The Harris County Appraisal District will change its name to the Harris Central Appraisal District effective January 1.
The board of directors voted at the August meeting to change the name to replace “County” with “Central” in the district’s name. Other than the name, there will be no changes.
“The district has been working since that August 17 board meeting to change all the forms, email, letterhead and signage so that it would be completed by the new year,” said Roland Altinger, chief appraiser.
Altinger explained that many property owners have been confused by the previous name and thought the appraisal district was part of county government.
“Appraisal districts were created to be independent of the entities that set tax rates and collect tax payments,” he said. “Hopefully the name change will help property owners differentiate the duties of the appraisal district from those of the county, which will help the homeowner get faster service by going to the correct agency.”
Central appraisal districts were created in the Texas legislature under the Peveto Bill in 1979. The primary responsibilities are to appraise all taxable property within the boundaries of the county, administer exemptions and manage records for all the taxing jurisdictions.
Property owners will see the change in the HCAD seal and then language in emails, letters and on forms that refer to the district as the Harris Central Appraisal District.
“The change is so subtle that most probably won’t even notice, and the HCAD acronym will remain the same, which is what most people refer to us as.” Altinger said.