Midland Property Tax Protests - By Value, Property Type, and Number
The businesses and homeowners of Midland County filed 18,390 property tax protests in 2024 alone. While this was down from the previous few years, it did demonstrate the continued fight against the Midland Central Appraisal District (MCAD) and its inflated values. Get your best tax reduction when you join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today. Enroll, relax, and save.
Total Parcels and Total Protests MidCADSource: 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 Parcels | 158.61 | 159.12 | 164.38 | 182.38 | 202.78 | 225.75 | 255.32 | 286.60 | 333.96 | 407.97 | 419.99 | |
| Total Protests Filed | 5.55 | 6.47 | 8.10 | 7.69 | 9.59 | 12.99 | 13.25 | 14.19 | 20.52 | 26.86 | 18.39 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Mass appraisal used by appraisal districts includes many errors based on limited resources. About 500 appraisers value all 20 million Texas tax parcels; about 40,000 per appraiser. Another 1,500 appraisers measure new construction.
MCAD Property Tax Appeals
The first line of defense for any taxpayer against aggressive taxation is exemptions. However, these can be enhanced with property tax appeals. These protests challenge the values set forward by MCAD and can slice property taxes by lowering the value of a property. This does not reduce the resale value of the home or business, but is geared solely toward taxation.
O’Connor is here to guide you. One of the largest property tax firms in the country, O’Connor is a Texas-based firm that understands the problems of Texas taxpayers. This combination of local experience and national resources makes for a potent combination that often results in reductions for both homeowners and businesses.
Total Parcels in MCAD
There were 419,990 parcels of real estate in Midland County as of 2024. Parcels are a unit of measurement that splits up real property so that it can be assessed and then taxed. Of these parcels, 18,390 of them were protested by homes and businesses. This was a slight step back from the previous two years, but was still one of the highest incidents of appeals in the county’s long history.
Total Protests Midland 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 Protests | 5.55 | 6.47 | 8.10 | 7.69 | 9.59 | 12.99 | 13.25 | 14.19 | 20.52 | 26.86 | 18.39 | |
| Single Family Home Protests | 2.02 | 2.72 | 1.50 | 1.63 | 1.55 | 2.64 | 2.25 | 3.00 | 2.94 | 2.87 | 2.69 | |
| Commercial / Other Protests | 3.53 | 3.76 | 6.60 | 6.06 | 8.04 | 10.35 | 11.00 | 11.18 | 17.59 | 23.99 | 15.70 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is their right.
Total Protests
Protests have been on the rise in Midland County for the past decade. 2023 is the current peak, and that year had 26,860 protests. This was a huge improvement over 2022’s 20,520. 2024 was the first time that total protests had fallen since 2017. One reason for the decrease could be how weighted the numbers are in favor of businesses, something almost unheard of in Texas.
Of the 18,390 protests, 15,700 of them were for businesses. In the majority of Texas counties, it is homes that make up the lion’s share of protests. There was a sharp decline in business appeals in 2024, falling from the 2023 record of 23,990. Residential real estate, on the other hand, accounted for 2,690 appeals, the least since 2020. With rising oil prices and more demand, 2025 should see the number of appeals rise again.
% of Parcels Protested Midland CountySource: 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 | ||
| Percent Protested | 3.5% | 4.07% | 4.93% | 4.21% | 4.73% | 5.75% | 5.19% | 4.95% | 6.15% | 6.58% | 4.38% | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since About 60% of appeals are successful.
MCAD - Percent Parcels Protested
Only 4.38% of parcels were protested in 2024, the lowest since 2017. This is surprisingly low for a county with as much wealth as Midland. These low rates seem to be because the vast majority of homeowners did not appeal their appraisals. Residential protests have largely stagnated in the past decade. Many counties have seen their rates climb every year, as taxes do, so perhaps rising values will bring more homeowners to the table in the next few years.
Protests by Property Type Midland 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 | 5.55 | 6.47 | 8.10 | 7.69 | 9.59 | 12.99 | 13.25 | 14.19 | 20.52 | 26.86 | 18.39 | |
| Single Family | 2.02 | 2.72 | 1.50 | 1.63 | 1.55 | 2.64 | 2.25 | 3.00 | 2.94 | 2.87 | 2.69 | |
| Multi-Family Res | 0.10 | 0.11 | 0.74 | 0.11 | 0.12 | 0.14 | 0.13 | 0.16 | 0.21 | 0.25 | 0.15 | |
| Commercial | 1.03 | 1.49 | 1.14 | 0.88 | 0.83 | 1.06 | 1.45 | 1.22 | 1.22 | 1.85 | 2.81 | |
| All Other | 2.39 | 2.16 | 4.72 | 5.07 | 7.10 | 9.15 | 9.42 | 9.81 | 16.16 | 21.89 | 12.75 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Correcting an error in the appraisal district’s description of your property can reap savings in future years.
MCAD Protests by Property Type
When business properties are broken down, it is clear to see who the winner is. Oil and gas has been the driving force for protest for the past decade, and set records with 21,890 appeals in 2023. This fell to 12,750 in 2024, bringing down the county’s entire total with it.
In comparison, homes and other businesses have largely stayed stagnant, with some growth over the past decade. With 2,809 protests, commercial properties fought their taxes and values more than homeowners, a truly strange occurrence.
Value of Property Protested by TypeSource: 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 | ||
| Value Protested Total | 3.80 | 3.24 | 5.55 | 4.90 | 7.52 | 10.45 | 13.39 | 12.29 | 14.72 | 17.14 | 15.56 | |
| Single Family | 0.21 | 0.68 | 0.28 | 0.41 | 0.44 | 0.57 | 0.70 | 1.00 | 1.09 | 1.17 | 0.88 | |
| Multi-Family Res | 0.47 | 0.45 | 0.65 | 0.79 | 0.99 | 1.35 | 1.52 | 1.44 | 1.73 | 2.03 | 0.21 | |
| Commercial | 1.03 | 1.84 | 1.31 | 1.30 | 1.47 | 1.91 | 2.35 | 2.03 | 2.38 | 2.73 | 1.95 | |
| All Other | 2.09 | 0.28 | 3.30 | 2.41 | 4.63 | 6.62 | 8.81 | 7.82 | 9.52 | 11.21 | 12.51 | |
Midland County Value of Property Protested by Type
A total of $15.56 billion in value was contested in 2024, the second-most in the history of the county. This shows that the worth of properties protested has climbed, even though the number of appeals has dropped. This indicates that more appeals may be coming in the near future. 2023 was the only year to see more value contested, with $17.14 billion.
It should be no surprise that the No. 1 winner in value was oil and gas, which accounted for $12.51 billion. All other property types saw a decline in the value that they challenged, which tracks with all of the evidence indicated. Homes were responsible for $880 million, while commercial properties accounted for $1.95 billion.