About Us

The Property-Search-First Approach

Most people coming to a Texas CAD portal aren’t appraisers or property tax consultants. They’re homeowners trying to figure out why their assessed value jumped 18% this year. They’re buyers running last-minute due diligence on a property under contract. They’re seniors wondering whether they qualify for the over-65 exemption. They’re heirs trying to figure out what the inherited property is appraised at. They’re investors comparing five properties before making an offer. They want one thing: find this property and tell me what it’s worth, what its exemption status is, and what I can do about it. Everything else — the legal framework, the §41 protest procedure, the §23.51 ag-use rules — only matters once they have the search result in front of them.

countycadpropertysearch.org/ is built around that need. Every Texas CAD guide on the site is organised as a property-search walkthrough first: this is the CAD's search portal, this is how you search by address, this is what you see when the result loads, this is what each line in the result means, this is what to do next. The legal and procedural framework follows, but only as much as a non-expert needs to act on the search result. We work directly to each CAD's portal, cross-checked against the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Property Tax Assistance Division (PTAD) and the Texas Property Tax Code (Tex. Tax Code Title 1, Subtitle E).

The Three Ways to Search a Texas CAD Portal

What Every Field on a Texas CAD Property Record Actually Means

Texas property valuation has four distinct value figures that appear on most CAD search results, and they are not interchangeable. Understanding the difference is essential before you decide whether to protest, claim an exemption, or rely on the data for any decision.

What This Site Is For

Texas is unique among U.S. states in having a single Central Appraisal District (CAD) per county that values all property for every taxing unit in that county. One CAD; one appraised value; many taxing units (school districts, cities, the county itself, special districts, ESDs, hospital districts, MUDs) that apply their own tax rates to the CAD’s certified appraisal roll. This consolidated system makes the CAD the most important office in your annual property tax cycle — but it also means the CAD portal is where every fact-finding journey starts.

countycadpropertysearch.org/ is the practical reference for using those portals. Every Texas CAD guide on the site lists the official property-search portal URL, walks through each of the three search methods, explains what each field on the search result means, links to the exemption forms with deadlines, summarises the ARB protest procedure with the §41.44 deadline, and connects to the County Tax Assessor-Collector (the separate office that handles billing) and County Clerk (the separate office that handles deeds).

We are completely independent. We are not affiliated with any Texas CAD, the Texas Comptroller, TDLR, TAAD, TAAO, TALCB, IAAO, the Appraisal Foundation, or any commercial property-records aggregator, title company, or real estate platform. We do not sell property records. We do not file ARB protests. We do not provide tenant-screening, background-check, or any FCRA-regulated services. Every property record is held by the CAD — the official path is always the CAD’s own portal.

The Eight Categories of Property-Search Information We Cover

What You’ll Find on Each Texas CAD Page

• CAD official name and URL — verified live, updated quarterly
• Property-search portal URL — the CAD’s own online property search, manually clicked before publication
• Search-method walkthroughs — by address, by owner, by property ID / account number
• Identifier format guide — what the CAD’s account number / property ID looks like, where to find it
• Field-by-field explanation — every value and status field on the search result, plain English, statutory citation
• NOAV review walkthrough — what each section of the §25.19 notice means
• Exemption verification — how to confirm your current exemption status on the search result
• Search-result-to-ARB-protest workflow — building evidence from CAD data
• GIS / parcel-map URL — where the CAD provides one
• CAD office address & in-person hours
• CAD phone contact — main number, dial-tested quarterly
• Cross-reference to County Tax Assessor-Collector — for tax billing and payment (separate office)
• Cross-reference to County Clerk — for deed records (separate office)
• Texas Comptroller PTAD link — for state-level guidance and PVS
• FAQ — questions specific to that CAD’s portal and procedures

How We Find and Verify — The Eight-Step Process

1. Identify the right authoritative source. The CAD’s official portal, plus the Texas Comptroller PTAD reference, plus the Texas Property Tax Code.
2. Verify the property-search URL is live. A human editor clicks every link before publication.
3. Walk through the property search. An editor performs a real property search on the CAD’s portal — by address, by owner, by property ID — to confirm every step matches the current interface.
4. Document the identifier format. An editor records how the CAD’s property ID / account number / geographic ID is formatted, where to find it on common documents, and how to enter it correctly.
5. Document the result-page fields. Every value and status field on the search result, with the Texas Property Tax Code citation that defines it.
6. Cross-check exemption procedures. Against the CAD’s published exemption forms and Texas Comptroller PTAD reference.
7. Cross-check ARB protest procedure and deadline. Against the CAD’s protest forms, Tex. Tax Code §41.41–§41.71, and current PTAD ARB Manual.
8. Editor sign-off. A second editor reviews end-to-end, including a fresh check on the FCRA non-CRA notice and the “verify with CAD before relying” caveat.

Texas CADs We Cover — Major County Examples

Who This Site Is For

• Texas homeowners checking their NOAV, verifying exemption status, or building an ARB protest case
• Buyers running last-minute due diligence on a Texas property under contract
• Sellers verifying their CAD record before listing
• Texas real estate agents pulling assessment data and comparables for client research
• Investors comparing multiple Texas properties for purchase or appeal analysis
• Senior Texans verifying over-65 exemption status
• Texas veterans verifying disabled veteran exemption status
• Texas ranchers and farmers verifying 1-d-1 open-space, agricultural-use, timber, or wildlife management valuation
• TDLR-licensed property tax consultants pulling client data and preparing ARB protests
• Texas attorneys doing property research as a starting point for §42 judicial appeal or transactional work
• Genealogy researchers tracing historical Texas ownership through CAD records

What We Don’t Do

• We do not sell Texas property records or operate any kind of subscription database — every record is held by the CAD
• We do not file ARB protests on your behalf — a TDLR-licensed property tax consultant or Texas attorney can
• We do not provide title searches or title insurance — those are licensed activities under Texas law
• We do not provide tenant screening, background checks, or any FCRA-regulated consumer reports
• We do not provide legal or financial advice — consult a TDLR-licensed property tax consultant, CPA, or Texas-licensed attorney
• We do not represent any CAD, the Texas Comptroller, TDLR, or any other Texas authority
• We do not accept paid placement or “preferred listings”
• We do not sell your data — see Privacy Policy

Corrections and Feedback

Texas CAD portals change constantly. New chief appraisers redesign portals. Vendor switches bring new search interfaces. Texas legislative sessions in odd-numbered years amend the Property Tax Code, sometimes substantially (the 2023 session’s $100,000 school district homestead exemption is one recent example). If you spot something on the site that doesn’t match the live CAD page, or you’ve gone through a property-search walkthrough and a step doesn’t match what we describe, please email us. Reader-reported corrections are our priority queue.