Im sure most of you are aware that you can get an ag exemption on 5 to 20 acres for honey bees. State law says Beekeeping is an agricultural use and shall qualify for agricultural productivity valuation if used for pollination OR for the production of human food or other tangible products having a commercial value. (Section 23.51 (2) Texas Property Tax Code)
Very few people know that masonry bees can be kept to meet the ag exemption pollination requirement. Masonry bees do still require some work but are way simpler than honey bees. Their numbers are much lower but they are much more efficient pollinators than honey bees too. I originally contacted one of those honey bee keeper guys that wanted to charge me $1500 a year to keep his bees on my property and he would get to keep the honey too. Seemed borderline scammish so I started digging and came up with my current plan.
Many of the CADs have not dealt with this yet and may be hesitant to accept it but the state law is what it is. I was the first person in my county to get the go ahead. If you run in to any problems trying to do this I suggest contacting Plateau Land & Wildlife Management. They wont help you with the actual bee keeping end of things but they are use to dealing with the CADs and already have a good relationship with many of them.
Along similar lines, don't let a county CAD tell you that you don't have enough acreage for a wildlife exemption. State law only requires that the property have been under an ag exemption the year before and not have been subdivided in the prior year. My example on this one was 10.6 acres that was under an ag exemption. Burleson CAD told me absolutely NO can not move to a wildlife exemption because their internal rule is 15 acres minimum. I contacted Plateau Land & Wildlife, they contacted the CAD, and the property is now under a wildlife exemption. It's such a large problem that Texas Parks And Wildlife created a position that's main roll is to help the CADs understand what is required for wildlife exemptions per state law.
Hopefully this helps someone.
Very few people know that masonry bees can be kept to meet the ag exemption pollination requirement. Masonry bees do still require some work but are way simpler than honey bees. Their numbers are much lower but they are much more efficient pollinators than honey bees too. I originally contacted one of those honey bee keeper guys that wanted to charge me $1500 a year to keep his bees on my property and he would get to keep the honey too. Seemed borderline scammish so I started digging and came up with my current plan.
Many of the CADs have not dealt with this yet and may be hesitant to accept it but the state law is what it is. I was the first person in my county to get the go ahead. If you run in to any problems trying to do this I suggest contacting Plateau Land & Wildlife Management. They wont help you with the actual bee keeping end of things but they are use to dealing with the CADs and already have a good relationship with many of them.
Along similar lines, don't let a county CAD tell you that you don't have enough acreage for a wildlife exemption. State law only requires that the property have been under an ag exemption the year before and not have been subdivided in the prior year. My example on this one was 10.6 acres that was under an ag exemption. Burleson CAD told me absolutely NO can not move to a wildlife exemption because their internal rule is 15 acres minimum. I contacted Plateau Land & Wildlife, they contacted the CAD, and the property is now under a wildlife exemption. It's such a large problem that Texas Parks And Wildlife created a position that's main roll is to help the CADs understand what is required for wildlife exemptions per state law.
Hopefully this helps someone.
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