Ranch Land Is Often Taxed on What It Produces, Not What It Sells For

When you work your acreage by grazing, farming, or managing it for wildlife, Texas taxes it on what it can produce rather than on what a buyer would pay for it. This is called agricultural appraisal, and for most ranch owners in the county it is the difference between a manageable bill and one tied to open-market sale prices.

The valuation runs through the Schleicher County Appraisal District at 1 W. Warner Ave. in Eldorado, the same office that sets the rest of your property value. You file the open-space (1-d-1) application there, and you can reach the office at 325-853-2617.

Watch for the rollback. If land that has been in ag use stops being used that way, by carving off lots or sitting idle, the county can recover the taxes you saved over the previous three years. The Comptroller's ag-timber rules explain how the productivity value is figured, and the CAD's forms page has the application itself.