Brazos Valley Living·FAQ·Acres for an Ag Exemption
← Back to Frequently Asked QuestionsShort answer: There is no statewide minimum. Texas sets no required acreage for an ag valuation, except for beekeeping, which has to be on 5 to 20 acres. Instead, each county appraisal district sets its own degree-of-intensity standard. Burleson County has called for about 10 acres for general agriculture; Brazos County, about 15.
Acreage is the wrong first question
I hear "how many acres do I need for the ag exemption" almost every week, and I understand why. People want a single number. But the valuation does not turn on acreage alone. It turns on use: the land has to be in genuine agricultural use, at the intensity local operations actually run, and it has to have a history of that use. Acreage matters because each appraisal district uses a minimum size as part of its standard, but a big tract sitting idle will not qualify, and a smaller tract in real production sometimes will. So the honest answer starts with "it depends on the county and what you are doing with it."
There is no statewide minimum
Texas law does not fix a minimum acreage for the 1-d-1 open-space valuation. The Texas Comptroller's Manual for the Appraisal of Agricultural Land says it plainly: there is no minimum or maximum acreage that may qualify, except for beekeeping. What the law does require is that the land be devoted to agricultural use "to the degree of intensity generally accepted in the area." That phrase puts the decision in the hands of your county appraisal district, which sets the local standards, including any minimum size, based on how agriculture is actually practiced there.
What Burleson CAD has called for
The Burleson County Appraisal District's open-space guidelines have set a minimum of about 10 acres for general agricultural valuation, and about 15 acres for the wildlife-management option. For grazing, the district's stocking standards run from roughly one animal unit per 5 acres on intensely managed improved pasture to one animal unit per 24 acres on heavy native grass, with a cow-calf operation expected to run a minimum herd in the range of three head. Hay operations have called for about a 10-acre minimum. These come from the district's published guidelines, which it reviews periodically, so confirm the current figures with the district before you rely on them.
What Brazos CAD calls for now
The Brazos Central Appraisal District's current intensity guidelines are more specific. For general livestock and for crop land, the standard is at least 15 acres, and for hay, at least 8 acres, each excluding a one-acre home site. A cattle operation is expected to run at least five animal units of reproducing cows with rotational grazing, and goats or sheep at least thirty reproducing ewes. The district also asks that at least 80 percent of the tract stay in agricultural use, for at least seven months of the year. So in Brazos County a 16-acre tract with a one-acre homesite and 15 acres in qualifying use is the kind of profile the district is looking for.
Beekeeping is the one fixed range
Bees are the single place the state sets acreage limits. Under Texas Tax Code Section 23.51(2), land used to keep bees can qualify on not less than 5 and not more than 20 acres. The hive count inside that band is set by the county. Brazos County, for instance, currently calls for a minimum of five acres with six hives, adding one hive per additional 2.5 acres up to twelve hives at twenty acres, with the colonies registered through the Texas Apiary Inspection Service. Burleson County keeps a separate beekeeping guideline you can request. For a small tract, bees are often the most realistic path to an ag valuation.
Meeting the acreage is not the finish line
Even if your tract clears the county's acreage standard, you still have to be in actual agricultural use to the accepted intensity, and the land still has to satisfy the history test: principally devoted to agriculture for at least five of the preceding seven years. A new owner of land that already carried the valuation may need to reapply, and the application, Texas Comptroller Form 50-129, is due before May 1. If you are buying with the ag valuation in mind, the move is to confirm the current standard and the land's history with the appraisal district before you write the offer, not after.
Related questions
For the full picture, see my guide on how the Texas ag exemption works in Burleson and Brazos counties, which covers applying, the deadline, and the rollback. You can also browse all of my guides or the full FAQ for more on buying rural land here.
This answer is general information, not legal or tax advice. Appraisal-district standards change, and every tract is different. Confirm the current acreage and intensity requirements with the Burleson or Brazos county appraisal district, and talk with your tax professional about your situation. The county figures here reflect each district's published guidelines as I read them in 2026.
Sources I used
- No statewide minimum acreage and the degree-of-intensity standard: Texas Comptroller, Manual for the Appraisal of Agricultural Land (Form 96-300), and Texas Tax Code §23.51.
- Beekeeping acreage band (5 to 20 acres): Texas Tax Code §23.51(2).
- Burleson County standards (about 10 acres for general ag, stocking rates, hay, beekeeping): Burleson County Appraisal District, open-space land valuation guidelines (confirm current figures with the district).
- Brazos County standards (15 acres general livestock or crop, 8 acres hay, cattle and bee intensity, 80 percent ag use): Brazos Central Appraisal District, agricultural intensity guidelines.
Wondering if a tract will qualify?
Send me the property and I will check the appraisal district's current acreage standard and the land's ag-use history before you make an offer.