The bill amends Section 41.43 of the Tax Code to establish a requirement for appraisal review boards to rely on appraisals of residential real property submitted by property owners when determining protests regarding property value. Specifically, if a property owner files an appraisal performed by a certified appraiser—who is not affiliated with a property tax consultant—at least 14 days before the hearing, the appraisal review board must determine the protest in favor of the property owner and adjust the property's appraised value accordingly. This new provision is marked as Subsection (a-6) and emphasizes the importance of independent appraisals in the protest process.

Additionally, the bill modifies the Penal Code by amending Section 37.10(c)(4) to classify an offense as a Class B misdemeanor if a written appraisal filed with an appraisal review board is shown to have been performed by someone with a contingency interest in the outcome of the hearing. The changes introduced by this bill will only apply to protests for which a notice is filed after the effective date, which is set for 91 days following the end of the legislative session.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Tax Code 41.43, Penal Code 37.10 (Tax Code 41, Penal Code 37)