Ranch Land Can Be Taxed on What It Produces, Not What It's Worth

About 2 million of Webb County's roughly 2.15 million acres are farm or pasture land. Cattle, goats, and horses are part of the local land picture. Land that is truly worked this way can be taxed on what it produces, not what a buyer might pay for it.

Texas calls this a special appraisal, often 1-d-1 open-space valuation. People also call it an ag exemption. The appraisal district values the land by output, such as hay, livestock, or managed wildlife. Apply through the Webb County Appraisal District.

Rollback tax can arrive later. If land leaves ag use by being split, paved, or left idle, prior tax savings can come due for the past three years. Run that number before changing a ranch tract.