A district court must grant unequal-appraisal relief when the property meets one of the section’s comparison tests, and it must set the appraised value under the applicable median-value rule.
Sec. 42.26. REMEDY FOR UNEQUAL APPRAISAL. (a) The district court shall grant relief on the ground that a property is appraised unequally if: (1) the appraisal ratio of the property exceeds by at least 10 percent the median level of appraisal of a reasonable and representative sample of other properties in the appraisal district; (2) the appraisal ratio of the property exceeds by at least 10 percent the median level of appraisal of a sample of properties in the appraisal district consisting of a reasonable number of other properties similarly situated to, or of the same general kind or character as, the property subject to the appeal; or (3) the appraised value of the property exceeds the median appraised value of a reasonable number of comparable properties appropriately adjusted. (b) If a property owner is entitled to relief under Subsection (a)(1), the court shall order the property's appraised value changed to the value as calculated on the basis of the median level of appraisal according to Subsection (a)(1). If a property owner is entitled to relief under Subsection (a)(2), the court shall order the property's appraised value changed to the value calculated on the basis of the median level of appraisal according to Subsection (a)(2). If a property owner is entitled to relief under Subsection (a)(3), the court shall order the property's appraised value changed to the value calculated on the basis of the median appraised value according to Subsection (a)(3). If a property owner is entitled to relief under more than one subdivision of Subsection (a), the court shall order the property's appraised value changed to the value that results in the lowest appraised value. The court shall determine each applicable median level of appraisal or median appraised value according to law, and is not required to adopt the median level of appraisal or median appraised value proposed by a party to the appeal. The court may not limit or deny relief to the property owner entitled to relief under a subdivision of Subsection (a) because the appraised value determined according to another subdivision of Subsection (a) results in a higher appraised value. (c) For purposes of establishing the median level of appraisal under Subsection (a)(1), the median level of appraisal in the appraisal district as determined by the comptroller under Section 5.10 is admissible as evidence of the median level of appraisal of a reasonable and representative sample of properties in the appraisal district for the year of the comptroller's determination, subject to the Texas Rules of Evidence and the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. Text of subsection effective until January 01, 2027 (d) For purposes of this section, the value of the property subject to the suit and the value of a comparable property or sample property that is used for comparison must be the market value determined by the appraisal district when the property is subject to the limitation on appraised value imposed by Section 23.23 or 23.231. Text of subsection effective on January 01, 2027 (d) For purposes of this section, the value of the property subject to the suit and the value of a comparable property or sample property that is used for comparison must be the market value determined by the appraisal district when the property is a residence homestead subject to the limitation on appraised value imposed by Section 23.23. Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 2311, ch. 841, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1982. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., 1st C.S., p. 174, ch. 13, Sec. 153, eff. Jan. 1, 1982; Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 4924, ch. 877, Sec. 3, eff. Jan. 1, 1984; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 823, Sec. 3, eff. Jan. 1, 1986; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 796, Sec. 45, eff. June 15, 1989; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 843, Sec. 12, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1039, Sec. 42, eff. Jan. 1, 1998; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1041, Sec. 4, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Amended by: Acts 2023, 88th Leg., 2nd C.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 2), Sec. 4.09, eff. January 1, 2024. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., 2nd C.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 2), Sec. 4.10, eff. January 1, 2027.