Gulf Coast / Coastal Bend
Bee County, Texas
A local guide to the county: the stories that give it a shape, practical checks, and a few things worth knowing before they surprise you. Every note points to its source.
8 stories · 6 practical · 1 good to know
The practical part
Bee County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for Bee County: who sets your value and who sends the bill.
Homestead exemption →
File Form 50-114 with the appraisal district. It is free. The regular deadline is April 30, and late filing is allowed for up to two years.
Protest your appraisal →
The usual deadline is May 15, or 30 days after your notice arrives, whichever is later.
Estimate a tax bill →
Model a bill from local rates, the homestead exemption, and the appraisal cap.
Start here
A little of what makes this place itself
Bee County · River headwaters
The Aransas River Starts with Three Bee County Creeks
Olmos, Aransas, and Poesta creeks meet two miles north of Skidmore and begin the Aransas River's forty-mile run to Copano Bay.
Bee County · History / Architecture
The Bee County Courthouse: A Beaux Arts Landmark in Beeville
The 1913 Bee County Courthouse in Beeville was restored with state funding through the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program.
Bee County · County seat
Beeville moved from Medio Creek to Poesta Creek
Bee County's first seat stood seven miles east on Medio Creek; its replacement began as Maryville on Poesta Creek before taking the Beeville name.
All 15 local notes
The full county shelf is mixed so stories and useful checks travel together. Use the filters when you need one kind.
Showing all 15 notes.
- Stories & local character Outdoors The Aransas River Starts with Three Bee County Creeks Olmos, Aransas, and Poesta creeks meet two miles north of Skidmore and begin the Aransas River's forty-mile run to Copano Bay.
- Practical Home & Property Bee Groundwater Conservation District: Well Rules for Rural Properties Most of Bee County is inside the Bee Groundwater Conservation District, which controls how landowners drill new water wells.
- Stories & local character History & Culture The Bee County Courthouse: A Beaux Arts Landmark in Beeville The 1913 Bee County Courthouse in Beeville was restored with state funding through the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Marriage Licenses Start at the Bee County Clerk Both applicants ordinarily apply in Room 108; plan around the 72-hour waiting period and 90-day expiration, with limited Texas exceptions.
- Good to know Home & Property Bee County's Development Permit Starts with a Flood-Map Check The county form asks for the FEMA map panel, map date, and flood zone before it reviews construction, fill, mobile homes, or waterway changes.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Beeville moved from Medio Creek to Poesta Creek Bee County's first seat stood seven miles east on Medio Creek; its replacement began as Maryville on Poesta Creek before taking the Beeville name.
- Practical Home & Property Mineral Rights and Surface Owners in Bee County Bee County has a long oil and gas history. In Texas, whoever owns the mineral rights can enter your land to drill, even if you own the surface.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Hunting in Bee County: Seasons, Limits, and Restricted Areas Bee County is in the South Zone for deer and turkey hunting. State law bans hunting along the Aransas River and Poesta Creek.
- Practical Money & Taxes Property Values and Tax Payments Go to Different Bee County Offices Bee County Appraisal District handles values, exemptions, and protests; the county tax office handles bills, receipts, and payments for the taxing units it serves.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Poesta Creek Once Helped Tell Two Beevilles Apart Court minutes used Beeville-on-the-Poesta for the new county seat and Beeville-on-the-Medio for the first site seven miles east.
- Practical Cars & Driving Bee County Registration Changed in 2025 A typical noncommercial car in Bee County no longer needs a safety or emissions inspection before registration. Commercial vehicles still need a safety inspection.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Tuleta's Church Became a School on Weekdays A 1906 Mennonite colony grew around a rail depot, then used its church as a weekday school before opening an agriculture high school.
- Practical Rules & Licenses Bee County Is Not Processing Boat Title Work As of August 17, 2026, Bee County is not processing boat or outboard-motor transactions; choose another listed office and call before leaving.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Chase Field: Bee County's Former Naval Air Station Naval Air Station Chase Field operated near Beeville from 1943 to 1993, training Navy and Marine jet pilots before closing after the Cold War.
- Stories & local character Outdoors Bee County Slopes Through South Texas Brush Country Bee County's 866 square miles slope toward the coast through grassland, thorny brush, clay, sandy loam, and three southeast-running creek systems.
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