GAINESVILLE, Texas — Every spring, property owners across Cooke County open a letter that can shape their biggest annual bill: the notice of appraised value from the Cooke County Appraisal District. With development surging along the I-35 corridor, property values in and around Gainesville have been climbing — making it more important than ever to understand how the appraisal and protest process works.
Here’s a plain-language guide.
What the appraisal district does
The Cooke County Appraisal District (Cooke CAD) is the local agency responsible for placing a market value on every taxable property in the county as of January 1 each year. It appraises homes, land, and businesses for 26 taxing units, including Cooke County, the City of Gainesville, and the county’s school districts.
The district does not set tax rates and does not decide how much you owe. It only determines what your property is worth. Local taxing units — the county, your city, your school district, and special districts — set their own rates later in the year, and those rates applied to your appraised value produce your tax bill.
When you’ll hear from them
Notices of appraised value are typically mailed in the spring, generally April through May, to owners whose value increased, whose exemptions changed, or who request a notice. The notice lists your property’s proposed value for the year and the deadline to protest.
How to protest your value
If you believe your appraised value is too high or inaccurate, you have the right to protest. Under Texas law, the deadline to file is May 15, or 30 days after the appraisal district mailed your notice — whichever is later. (For 2026, that window has largely closed, but hearings before the Appraisal Review Board continue through the summer.)
To protest:
- File a written protest with Cooke CAD by the deadline, online or by mail.
- Gather evidence — recent sales of comparable properties, photos of needed repairs, or an independent appraisal.
- Present your case, first informally to a district appraiser and, if it’s not resolved, to the Appraisal Review Board, an independent panel of local residents.
Exemptions that lower your bill
Texas offers several exemptions that reduce the taxable value of your home:
- A homestead exemption for your primary residence, which also caps annual appraised-value increases at 10%.
- Additional exemptions for homeowners 65 and older, disabled persons, and disabled veterans.
Exemption applications are filed with the appraisal district and, once granted, generally renew automatically.
How to reach the district
The Cooke County Appraisal District is at 201 N. Dixon St. in Gainesville and can be reached at 940-665-7651 or cookecad@cookecad.org. Forms, the property search, and protest information are available at cookecad.org.
For more on what’s driving local property values, see our coverage of the I-35 corridor development boom and the Cooke County government directory.