How to Protest Your Property Tax in Williamson County, Texas

Williamson County is the second-fastest growing large county in Texas, and arguably the most aggressive new-construction development corridor in the state. The cities of Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, and Georgetown have seen residential parcel counts double over the past decade as the Austin metro pushed north and east. WCAD has invested heavily in catching mass-appraisal models up to that growth, which means homeowners face some of the largest year-over-year appraised-value jumps in Texas. This is the Williamson County edition of our protest guide.

WCAD by the numbers

Williamson County covers approximately 1,124 square miles. Major cities include Round Rock (~125,000 residents, largest city in the county), Cedar Park (~80,000, mostly in Williamson with portion in Travis), Leander (~70,000), Georgetown (~85,000, the county seat), Hutto (~35,000), Liberty Hill (~10,000 and growing fast), Taylor (~17,000), and smaller communities like Jarrell, Granger, Florence, Bartlett, Walburg, and Hutto. WCAD assesses approximately 280,000 parcels.

The county sits immediately north of Austin/Travis County and has been a destination for Austin-area migration since the mid-2010s. The arrival of major employers — Apple's $1B Austin campus straddles Williamson/Travis, Tesla's gigafactory is just east in Caldwell, Samsung's $17B fab is in Williamson — has accelerated growth. WCAD has been a frequent target of public attention during property tax debates.

The Williamson/Travis border issue

The Williamson/Travis county line runs through several incorporated cities, creating one of the most common confusions in Central Texas property tax filings:

City	Williamson portion	Travis portion
Round Rock	Most of the city (~95%)	Small southern portion
Cedar Park	Most of the city (~85%)	Southern portion
Leander	Most of the city (~80%)	Southern portion (including parts along 183A)
Pflugerville	Northern portion only	Most of the city (~80%)
Austin (city limits)	Far northern fingers	Most of the city

Always verify on your Notice of Appraised Value which CAD assesses your specific parcel before filing. Filing with the wrong CAD wastes the protest deadline and is not curable. The Notice will say "Williamson Central Appraisal District" or "Travis Central Appraisal District" at the top.

If your property is in the Travis portion of any of these cities, see our Travis County protest guide instead.

Using the WCAD portal

The WCAD portal at wcad.org supports the standard property search, online protest filing, and evidence upload. Compared to HCAD's more sophisticated iFile/iSettle/iHearing trinity, WCAD's tools are simpler — online filing, online evidence, online hearing scheduling, but no dedicated iSettle equivalent for asynchronous counter-offer settlements.

• Property search — public, no login required
• Appraisal history — 8-10 years for residential
• Online protest filing — during the May–July season
• Online evidence upload — supported
• Virtual hearings — supported via Zoom-style links

Critical Williamson County deadlines

Date (annually)	What happens
April 1 – April 30	WCAD mails "Notice of Appraised Value"
April 30	Deadline to file Form 50-114 (Residence Homestead Exemption) for current year
May 15 (or 30 days after notice mailed, whichever is later)	Deadline to file Form 50-132 (Notice of Protest)
Mid-May – late July	Informal reviews
Mid-June – late August	Formal ARB hearings
July 25	WCAD certifies tax roll to taxing entities
October	Tax bills mailed by Williamson County Tax Assessor-Collector

Filing your protest, step-by-step

1Pull your WCAD record

Visit wcad.org, search for your property, and verify the square footage, year built, lot size, exemptions. WCAD's records are generally accurate but new construction (under 2 years old) sometimes has stale data.

2Register and file your protest online

Click "Property Owner Portal" on wcad.org. Register with your email and link to your property using the WCAD account number from your Notice. File the protest checking both "Value over market" and "Unequal appraisal" grounds.

Alternative: mail Form 50-132 to WCAD at 625 FM 1460, Georgetown, TX 78626, or email a signed PDF to protests@wcad.org.

3Pull comparables

Williamson County's master-planned communities (Brushy Creek, Teravista, Forest Creek in Round Rock; Buttercup Creek, Avery Ranch in Cedar Park; Crystal Falls, Travisso in Leander; Sun City, Berry Creek in Georgetown) have dense within-subdivision comp data. Use the subdivision filter on wcad.org's property search to pull comparable properties matching your subject's square footage (±25%) and year built (±10 years).

