Minimum amount of land?

[hully1029]

Wife and I are looking for a small parcel to build our forever place. We aren't looking for too much, as we aren't wanting to be mortgage broke.

She wants house, shop, couple heifers, few goats, and chicken coop.

I want house, shop, and a 1/4ac to 1/2ac pond.

What size property yall think this could be feasible on? 2? 5? 10?

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[PeePaw on Fork]

12 for the tax exemption. Gotta have 10 for wildlife exemption and 2 for house

[kyleseipp]

Originally Posted by PeePaw on Fork

12 for the tax exemption. Gotta have 10 for wildlife exemption and 2 for house

^this

[sharpstick35]

That all depends on what county you're in.

[Mitchell8]

12 minimum so double that to 24 then just to be safe double it again to 48

[HogHunter34]

Last I looked there was No minimum acerage for a wildlife exemption

[stinkbelly]

We have 22 and it is too small. It really depends on the layout and what is around the land. I would never look smaller than 25, but then it depends what you are on now.

[TeamAmerica]

Originally Posted by PeePaw on Fork

12 for the tax exemption. Gotta have 10 for wildlife exemption and 2 for house

Ours is 1 acre for house but agree if you can find one that has an exemption in place it saves money in the long run!

[hully1029]

Would have to be the busted arse Godforesaken hellhole Grayson Co. I hate it, but my kids live here, so I'm not going anywhere.

We currently just sold our house in the city and are living stylin low profilin in a camper.

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[bowhunterhelm]

Just hobby farming etc, 5-7 acres would be ideal. You will need more if you want to get the tax break. I have 10.01 acres with a home on it in Travis County that is in wildlife exemption. Check with which ever county you are in before buying and look into their requirements, it will vary from county to county.

[rferg84]

Originally Posted by PeePaw on Fork

12 for the tax exemption. Gotta have 10 for wildlife exemption and 2 for house

Depends on the county! They all have different guidelines on this.

We are building on 15 acres. We are happy it, plenty of room for the house, greenhouse, garden, and chick coop.

I'd like to buy the land behind us to hunt but its not really necessary.

[solocam_aggie]

Im set on 20 acres. Build my forever home on this, then look to buy property elsewhere for recreation.

[flywise]

I have 11 in Lampasas county, at exempt and a really nice pond……..before the drought.
It’s a good size to walk around on and have killed a couple deer on it as well. Also had a group of axis deer around until my pond and my neighbors ponds both went try.

[Tex_Cattleman]

I now have six acres. Five acres taxed at ag value (what people call exemption) and one acre homestead. You do that with honey bees (state law requires county to allow this exemption). We have goats, a barrel horse, 2-3 show steers, dozen chickens and one kick *** barn cat. We bow hunt the property and kill plenty of deer. Only thing missing is the stock tank. Sure wish I had that.

All this to say the perfect amount of land is every bit that you can afford. God quit making more after his third day of creating.

[louieagarcia]

We have 23 comprised of about 2 acres cleared, an acre pond and the rest wooded. Feels like enough for now, I'll keep clearing as I need more space I guess.

[Roger]

Originally Posted by HogHunter34

Last I looked there was No minimum acerage for a wildlife exemption

As mentioned, there can be. Counties set their own size requirements for ag exemptions and can have a different size for wildlife than the ag exemption.

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[HogHunter34]

Originally Posted by Roger

As mentioned, there can be. Counties set their own size requirements for ag exemptions and can have a different size for wildlife than the ag exemption.

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If you pull up wildlife exemption across the entire state there is no minimum acerage requirement however on other 1-d-1 ag qualifications there are county specific minimum acerage

[OldRiverRat]

5 would be perfect in my mind


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[HogHunter34]

Unless it’s been changed I was told that by my county appraisal tax district

[RutnBuk]

Ive sold quite a few home/land packages (home on 10 acres) and I would say that most of the homeowners like the idea of the 10 acres but rarely ever use more than 5 acres. The maintenance of the land really falls off after the first year.
I live on 50 acres and absolutely love it. Wouldnt have it any other way.

