Putting your evidence together is the hard part. Filing is the easy part, but it is a separate step, and a lot of people miss it. Your protest does not exist until you submit it to Douglas County yourself. This guide walks through how, online or on paper, before the June 30 deadline.
If you built your packet with Big Red Value, open your dashboard and download it first, so your filled-out Form 422 and your evidence document are in front of you while you file.
The deadline is hard
Douglas County accepts protests through 11:59pm on June 30. There is no grace period and no partial-month tolerance. A protest submitted on July 1 is not heard, and the value stands for the year. File a few days early if you can. The online portal slows down and throws errors on the last day, and a portal problem does not move the deadline.
File online (the easy way)
- Download your packet. Open your dashboard and download your protest packet so the requested value, the Form 422, and your evidence document are in front of you.
- Read it over. Review the values and the Start Here guide, and make any changes before you file.
- Open the county portal. Go to the Douglas County protest portal and register or log in at boe.douglascounty-ne.gov. Watch for a confirmation link in your email before you can file.
- Start a protest. Begin a new protest, accept the terms, and choose Owner.
- Enter your value and reason. Put in the requested value, then paste the reason for protest exactly as it reads on your Form 422. Upload your evidence document (the .docx in your packet) and your photos. The portal takes Word and PDF files as-is, up to 25 MB each. No conversion needed.
- Referee appointment is optional. The portal asks if you want to meet with a referee. A referee reviews your protest either way, so this is up to you. Take it only if you have something you want to show or explain in person. Waiving it is permanent.
- Submit and save your confirmation. You are not done until you see a confirmation screen. Save the confirmation number as your proof of filing.
File by mail or in person
Prefer paper? Mail your signed Form 422, postmarked by June 30, with your printed protest packet as the evidence, or drop it off in person at:
Douglas County Board of Equalization, 1819 Farnam St., Omaha, NE 68183
What every filing has to include
Three things get a protest thrown out automatically under Neb. Rev. Stat. 77-1502. All three are already filled in on the Form 422 in your packet, so this is about making sure they survive, not figuring them out:
- A specific requested value (a number, not “too high”).
- A written reason for the protest.
- The property identified by its parcel number.
Need help? Reach out
If you get stuck on any step, do not let the deadline pass over a technical snag. If we sent you an email, just reply to it. Otherwise email us at hello@bigredvalue.com and we will help you get your protest filed before June 30. A real person reads it.
Ready to go? Open your dashboard to download your packet, then file it with the county before the deadline.