Agricultural Valuation
Farmland in Hays County can be taxed at a much lower rate through ag valuation
Land used for farming or ranching in Hays County may qualify for a special lower tax rate based on what the land can produce, not what it sells for.
Texas allows land used principally for agriculture to be taxed on its productivity value instead of its market value. That difference can be large in fast-growing Hays County, where land prices have risen sharply. To qualify, the land must have been used for agriculture for at least five of the past seven years.
If you stop farming the land, you owe rollback taxes — the difference between what you paid and what you would have owed at market value — for the prior three years. Apply using Form 50-129 at the Hays Central Appraisal District (hayscad.com). Check with HCAD for local intensity standards.
Source to confirm: Texas Comptroller — Agricultural Appraisal