[CEO]

I grew up on 5 acres. We had a 3/4 acre pond, roping arena, a few pig pens, chicken pens, shop, a few storage buildings, etc. No woods to hunt though.

[Roger]

Originally Posted by HogHunter34

If you pull up wildlife exemption across the entire state there is no minimum acerage requirement however on other 1-d-1 ag qualifications there are county specific minimum acerage

I'll just throw my county, Grayson, out there then. Ag minimim requirement is 10 acres. To convert that to wildlife, the minimum requirement is 12.5 acres. There is no state minimum because the counties set the minimums, both for ag and for wildlife.

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[RR 314]

Originally Posted by hully1029

Wife and I are looking for a small parcel to build our forever place. We aren't looking for too much, as we aren't wanting to be mortgage broke.

She wants house, shop, couple heifers, few goats, and chicken coop.

I want house, shop, and a 1/4ac to 1/2ac pond.

What size property yall think this could be feasible on? 2? 5? 10?

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At least your wife wants a couple heifers and not you. Some women aren’t too understanding. Size all depends on neighbors. I would rather have your wishlist on 5 acres with good neighbors than the same on 15 with meth labs and trailer parks adjacent.

[hully1029]

Originally Posted by RR 314

At least your wife wants a couple heifers and not you. Some women aren’t too understanding. Size all depends on neighbors. I would rather have your wishlist on 5 acres with good neighbors than the same on 15 with meth labs and trailer parks adjacent.

Absolutely. Hard to get away from the latter though

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[Kong]

We’ve lived on several different sized properties and I’d say 25 is the minimum, 10 acres with everything you listed will get small pretty quick. Obviously it depends on what’s doable financially but I’d definitely go bigger than your thinking if you and your wife like to be outside doing things.

[Huntingfool]

We bought 25 acres 4 years ago that had a 2 acre pond on it. Built our house and barn and been loving it ever since.

Check the county to see what the minimum acreage is to get wildlife or ag exemption. Usually around 10 acres. Save you a ton in taxes.

Put my shop/man cave in the barn. Third picture is from my home office window that I get to see every day.

Good luck to you! You will enjoy it.

[ken800]

Originally Posted by HogHunter34

Last I looked there was No minimum acerage for a wildlife exemption

It depends on the county and the range. Williamson County, last I checked, stopped doing an actual minimum number other than for bees and instead go by carrying capacity. Where I'm located, they told me I'd have to have enough land for 2 full animal units. Since I grow more rocks than plants, it would take about 26 acres. On the other side of I35 from me or on improved pasture, that number is about half.

Bottom line, check with your county and they'll set you straight.

[TreyRo]

We have a little over 2 acres currently with a dozen chickens, pig, couple barn cats, and one bird dog turned lazy pet. I also know I can't avoid horses forever since my wife grew up riding.. Our dream is 25-50 when the kids are grown to live on. I'd like a bigger place but don't want the land to be the only thing we spend our time on. I know that will evolve over time.

[Tony Pic]

I am doing it on 6.5acs. Already have had a 1-D-1 wildlife exemption for the last 9 years. Will be removing a half acre from exemption for a home site. I have a nice wooded area, an area to shoot(already spoke with neighbors about where) and the deer are plenty and hogs are invading. A little more land would be nice, but this size land and my income seem to fit pretty good. Good luck, I hope you find yours. The exemption is so important.

[Grayson]

Originally Posted by Roger

I'll just throw my county, Grayson, out there then. Ag minimim requirement is 10 acres. To convert that to wildlife, the minimum requirement is 12.5 acres. There is no state minimum because the counties set the minimums, both for ag and for wildlife.

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This being said, you can commingle properties for purposes of ag valuations. I believe the term my local assessor uses is "common use". I'd assume this applies to wildlife too. I'm checking on that locally.