4Build your evidence packet

Sort by per-square-foot appraised value, compute the median, multiply by your square footage. Build the packet PDF and upload via WCAD portal. See our comparable properties how-to for the full procedural walkthrough.

5Request WCAD's evidence packet

Under §41.461, request WCAD's planned evidence at least 14 days before the formal ARB hearing.

6Show up to the hearing

WCAD supports in-person, phone, and video hearings. Specify your preference when filing. Video hearings via WCAD's portal are efficient for clean cases.

What to expect at the WCAD informal review and ARB

Williamson County's volume is moderate compared to Travis or Harris. The informal-review process is conversational — typically a 15-25 minute phone or video meeting with a WCAD appraiser who has authority to settle within defined ranges.

Formal ARB hearings follow the standard Texas process. WCAD's ARB panels are local citizens appointed by the local administrative district court. Hearings typically run 15-25 minutes per residential property. See our ARB hearing playbook for the minute-by-minute walkthrough.

By city — Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown, Hutto, Liberty Hill

Williamson County tax rates by taxing entity

A typical Williamson County homeowner pays property tax to 4-7 entities. For a Round Rock ISD residence in the City of Round Rock:

Entity	Approx. rate (per $100 of taxable value)
School district (Round Rock ISD, Leander ISD, Georgetown ISD, Hutto ISD, Pflugerville ISD, Taylor ISD)	~$1.05 – $1.30
City (Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown, Hutto)	~$0.40 – $0.55
Williamson County	~$0.38
Williamson County Healthcare District (if applicable)	~$0.05
Austin Community College	~$0.10
Emergency Services District or MUD (varies)	~$0.05 – $0.50
Approximate combined	~$2.00 – $2.50 per $100 (≈2.0–2.5%)

Williamson combined rates run slightly below Travis County's, primarily because Williamson does not have a Central Health equivalent. MUD rates in newer master-planned developments (especially in Leander's Crystal Falls and Travisso, and Georgetown's Sun City and Wolf Ranch) can push combined rates above 2.7% in some specific neighborhoods.

Five Williamson-specific mistakes

1. Filing with WCAD when your property is in Travis

The most common error in the Austin metro. Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, and Pflugerville all straddle the county line. Always verify on your Notice before filing.

2. Treating MUD rates as fixed

MUD rates in master-planned developments are set by the MUD board, not WCAD or the city. They can change year-over-year. Verify your specific MUD rate on the Williamson County Tax Office website before computing the dollar impact of a successful protest.

3. Ignoring Sun City-specific dynamics in Georgetown

Sun City Georgetown has ~12,000 properties with unusually consistent valuation patterns within phases. Subdivision-level comp data is excellent here, and protests typically succeed when the property has features (location, age, condition) that diverge from the model.

4. Missing the Samsung-driven Taylor reset

Properties in Taylor and surrounding areas saw 30-50% jumps in 2022-2024 after Samsung's $17B fab announcement. Some of those increases overshot — the 2026 protest season is a good time to challenge values that haven't been re-leveled.

5. Not requesting WCAD's evidence packet

The §41.461 right to WCAD's evidence packet at least 14 days before the formal hearing is underused. Email protests@wcad.org.

FAQ — Williamson County edition

How do I file a property tax protest in Round Rock?

File with WCAD (not the City of Round Rock) via wcad.org online portal, mail to 625 FM 1460, Georgetown, TX 78626, or email a signed PDF to protests@wcad.org. Deadline is May 15 or 30 days after WCAD mailed your Notice, whichever is later. Verify your property is in the Williamson portion of Round Rock (not the Travis portion) before filing.

Is Cedar Park in Williamson County?

Mostly yes — about 85% of Cedar Park is in Williamson County and assessed by WCAD. The southern portion is in Travis County and assessed by TCAD. Verify on your Notice of Appraised Value.

What's the WCAD portal like?

Functional, supports the basic protest workflow online. Property search, account registration, online filing, evidence upload, virtual hearing scheduling. Not as feature-rich as HCAD's iFile/iSettle/iHearing trinity but covers what most homeowners need.

How long does a WCAD protest take?

From filing in early May to final ARB determination: 6-10 weeks. Informal-review settlements typically close in 3-5 weeks.

What if I disagree with WCAD's ARB decision?

Under Tax Code §42.21, you have 60 days to appeal to state district court in Williamson County, to SOAH for certain property types, or to binding arbitration under Chapter 41A for residential under $5M.