Tex. Tax Code § 25.25 — TX Code / Code tx / Chapter 25 / Section 25.25
§ 25.25. CORRECTION OF APPRAISAL ROLL.
Status: in_force

(a) Except as provided by Chapters 41 and 42 of this code and by this section, the appraisal roll may not be changed.

(b) The chief appraiser may change the appraisal roll at any time to correct a name or address, a determination of ownership, a description of property, multiple appraisals of a property, an erroneous denial or cancellation of any exemption authorized by Section 11.13 if the applicant or recipient is disabled or is 65 or older or an exemption authorized by Section 11.13(q), 11.131, or 11.22, or a clerical error or other inaccuracy as prescribed by board rule that does not increase the amount of tax liability. Before the 10th day after the end of each calendar quarter, the chief appraiser shall submit to the appraisal review board and to the board of directors of the appraisal district a written report of each change made under this subsection that decreases the tax liability of the owner of the property. The report must include:

(1) a description of each property; and

(2) the name of the owner of that property.

(c) The appraisal review board, on motion of the chief appraiser or of a property owner, may direct by written order changes in the appraisal roll for any of the five preceding years to correct:

(1) clerical errors that affect a property owner's liability for a tax imposed in that tax year;

(2) multiple appraisals of a property in that tax year;

(3) the inclusion of property that does not exist in the form or at the location described in the appraisal roll; or

(4) an error in which property is shown as owned by a person who did not own the property on January 1 of that tax year.

(c-1) The appraisal review board, on motion of the chief appraiser or of a property owner, may direct by written order changes in the appraisal roll or related appraisal records for the current tax year and for either of the two preceding tax years to correct an inaccuracy in the appraised value of the owner's tangible personal property that is the result of an error or omission in a rendition statement or property report filed under Chapter 22 for the applicable tax year. The roll may not be changed under this subsection for any tax year in which:

(1) the property owner failed to timely file the rendition statement or property report in accordance with Section 22.23 and was assessed a penalty under Section 22.28;

(2) the property was the subject of a protest brought by the property owner under Chapter 41, a hearing on the protest was conducted in which the owner offered evidence or argument, and the appraisal review board made a determination of the protest on the merits;

(3) the property was the subject of a previous motion filed by the property owner under this section and the chief appraiser and the owner agreed to the correction, the appraisal review board determined the motion, or the appraisal review board determined that the owner forfeited the right to a final determination of the motion for failing to comply with the prepayment requirements of Section 25.26; or

(4) the appraised value of the property was established as a result of a written agreement between the property owner or the owner's agent and the appraisal district.

(d) At any time prior to the date the taxes become delinquent, a property owner or the chief appraiser may file a motion with the appraisal review board to change the appraisal roll to correct an error that resulted in an incorrect appraised value for the owner's property. However, the error may not be corrected unless it resulted in an appraised value that exceeds by more than:

(1) one-fourth the correct appraised value, in the case of property that qualifies as the owner's residence homestead under Section 11.13; or

(2) one-third the correct appraised value, in the case of property that does not qualify as the owner's residence homestead under Section 11.13.

(d-1) If the appraisal roll is changed under Subsection (d), the property owner must pay to each affected taxing unit a late-correction penalty equal to 10 percent of the amount of taxes as calculated on the basis of the corrected appraised value. Payment of the late-correction penalty is secured by the lien that attaches to the property under Section 32.01 and is subject to enforced collection under Chapter 33. The roll may not be changed under Subsection (d) if:

(1) the property was the subject of a protest brought by the property owner under Chapter 41, a hearing on the protest was conducted in which the property owner offered evidence or argument, and the appraisal review board made a determination of the protest on the merits; or

(2) the appraised value of the property was established as a result of a written agreement between the property owner or the owner's agent and the appraisal district.

