The Comptroller’s office is required to maintain a registry of qualified individuals who have agreed to serve as arbitrators to hear arbitration cases requested under Tax Code Chapter 41A. Property owners have the option to request regular binding arbitration (RBA) as an alternative to filing an appeal of an Appraisal Review Board (ARB) decision to district court and Limited Binding Arbitration (LBA) to compel the ARB or chief appraiser to comply with certain procedural requirements relating to protests.
Arbitrators work as independent, neutral parties to hear and examine the facts of a case and make a decision that is binding on all parties.
To apply to be on the arbitrator registry, you must meet the statutory requirements listed below.
Arbitrators must conduct arbitrations according to Tax Code Chapter 41A, Comptroller Rules and all applicable laws.
Arbitrators desiring to be included on the Arbitrator Registry must file the Application for Arbitrator Registry - Individuals Only (PDF) with the Comptroller's office.
Applicants to the Arbitrator Registry must meet the requirements of Tax Code Chapter 41A and Comptroller Rules relating to RBA and LBA.
The Comptroller's office does not make recommendations for specific training providers or courses. To become eligible to serve as arbitrators, Tax Code Section 41A.06 requires persons other than attorneys seeking to become arbitrators to complete 30 hours of training on arbitration and alternative dispute resolution procedures from a college, university, legal trade association or real estate trade association.
Tax Code Section 5.043 requires persons seeking to become arbitrators to complete a Comptroller approved four-hour training program on property tax law for the training and education of arbitrators. Potential arbitrators must also complete the New Member Training and Continuing Education courses established for ARB members and be issued a certificate for each course indicating course completion.
To register for the ARB training, arbitrators must send an email to ptad.arb@cpa.texas.gov indicating:
Email any questions to ptad.arb@cpa.texas.gov or call PTAD's Information and Customer Service at 800-252-9121 (press 2).
Arbitrators must view the following four-part video series in order to meet the requirements of Tax Code sections 5.043 and 41A.06(b)(3):
Upon completion of all four parts of the video training, forward the certificates of completion to ptad.cpa@cpa.texas.gov.
Contact Liz Alvarado or Megan Berryman at Liz.Alvarado@cpa.texas.gov or Megan.Berryman@cpa.texas.gov or 800-252-9121 (press 1 and then press 5-1826 or 3-5178) for more information about this training.
Arbitrators may be appointed to RBA cases. Property owners who are dissatisfied with the ARB’s findings in some cases have the right to appeal the ARB’s decision. Visit the RBA webpage for more information.
Arbitrators who are licensed attorneys may be appointed to LBA cases. Property owners who believe the ARB or chief appraiser failed to comply with a procedural requirement have the right to request an arbitrator review their claim in a LBA. These are appeals dealing with procedural requirements, not value. Visit the LBA webpage for more information.
Arbitrators are required to notify the Comptroller's office within 10 calendar days concerning changes to any of the following:
Arbitrators who are currently on the Arbitrator Registry can make changes to their information by sending an email to ptad.cpa@cpa.texas.gov.
The Comptroller's office may remove an arbitrator from the registry if:
Grounds for Removal
Good cause for removal includes when an arbitrator:
Request for Removal
A person may request the removal of an arbitrator from the registry by filing a complaint within 60 calendar days of the last incident giving rise to the request. The complaint must include the following:
Requests for removal should be sent to:
Property Tax Assistance Division