Can I attend my property tax hearing by phone or Zoom?

In many places you no longer have to appear in person. Remote and written options have become common, but availability is set by your state and county, so check what your specific board offers.

Common formats: in person, by telephone conference call, by videoconference, or by written affidavit submitted in advance. Texas is an explicit example: the Texas Comptroller's protest procedures state that "you can appear at the ARB hearing in person, by telephone or videoconference or by filing a written affidavit." The affidavit route (in Texas, Form 50-283) lets you present your evidence packet without attending at all.

How to request a remote hearing: read your hearing notice and any accompanying procedures — some boards default to in person and require you to opt in to phone or video by a deadline, and some require you to submit your evidence ahead of time so the board can review it during the remote session. If a deadline to choose your format is listed, miss it and you may be scheduled in person.

Trade-offs to weigh:

• Affidavit (written): lowest effort and no scheduling stress, but you can't respond to the board's questions or rebut the assessor's evidence in real time.
• Phone: convenient, but you can't point to exhibits visually — number your evidence clearly so everyone can follow.
• Video: the closest to in person; you can share documents and read the room.
• In person: strongest for complex cases where back-and-forth and showing physical evidence (photos, samples) matters.

Practical tip: whichever remote format you choose, get your evidence to the board in advance and keep copies in front of you. If the technology fails, ask to reschedule rather than proceed unprepared — boards routinely accommodate connection problems. Always confirm the exact procedure on your county's own notice, since formats and opt-in deadlines differ even between counties in the same state.