What Does ‘land Value’ Mean for Your Property Taxes? Curious Texas and Watchdog Have the Answers as the May 15 Deadline Nears

Another lovely May in Texas.Hello again to Mother's Day, graduations, and property tax notices.Property tax appraisal notices likely have landed in most property owners' mailboxes by now. Shock from estimated increases leaves many angry, even weepy.Anyone wanting to challenge their property value before their county's appraisal district better move fast. The protest deadline is May 15. (May 18 in Denton County.) The law says property owners have 30 days after the arrival of their property tax notice to file a protest. But the new state deadline for everyone moved this year from May 31 to May 15.Devin Agonis of Mansfield was on the right track to make the deadline. But she had a question that The Watchdog hears frequently.She wants to understand what her notice means and how to get educated on the vast and complex property tax appraisal/assessment process.Agonis asks Curious Texas, "What is the significance of increasing land value vs. structural value on our property tax estimate? Does it matter?"Curious Texas is an ongoing project from The Dallas Morning News that invites you to join in our reporting process. The idea is simple: You have questions, and our journalists track down the answers.The project goes hand in hand with the Watchdog desk's mission to investigate, report on, and hold government and businesses accountable. That's why we're asking you in the module below what to investigate next.Agonis asks: "My question may be obvious, but as first-time homeowners we wondered if land values increase on a certain schedule when there has been a steady gain in the area for a certain amount of time."  Continue reading...