Rio Grande Valley / Border
Jim Wells County, Texas
A porch-side guide to the county: the stories that give it a shape, practical local checks, and a few things worth knowing before they surprise you. Every note points to its source.
3 stories · 7 practical · 1 good to know
The practical part
Jim Wells County offices and deadlines
Appraisal district & tax office →
The Comptroller's official directory for Jim Wells 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
Jim Wells County · County Seat History
Alice took three names before the post office made one stick
The railroad junction was called Bandana and then Kleberg before an 1888 post office fixed the name Alice on the map.
Jim Wells County · Political History
Alice's Box 13 sits inside an 87-vote Senate story
The disputed Jim Wells returns known as Box 13 became part of Lyndon Johnson's 87-vote Senate victory in 1948.
Jim Wells County · Early History
Jim Wells County was created and organized eight weeks apart
Texas created Jim Wells County on March 11, 1911, and organized it on May 6 with Alice as the county seat.
All 11 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 11 notes.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Alice took three names before the post office made one stick The railroad junction was called Bandana and then Kleberg before an 1888 post office fixed the name Alice on the map.
- Practical Outdoors Jim Wells hunting rules need two live calendars Deer and dove use South Zone dates, but the county deer table and statewide season calendar may not update at the same time.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Alice's Box 13 sits inside an 87-vote Senate story The disputed Jim Wells returns known as Box 13 became part of Lyndon Johnson's 87-vote Senate victory in 1948.
- Practical Home & Property A Jim Wells drilling map does not show mineral ownership Surface and mineral ownership may be severed; deeds and leases answer that question, while the RRC map shows wells and permits.
- Good to know Rules & Licenses Jim Wells storm planning starts inland, not at the TWIA counter NWS Corpus Christi covers the county, while Jim Wells sits outside TWIA's coastal area and needs its own wind, hail, and flood coverage check.
- Stories & local character History & Culture Jim Wells County was created and organized eight weeks apart Texas created Jim Wells County on March 11, 1911, and organized it on May 6 with Alice as the county seat.
- Practical Money & Taxes A Jim Wells tax-unit list is not one parcel's bill The countywide roster includes schools, cities, emergency and groundwater districts, but each parcel carries only the units that cover it.
- Practical Home & Property Brush Country's well boundary uses Alice's 2009 city limits The district covers mapped Jim Wells land outside Alice's January 1, 2009 limits and the older Kenedy County district boundary.
- Practical Money & Taxes Jim Wells ag appraisal follows the land's working use Qualifying land may be appraised for what it can produce, but acreage alone does not prove the use history or local level of work.
- Practical Money & Taxes Jim Wells property-tax questions start at the appraisal district JWCAD handles appraisals, exemptions, protests, and property-tax payment questions; the county tax office handles vehicles instead.
- Practical Home & Property Jim Wells County's effective flood maps date to August 2017 Map the building, not only the parcel: a secured structure in a Special Flood Hazard Area can trigger federal insurance rules.
Nearby counties