DCAD Appraised Value vs Market Value
The number on your Dallas Central Appraisal District notice is not what your house would sell for. Sometimes it is close. Often it is not. Here is what each number means, why they differ, and what to do with the gap.
Three numbers, three jobs
- DCAD market value. The district's estimate of what the property would have sold for on January 1, produced by a mass appraisal model that groups thousands of homes by neighborhood, size and age. Nobody from DCAD walks through your house.
- DCAD appraised value. The market value after the 10 percent homestead cap. This is the number your taxes are computed from, minus exemptions. It can sit below market value for years after a run up.
- Actual market value. What a buyer will pay this month, which depends on condition, updates, the specific street, the school boundary, interest rates and what else is for sale. This is the number a home value report gives you.
Why the district's number misses
Mass appraisal is accurate on average and wrong on specifics. It cannot see a 1995 kitchen, a foundation repair, a busy corner, a creek lot or a renovation done without permits. It uses sales from the previous year, so in a falling market it lags high and in a rising market it lags low. And it is applied on January 1, so by the time the notice arrives in April the market has moved again. That is why a notice can rise in a year when sale prices in your area did not.
What to do if DCAD is higher than market
Protest by the deadline on your notice: May 15 (May 17 in 2027, since May 15 falls on a Saturday), or 30 days after the notice is delivered if that is later. The 2026 deadline has passed; 2027 notices arrive in April. The evidence that wins is closed sales of comparable homes around January 1 and an unequal appraisal comparison with the houses on your block. We send the closed sales for free. See the protest guide and the Dallas County property tax page.
What to do if DCAD is lower than market
Nothing, for tax purposes. Enjoy it. But do not use the DCAD number to price a sale, a refinance, an estate or a divorce. Buyers do not care what the county thinks. If you are considering selling, get a home value report, which is built from current sales and a look at the house.
The 2026 cap catch up
Many Dallas homeowners saw taxable value rise in 2026 even where market value did not. That is the cap catching up: if your appraised value was held below market in 2022 and 2023, it keeps rising 10 percent a year until it meets market value. Protesting the market value still matters, because it sets the ceiling the cap is climbing toward.
What is your house actually worth?
Not the DCAD number. A real one, from closed sales and a look at the house. Free.