Texas law lets working land be taxed on what it produces — not what a developer would pay for it. Most landowners qualify and don't know it. Tell me your address and I'll send you a free estimate of what you'd save.
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Slide the dials to match your acreage and what your land is worth. This is a rough Hill Country estimate — for the actual number on your specific parcel, use the form above.
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I pull your property from public Hays CAD records, apply the actual tax rates for your jurisdiction, and estimate what you'd save with an ag valuation.
Your estimate arrives by email with a recommended strategy. If you want, I'll connect you with a vetted local beekeeper or ag lessee who handles the work for you.
I'm Wes Adamson — born and raised in Blanco County. I started Bees Pay Taxes because I'm tired of watching Hill Country families get priced off the land their grandparents bought.
The Texas ag valuation exists for exactly this reason — to keep working land working, instead of forcing families to sell to developers just to cover the tax bill. The savings are real. The mechanism is legal. Most landowners just don't know how to use it.
That's what this is. A clear estimate. A simple next step. From someone who grew up out here.
No — it's a different mechanism called 1-d-1 open-space appraisal. Your land gets valued on what it produces agriculturally, not what it would sell for. The savings are usually much larger than homestead.
Some kind of qualifying agricultural use, yes — but it doesn't have to be cattle. Beekeeping qualifies on as little as 5 acres. Hay leases, grazing leases, wildlife management plans, and orchards all work depending on your acreage and land type.
Not necessarily — you may inherit prior ag history from the previous owner. And if not, the clock starts now. The sooner you begin, the sooner you qualify.
If your land loses ag status later (e.g., you subdivide or develop), Texas claws back up to 3 years of tax savings — called the rollback tax. For working landowners staying on their land, this isn't an issue.
No. Bees Pay Taxes is an independent service. Hays CAD is the official authority for any actual application or valuation decision.
Estimates are free. If you choose to be connected with a local beekeeper or ag lessee, you'd pay them directly. Most beekeeping arrangements run $0–$500/year — some beekeepers do it free in exchange for hive access, others pay you a small annual sum, others share honey. Hay and grazing leases vary by acreage. I'll explain all of it in your estimate.
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