearings.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Bexar County Appraisal District (BCAD) and how is it different from the Tax Assessor-Collector?

BCAD is an independent agency that appraises all Bexar County property values each year. The Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector is a separately elected official who calculates tax bills, accepts payments, and processes most exemption applications. If you disagree with your value, go to BCAD. If you have a billing or payment issue, contact the Tax Assessor-Collector at (210) 335-2251.

What is the 2025 property tax protest deadline for Bexar County?

The general protest deadline is May 15, 2025, or 30 days after the date printed on your Notice of Appraised Value, whichever is later. If your notice is dated after April 15, the 30-day rule likely pushes your deadline past May 15. Always check the date on your actual notice and confirm at bcad.org each spring.

How do I file a homestead exemption in Bexar County?

Download Form 50-114 from bcad.org or pick it up at BCAD's office at 411 N. Frio St., San Antonio. Submit it to BCAD (not the Tax Assessor-Collector) with a copy of your Texas driver's license or state ID showing the property address. The general deadline is April 30, but first-year filers can apply late and get the exemption back to January 1. The school district portion now removes $100,000 from your taxable value.

What is the homestead cap in Texas and how does it protect Bexar County homeowners?

Texas Tax Code Section 23.23 caps annual increases in a homestead's appraised value at 10 percent over the prior year's appraised value. It does not limit market value, only the appraised value BCAD can tax. If the market jumps 25 percent in a year, your appraised value can rise only 10 percent. The cap applies only to homestead-exempt properties.

Can I protest my Bexar County property taxes online?

Yes. BCAD's iFile system at bcad.org lets you file a Notice of Protest, submit evidence, and often resolve your protest through an online informal hearing without visiting in person. Online informal hearings usually run from May through July. You get a login PIN on your Notice of Appraised Value, or you can create an account with your property account number.

What evidence wins a Bexar County property tax protest?

The two strongest evidence types are recent comparable sales below BCAD's value for your property, pulled from the six months before and after January 1 of the tax year, and comparable BCAD appraised values showing your per-square-foot value runs higher than similar neighbors, which supports an unequal appraisal argument under Texas Tax Code Section 41.43. Photos of condition problems (foundation, roof, deferred maintenance) support further adjustments.

What is the penalty for paying Bexar County property taxes late?

The January 31 deadline triggers a 6 percent penalty on February 1. An additional 1 percent per month runs through July 1, when a 20 percent collection fee applies if the account goes to a delinquency attorney. Combined penalties and interest can top 40 percent within the first year under Texas Tax Code Section 33.01. Homestead owners aged 65 or older can pay in four installments starting January 31 without penalty.

How do I find my Bexar County property tax account number?

Your 11-digit account number appears on your Notice of Appraised Value and on your tax bill. You can also look it up by address or owner name at bcad.org (for appraisal records) or at bexar.org (for tax billing records). Those are two separate search systems because the two offices keep separate databases.

Does Bexar County offer a tax deferral for seniors or disabled homeowners?

Yes. Texas Tax Code Section 33.06 lets homeowners aged 65 or older, or those who are disabled, defer property taxes on their homestead as long as they own and live in it. Deferred taxes accrue interest at 5 percent a year but cannot trigger foreclosure while the deferral is active. The full balance comes due when the property sells or the owner no longer occupies it.

What happens after the ARB rules on my Bexar County protest?

You get a written ARB order. Accept it and do nothing; the new value is certified to the appraisal roll. Disagree and you have 60 days to appeal to district court, or you can choose binding arbitration for residential properties valued under $5 million (cheaper and faster). Request binding arbitration through the Texas Comptroller's office by filing Form AP-219 and paying a deposit of $450 to $1,550 depending on value.

How is the Bexar County property tax system different from Tarrant County's?

Both counties use the Texas split-office model: a separate appraisal district (BCAD in Bexar, TAD in Tarrant) and a separate tax assessor-collector for billing. The protest process and deadlines are identical under Texas law. The main practical differences are market conditions and appraisal accuracy. Tarrant County's fast suburban growth has strained TAD's mass appraisal models, and combined tax rates in many Tarrant cities have run above $2.50 per $100 of value.

Can I get a refund if BCAD reduces my value after I already paid my taxes?

Yes. If your protest lowers your value after you have paid, the Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector issues a refund for the overpaid amount. Refunds over $1 usually mail automatically once the corrected appraisal roll is certified and the bill is recalculated. Large refunds on commercial properties can take several months to process.

What is an ag exemption and can Bexar County property owners qualify?

An agricultural use appraisal (the ag exemption) values land at its farming productivity instead of market value, which can slash the taxable base by 80 to 95 percent on qualifying land. Bexar County has rural and semi-rural tracts that qualify. You must show five years of qualifying agricultural use and apply to BCAD. Urban residential lots do not qualify. Losing an ag exemption triggers a rollback tax of up to five years of tax difference plus interest.

Where do I pay my Bexar County property taxes in person?

The main office is at 233 N. Pecos La Trinidad, San Antonio, TX 78207. The Tax Assessor-Collector also runs satellite offices, including locations in northwest San Antonio, the Schertz area, and other parts of the county. Current branch locations and hours are listed at bexar.org. You can also pay online by e-check (free) or card (fee applies), or by mail.

Sources

1. Bexar County Appraisal District, official website: BCAD appraises all Bexar County property values, operates iFile protest system, and publishes property records and deadline information
2. Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector, official website: The Bexar County Tax Assessor-Collector calculates bills, accepts payments, and publishes adopted tax rates for all taxing units
3. Texas Legislature Online, Texas Tax Code: Texas Tax Code Sections 23.01, 23.23, 33.01, 33.02, 33.06, 41.43, 41.44, 41.67 govern valuation standards, homestead cap, penalty schedules, deferral, unequal appraisal, protest deadlines, and hearing evidence rules
4. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Property Tax Exemptions page: The 2023 school district homestead exemption is $100,000; age 65 and disabled homeowners receive an additional $10,000 school exemption and a tax ceiling; 100% disabled veterans receive a full residence homestead exemption
5. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Property Tax Rates by County: Texas Comptroller publishes effective tax rates and adopted rates by county and taxing unit annually
6. Texas Senate Bill 2 (88th Legislature), effective 2023: SB 2 (2023) increased the general school district homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000 for tax year 2023 and forward
7. Texas Comptroller, Property Tax Assistance Division, Appraisal Manual: Mass appraisal methodology, sales comparison approach, and reappraisal requirements under Texas law
8. Texas Comptroller, Arbitration Information for Property Owners: Binding arbitration deposit amounts range from $450 to $1,550 depending on property value; residential properties under $5 million may use arbitration as an alternative to district court
9. Bexar County Appraisal District, Property Search and iFile System: BCAD's iFile system allows online protest filing, evidence submission, and informal online hearings; property records are publicly searchable by address or account number
10. Texas Comptroller, Ag Use Appraisal and Rollback Taxes: Agricultural productivity appraisal requires five years of qualifying use; losing ag status triggers a rollback tax of up to five years plus interest