How many acres qualify for a Wildlife Exemption? Unfortunately the answer depends! Before we get into the details, just a couple of quick points. First, Wildlife Management is an open-space use of land and is technically called a Wildlife Valuation. It is not an exemption. Wildlife Management falls under the agricultural 1-d-1 tax valuation. If you have or receive a Wildlife Valuation, your property taxes will remain the same as your Ag Valuation.
Second, in order to obtain a Wildlife Valuation, the property must already have an Ag Valuation. You might have the best piece of land in the county teeming with wildlife but if it does not have an Ag Valuation you cannot switch to Wildlife Management!
Minimum Acreage: If the property has an Ag Valuation, and it is the same size this year as the previous year, minimum acreage rules do not apply. You can switch into wildlife management. For example. if a 7 acre property had an Ag Valuation last year and has not changed in size it can switch to wildlife management. Here it is from Texas Parks and Wildlife:
https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/private/agricultural_land/legal-summary.phtml
“Acreage Requirements: There is no minimum acreage requirement for open-spaced agricultural appraisal based on wildlife management use unless the tract of land has been reduced in acreage since January 1 of the preceding tax year. If minimum acreage requirements apply, the required minimum acreage is selected by the chief appraiser, with the advice and consent of the Appraisal District Board of Directors, from a range of acreages derived by a formula based on the ecoregion of Texas in which the appraisal district is located. 34 TAC §9.2005(c). “
This is great for many people! However, what if you bought a piece of land from a larger tract of land? Unfortunately now minimum acreage comes into play, and every county can set their own minimum within guidelines.
Many counties have adopted the minimum, but you should absolutely contact your CAD office.
Example and Common Work-around.
Let’s say you bought 7 acres just a few miles outside of College Station in Brazos County. Looking at Wildlife Appraisal Regions Map, Brazos County is in the Post Oak Savannah Ecoregion, which has a minimum of 12.5 acres for wildlife management. Was the property 7 acres last year and did it have an Ag Valuation? If the answer is yes, you can switch to wildlife management.
If it was part of a larger parcel (you bought 7 acres out of a 100 acre tract of land), then minimum acreage applies. This property will not be able to switch to wildlife management.
However, you can do beekeeping! Not the greatest alternative, but beekeeping was designed for properties between 5 and 20 acres. You can maintain your Ag Valuation for one year, then switch to Wildlife Management. In this case the property would not have been reduced in acreage and will be eligible for switching to wildlife management.
Summary. If the property has not changed in size and had an Ag Valuation in the previous year, you can switch to wildlife management. If the property was reduced in size minimum acreage rules apply. To find out exactly how much acreage you need, you will need to contact the appraisal district. If you are considering purchasing a property from a larger tract of land, contact the appraisal district beforehand to find out exactly home many acres are needed to qualify.
Ready for a Wildlife Management Plan? Call us at 512-740-4954 or email wildlife@PreservationTexas.com
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.