A wildlife exemption is a great way to maintain an agricultural tax valuation on Burleson County property without farming or ranching. A wildlife exemption is not actually a tax exemption though; it’s a way to maintain an ag tax valuation through wildlife management use.
In Texas, actively managing property for wildlife and by implementing approved habitat practices is a legal agricultural activity. So although wildlife appraisal of land will not exempt anyone from taxes, wildlife use will maintain an ag tax valuation on the land. This keeps taxes low since ag lands in Texas are taxed based on the production values of the land, not the market value of the land.
Land Productivity Valuation: Two amendments to the Texas Constitution permit agricultural and open-space land to be taxed generally on its agricultural use or productivity value. This means that taxes would be assessed against the productive value of the land instead of the selling price of the land in the open market. This permits the land to be taxed in proportion to its ability to produce agricultural products and not based on the land’s value to society in general.
How to Apply for Wildlife Exemption in Burleson County
To apply for property tax appraisal of agricultural land as authorized by Section 1-d-1 of the Texas Constitution, a landowner must submit a 1-d-1 Open Space Appraisal Application and a Wildlife Management Plan to the Burleson County Appraisal District.
Only properties that are currently being appraised as agricultural lands or timber lands may convert to tax appraisal based on wildlife management. Property owners wishing to apply for wildlife management use must include with their application a detailed wildlife management plan that outlines the management activities that will take place on their land.
Management Practices for Wildlife Tax Valuation
Among the statutory requirements for property owners to qualify their agricultural land for wildlife management use is a mandate that owners perform at least 3 of 7 wildlife management practices, which are listed below:
- habitat control (habitat management)
- erosion control
- predator control (predator management)
- providing supplemental supplies of water
- providing supplemental supplies of food
- providing shelters
- making census counts to determine population.
There are variety of qualifying activities under each of the seven management practices. For example, a common practice in Burleson County is habitat control, specifically brush management. Brush management includes the selective removal or suppression of target woody species, including exotics, to allow the increased production of desirable trees, shrubs, grasses, and forbs for forage and nesting or protective cover for selected species. It’s a great practice that makes sense for almost every property owner.
Management Plan for Your Burleson County Property
The Burleson County Appraisal District requires that property owners submit a written management plan along with a new application for (1-d-1) agricultural appraisal in order to be considered to receive the agricultural appraisal for wildlife management use. This can be a time consuming task for someone unfamiliar with wildlife management and the Post Oak Savannah wildlife appraisal region.
We can prepare your management plan for your land. We take into account your interests and your property’s features, then develop a plan that works for you and your property. Please reach out to us if you are interested in applying for a wildlife exemption for your Burleson County property. There is absolutely zero obligation and we will determine up front if your property can successfully transition from ag to wildlife use.