Agricultural Valuation Lowers Taxes on Farm and Ranch Land

This is called an agricultural special appraisal, not a true exemption. It lets the appraisal district value your land based on what it can produce—crops, livestock, hay—rather than what it would sell for. The savings can be large in areas where land values have risen.

To qualify, land generally must have been used for agriculture for at least five of the past seven years at a level typical for the area. The Wichita Appraisal District sets its own intensity standards for how many acres or livestock units are needed to qualify—contact them directly for the current figures. If you change the land to a non-farm use, you owe a rollback tax covering the prior three years. Apply with the Wichita Appraisal District. The Texas Comptroller's office explains the rules at comptroller.texas.gov.