Online Protest on the Taxpayer Portal
Property owners are allowed to protest using the Taxpayer Portal on the GCAD website (https://portal.galvestoncad.org/). To register their account, the property owner will need their Owner ID and eFile pin. This information can be found on the Notice of Appraised Value. If the notice is not available, the property owner can request this information by emailing gcad@galvestoncad.org.
For additional information, please click HERE to watch a short informational video from our website provider.
Before the protest deadline, a property owner can drop off their form to the office at 9850 Emmett F Lowry Expressway, Ste A during regular business hours. (Monday-Thursday 7:30am-5:30pm; Friday 8:00am-12:00pm).
Appraisal Review Board (ARB) Hearings
The Galveston CAD Appraisal Review Board (ARB) is an independent group of citizens authorized to resolve disputes between taxpayers and the appraisal district. The ARB sits in panels of three to hear testimony and review evidence to determine property owner protests that were not resolved during the informal process.
What Happens During an ARB Hearing:
Both a property owner and a representative from the appraisal district will present their evidence and take questions from a panel of ARB members.
Following this presentation, the panel will make a decision regarding the protest. Hearings typically last 15 to 20 minutes. Approximately three to four weeks after the hearing, the property owner will receive a Notice of Final Order via certified mail.
The ARB hearing process will begin in May each year.
Property owners will be allowed to participate in their hearings in several ways:
By phone/videoconference:
Property owners will be allowed to present their case via a telephone/videoconference hearing. The Property Owner’s Affidavit of Evidence MUST be submitted 24 hours prior to the scheduled hearing. Instructions are available for property owners that wish to take advantage of remote screen sharing during a telephone hearing.
By affidavit:
Property owners will be allowed to submit their evidence and arguments by written affidavit.
In person:
If requested, property owners will be allowed to attend an in-person hearing at GCAD’s office.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
- Property owners will be required to adhere to safety protocols while inside the facilities.
- The Galveston CAD ARB will contact property owners with information on their scheduled hearing date and time at least 15 days before their scheduled hearing. Notification will be set by postage mail and through the online portal (if available). Notification through the online portal is for registered property owners that have opted to receive electronic communications. Email notification is also available, if requested by the property owner.
- That notification will also contain information on how to attend a phone hearing, submit an affidavit, or request an in-person hearing.
- Property owners who cannot make the date/time of their hearing before the Appraisal Review Board may request that their hearing be rescheduled one time for any reason. Additional reschedules must be approved by the ARB. To reschedule, the property owner is encouraged to send and email to gcad@galvestoncad.org, but requests over the phone are also accepted.
- Property owners who wish to appeal the decision of the ARB may do so in binding arbitration or District Court.