[Mudslinger]

We have 6.46 acres with a 2400 sq ft home, oversized 2 car detached garage, a 1200 sq ft shop/2 bedroom, bath, kitchen living area plus a small open shed on what i call my north 40! Not sure of the size of my pond.

I will tell you this, the mowing takes me about 5 hours with a Zero Turn, 4x4 Kubota tractor with a shredder and a 4 wheeler pulling a Swisher Trail mower. This does not include the 2 "neatly kept" yards my wife mows.

We have a fence on our west side (neighbor has goats) and about half of the north side (that neighbor has a horse) but no fences on the east or north side.

We bought this place in Jan 2020 and it is WAY more that what we needed, but it was everything we wanted plus more! We have the homestead exemption on the 1 acre for the house/garage and the over 65 exemption. Being 69, this is all i want, especially if I have to mow it.

In this county I think you have to have 10 acres for a wildlife exemption.

Would I want more land, yes as long as i do not have to mow it!

[Double R 2]

Originally Posted by Roger

I'll just throw my county, Grayson, out there then. Ag minimim requirement is 10 acres. To convert that to wildlife, the minimum requirement is 12.5 acres. There is no state minimum because the counties set the minimums, both for ag and for wildlife.

This is how I understand it to be also. I own a small piece of land in Cooke Cnty and the min for wildlife exemption is 15 acres.

You might also look into what the minimum is in order to drill a well in case you might need or want one.

[tps7742]

To just live on 5 acres would be ideal imo. Easy to maintain and mow with the zero turns they have these days. Now to add the livestock you mentioned I would want a minimum of 10 acres and that would also depend on the terrain, grass etc. for grazing. Good luck.

[flywise]

The most important factors on land are, being able to sight in a rifle and dive hunt

[Atfulldraw]

It all depends on what's next to it.

I do a awful lot without putting my pants on.

We just got rid of 10 acres that had a nosy neighbor nextdoor....

the 140 acres we are building on next feels like it might be big enough, for now.

[TreyRo]

Originally Posted by Atfulldraw

It all depends on what's next to it.

I do a awful lot without putting my pants on.

We just got rid of 10 acres that had a nosy neighbor nextdoor....

the 140 acres we are building on next feels like it might be big enough, for now.

Lol. Solid logic in this.

[Mike D]

We have just under 10 and I wish we had double that, at least.

Like Trey we do everything we “need” to on it but would like to have a bit more separation from neighbors and less worry about deer jumping the fence if we don’t get a good shot.

Definitely check county requirements for exemptions and any odd covenants. Parker County has a stupid rule that you aren’t supposed to discharge a weapon on under 10 acres even in unincorporated parts of the county.


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[BTLowry]

Originally Posted by HogHunter34

Last I looked there was No minimum acerage for a wildlife exemption

Unless it has changed, in Smith county you have to establish some form of ag or timber valuation BEFORE converting to wildlife. Minimum for ag is/was 10ac and believe timber is same. I also was under the impression that there is a different set of rules for bees and a limit on how much land you can put in ag with bees.
We have some in ag, some in wildlife and some in timber.

OP your best bet is to go the appraisal office for your county (Grayson I think I saw) and talk to the person over the ag part and get it straight from them as each county has slighly different requirements

[Gummi Bear]

Mrs and I have an offer in on a place that is 16 acres. House is good. Pasture looks pretty decent. I will have to build shop and barn, and redo the pond (it is currently dry). I gotta put up some temporary electric fence so I can bring the livestock out if they accept our offer. (then build a little more than ¼ mile of new barbed wire fence to contain 2 sides, plus add a couple of strands here and there) I will be sectioning off a large area for Mrs to have her dream garden, eventually an arena for Mrs to play with horses as well.

I'd really love it if it were 2-3 times that size, but my budget disagrees.

Mrs and I have been saving up for 20 years, and have decided that this is the minimum size.