(e) If the chief appraiser and the property owner do not agree to the correction before the 15th day after the date the motion is filed, a party bringing a motion under Subsection (c), (c-1), or (d) is entitled on request to a hearing on and a determination of the motion by the appraisal review board. A party bringing a motion under this section must describe the error or errors that the motion is seeking to correct. If a request for hearing is made on or after January 1 but before September 1, the appraisal review board shall schedule the hearing to be held as soon as practicable but not later than the 90th day after the date the board approves the appraisal records as provided by Section 41.12. If a request for hearing is made on or after September 1 but before January 1 of the following tax year, the appraisal review board shall schedule the hearing to be held as soon as practicable but not later than the 90th day after the date the request for the hearing is made. Not later than 15 days before the date of the hearing, the board shall deliver written notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing to the chief appraiser, the property owner, and the presiding officer of the governing body of each taxing unit in which the property is located. The chief appraiser, the property owner, and each taxing unit are entitled to present evidence and argument at the hearing and to receive written notice of the board's determination of the motion. The property owner is entitled to elect to present the owner's evidence and argument before, after, or between the cases presented by the chief appraiser and each taxing unit. A property owner who files the motion must comply with the payment requirements of Section 25.26 or forfeit the right to a final determination of the motion.

(f) The chief appraiser shall certify each change made as provided by this section to the assessor for each unit affected by the change within five days after the date the change is entered.

(g) Within 60 days after receiving notice of the appraisal review board's determination of a motion under this section or of a determination of the appraisal review board that the property owner has forfeited the right to a final determination of a motion under this section for failing to comply with the prepayment requirements of Section 25.26, the property owner or the chief appraiser may file suit to compel the board to order a change in the appraisal roll as required by this section. A taxing unit may not be made a party to a suit filed by a property owner or chief appraiser under this subsection.

(g-1) In a suit filed under Subsection (g), if a hearing to review and determine compliance with Section 25.26 is requested, the movant must mail notice of the hearing by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the collector for each taxing unit that imposes taxes on the property not later than the 45th day before the date of the hearing.

(g-2) Regardless of whether the collector for the taxing unit receives a notice under Subsection (g-1), a taxing unit that imposes taxes on the property may intervene in a suit filed under Subsection (g) and participate in the proceedings for the limited purpose of determining whether the property owner has complied with Section 25.26. The taxing unit is entitled to process for witnesses and evidence and to be heard by the court.

(h) The appraisal review board, on the joint motion of the property owner and the chief appraiser filed at any time prior to the date the taxes become delinquent, shall by written order correct an error that resulted in an incorrect appraised value for the owner's property.

(i) A person who acquires property after January 1 of the tax year at issue is entitled to file any motion that this section authorizes the person who owned the property on January 1 of that year to file, if the deadline for filing the motion has not passed.

(j) If during the pendency of a motion under this section the ownership of property subject to the motion changes, the new owner of the property is entitled to proceed with the motion in the same manner as the property owner who filed the motion.

(k) The chief appraiser shall change the appraisal records and school district appraisal rolls promptly to reflect the detachment and annexation of property among school districts under Subchapter C or G, Chapter 49, Education Code.

(l) A motion may be filed under Subsection (c) regardless of whether, for a tax year to which the motion relates, the owner of the property protested under Chapter 41 an action relating to the value of the property that is the subject of the motion.

(m) The hearing on a motion under Subsection (c), (c-1), or (d) shall be conducted in the manner provided by Subchapter C, Chapter 41.

(n) After a chief appraiser certifies a change under Subsection (b) that corrects multiple appraisals of a property, the liability of a taxing unit for a refund of taxes under Section 26.15(f), and any penalty or interest on those taxes, is limited to taxes paid for the tax year in which the appraisal roll is changed and the four tax years preceding that year.

(o) The failure or refusal of a chief appraiser to change an appraisal roll under Subsection (b) is not:

(1) an action that the appraisal review board is authorized to determine under this section;

(2) an action that may be the subject of a suit to compel filed under Subsection (g);

(3) an action that a property owner is entitled to protest under Section 41.41; or

(4) an action that may be appealed under Chapter 42.

(p) Not later than the 45th day after the date a dispute or error described by Section 72.010(c), Local Government Code, is resolved by an agreement between the taxing units under Section 31.112(c) of this code or by a final order of the supreme court entered under Section 72.010, Local Government Code, the chief appraiser of each applicable appraisal district shall correct the appraisal roll and other appropriate records as necessary to reflect the agreement or order.