Farm and Ranch Land May Qualify for a Lower Tax Value

Open-space appraisal is about use, not scenery. Qualifying farm and ranch land can be valued by what it can produce instead of what it might sell for.

To qualify, the land must be mainly in farm or ranch use now and must meet the local intensity standard. For 1-d-1, it also needs farm, ranch, or timber use for at least five of the past seven years.

File with the appraisal district and ask Cottle CAD how local standards apply. If the land later changes to a non-farm use, rollback taxes can be due for the previous three years.