Advanced Powder Solutions, Inc. v. Harris County Appraisal District

528 S.W.3d 779
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 13, 2017
DocketNO. 14-16-00313-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 528 S.W.3d 779 (Advanced Powder Solutions, Inc. v. Harris County Appraisal District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Advanced Powder Solutions, Inc. v. Harris County Appraisal District, 528 S.W.3d 779 (Tex. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

OPINION

Marc W. Brown', Justice

Advanced Powder Solutions, Inc., filed a motion to correct the 2013 appraisal rolls. The Appraisal Review Board (“ARB”) determined that it did not have jurisdiction to consider or grant the relief requested and dismissed Advanced Powder’s motion. Advanced Powder appealed to the trial court. The Harris County Appraisal District (“HCAD”) filed a plea to the jurisdiction contending Advanced Powder did. not pay its 2013 taxes before they bécáme delinquent. The trial court granted HCAD’s plea and dismissed the suit without stating its reasons. In five issues, Advanced Powder contends the trial court erred in granting HCAD’s plea to the jurisdiction and motion to dismiss. We conclude that Advanced Powder forfeited its right to a final determination on its motion by failing to timely pay the taxes due under section 25.26 of the Texas Tax Code. As a result, Advanced Powder did not exhaust its' administrative remedies and the trial court did not have jurisdiction to make a final determination on the motion. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Advanced Powder began doing business in Harris County at 12245 FM 529 Road, [782]*782Building H, Houston, Texas 77041 in March 2012. Advanced Powder was subject to Harris County property taxes starting in 2013. HCAD mailed a Notice of Appraised Value (“Notice”) to Advanced Powder at 12245 FM 529 RD STE H, Houston, TX 77041-2815. The Notice stated an appraised value of $1,287,743 for inventory located at 12247 FM 529 RD H, Houston, TX 77041, a location where Advanced Powder has never done business. Advanced Powder did not receive the Notice.1 Advanced Powder did not timely pay the 2013 taxes and a tax warrant was issued on July 24, 2014. The tax warrant was executed and served on Advanced Powder on September 16, 2014. Advanced Powder paid the full amount of taxes owed at that time.

Advanced Powder filed a Form 25.25, Real Property Request/Motion (“Correction Motion”) to correct the appraisal roll related to its 2013 taxes on September 30, 2014. See Tex. Tax Code Ann. § 25.25 (West 2015). A hearing on the Correction Motion was held before the ARB. At the healing, the ARB panel inquired whether the undisputed amount of the 2013 taxes had been paid timely. See id. § 25.26 (West 2015). Advanced Powder presented no evidence to establish the payment of 2013 taxes before the delinquency date of February 1, 2014. The ARB dismissed the Correction Motion based on a lack of jurisdiction to consider or grant the relief requested.

The ARB issued an order of dismissal stating “[t]he board determined that it does not have jurisdiction to consider or grant the relief requested.” Advanced Powder appealed that decision to the trial court. HCAD filed a plea to the jurisdiction and motion to dismiss contending the trial court did not have jurisdiction because Advanced Powder did not timely pay its 2013 taxes. In the alternative, HCAD argued Advanced Powder was not entitled to a correction under section 25.25(c) because the appropriate procedure to challenge the assessed value of property was under chapter 41 or section 25.25(d).2 The trial court signed an order granting HCAD’s plea to the jurisdiction and motion to dismiss on April 8, 2016. This appeal followed.

II. ANALYSIS

In five issues, Advanced Powder challenges the trial court’s grant of HCAD’s plea to the jurisdiction and motion to dismiss. First, Advanced Powder contends the trial court erred in granting HCAD’s motion to dismiss because it met the requirements for a correction of the appraisal roll under section 25.25(c). Second, Advanced Powder contends the trial court erred if it granted HCAD’s plea under section 42.01(a)(1)(B) because Advanced Powder stated a claim within the trial court’s jurisdiction under that section. Third, Advanced Powder contends the trial court erred if it granted HCAD’s plea based on the payment requirements of section 25.26 because it met the payment requirements under section 42.08(b). Fourth, Advanced Powder contends the trial court erred if it granted HCAD’s plea under section 42.01(a)(1)(C) because that section is inapplicable. Finally, Advanced Powder contends the trial court erred if it granted HCAD’s plea based on any failure to exhaust administrative remedies.

[783]*783We begin by addressing Advanced Powder’s second, third, fourth, and fifth issues. Taken together, these issues challenge the trial court’s grant of HCAD’s plea contending it satisfied the jurisdictional requirements for a claim under section 25.25(c), which permits a- tax roll to be corrected under certain circumstances. HCAD contends the trial court’s judgment was proper and-Advanced Powder forfeited its right to a final determination of its Correction Motion under section 25.26, which forecloses relief under section 25.25 unless the taxpayer timely pays under protest the undisputed taxes. We must determine whether the trial court has jurisdiction over a section 25.25(c) claim on appeal when the property owner admittedly did not timely pay its taxes under section 25.26.'

A. Standard of review

A plea to the jurisdiction is a dilatory plea; its purpose is “to defeat a cause of action without regard to whether the claims asserted have merit.” Bland Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Blue, 34 S.W.3d 547, 554 (Tex. 2000). The plea challenges the trial court’s jurisdiction over the subject matter of a pleaded cause of action. Tex. Dep’t of Parks and Wildlife v. Miranda, 133 S.W.3d 217, 226 (Tex. 2004). We review a trial court’s ruling on a plea to the jurisdiction de novo. Id. at 228; Woodway Drive, L.L.C. v. Harris Cty. Appraisal Dist., 311 S.W.3d 649, 651 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2010, no pet.).

“When a plea to the jurisdiction challenges the pleadings, we determine if the pleader has alleged facts that affirmatively demonstrate the court’s jurisdiction to hear the cause.” Miranda, 133 S.W.3d at 226. We must áccept as true all factual allegations in the petition, construe the pleadings liberally, and look to the pleader’s intent. Id. at 226-27; Woodway Drive, 311 S.W.3d at 651. To prevail on a plea to the jurisdiction, the defendant must demonstrate that even if all the plaintiffs pleaded allegations are true, an incurable jurisdictional defect remains on the face of the pleadings that deprives the trial court of subject matter jurisdiction. Woodway Drive, 311 S.W.3d at 652. A trial court may consider the pleadings and any evidence pertinent to the jurisdictional inquiry. Id.

B. Proceedings before the ARB

“The Texas Tax Code provides detailed administrative procedures for those who would contest their property taxes.” Cameron Appraisal Dist. v. Rourk, 194 S.W.3d 501, 502 (Tex. 2006). The administrative procedures in the Tax Code are exclusive. See Tex. Tax Code Ann, § 42.09 (West 2015).

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528 S.W.3d 779, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/advanced-powder-solutions-inc-v-harris-county-appraisal-district-texapp-2017.