I won't be able to hunt there, but I will set up an area to shoot my bow. Rifles and pistols are out, it is pretty flat pasture land.

[Shinesintx]

Originally Posted by Atfulldraw

It all depends on what's next to it.

I do a awful lot without putting my pants on.

We just got rid of 10 acres that had a nosy neighbor nextdoor....

the 140 acres we are building on next feels like it might be big enough, for now.

I’ve got 55 acres of heavily wooded property, I do a ton of skinny dipping in my 800 gallon stock tank. It really depends on the layout…but I tend to think 640 acres is the perfect amount needed.

[44mAG]

Currently building our forever home on 20 acres. Right now, I have about a 3 acre clearing towards the front of the property cleared for the house build. Future plan is to dig a tank using the existing large ditch behind the house, then clear another 5 acres or so. Having 5-8 acres of brush at the back is my end goal.

[Arrowsmith]

It depends on what you want to do with your ground. The bigger the place the more upkeep it will require which means more equipment, more equipment maintainance, etc. It becomes a second job.

We have 63.46 acres. Nearest neighbor is 3/4 of a mile away. It is about perfect for us. There is some of our timber ground across the river that I have not set foot in since the middle of last November. I have been mowing shredding food plots today. There is always maintainance chores to do, but I enjoy doing them and at my own pace.


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[hully1029]

Just sucks I live in one of the highest and most demanded areas in the country.. fml

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[Big pig]

I bought 17 acres. About the right size for me for a homesite. I will say the maintenance on central texas land is much less that the Leon county ranch we sold. I lived on a mower/tractor and chainsaw there.
I would buy all the land I could and still be able to afford to build a home and barn. You can always sell some land if you find you can’t manage it.

[Firefyter]

Originally Posted by Atfulldraw

It all depends on what's next to it.

I do a awful lot without putting my pants on.

We just got rid of 10 acres that had a nosy neighbor nextdoor....

the 140 acres we are building on next feels like it might be big enough, for now.

You are alive! How you been neighbor.?

[Roger]

Originally Posted by Grayson

This being said, you can commingle properties for purposes of ag valuations. I believe the term my local assessor uses is "common use". I'd assume this applies to wildlife too. I'm checking on that locally.

Now that is interesting! Never heard of being able to commingle to meet the minimum. Is that a county by county thing also or a state law? I'm guessing county based, but I'll let the guy who actually knows a couple of things about this stuff fill me in.

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[Chance Love]

Originally Posted by Atfulldraw

It all depends on what's next to it.

I do a awful lot without putting my pants on.

We just got rid of 10 acres that had a nosy neighbor nextdoor....

the 140 acres we are building on next feels like it might be big enough, for now.

Y'all got a REALLY cool looking 140 acres!

[Cliff Dog]

I grew up on 20 acres. We had horses, cows, chickens, and pigs with a big pond too. I think that's about the right size, but as stated above it really depends on what's around the property.

[Razrbk89]

I’d figure 3 acres per head if you don’t want to feed them.

1-2 acres for house/yard/barn. Anything more than that becomes a pain to mow/maintain IMO. My yard and barn area is over 3 acres (with tons of trees)and it is a pain. It’s slowly shrinking though!

As far as maintaining the balance, wooded areas require practically no maintenance unless you’re just bored and want a park like appearance. Fields - not much either. I can bush hog at least 40 acres a day, so I don’t really consider it taking up much time in the grand scheme of things.

I’m a practical guy and don’t dote over the little stuff. You can take care of a lot of ground if you don’t sweat the small stuff. Cut trees back off of your fences, burn burn burn, and bush hog. Gets a lot done fast.

[HogHunter34]

As far as the original question it really depends on what all you plan to do with the place
I have 20 acres total with a small pond. I’d like more if there was more available around me
I grew up on 345 acres with plenty places to hunt & fish
I enjoy our small place as it’s big enough to be out in the country with a little more space between neighbors & it’s peaceful