Texas counties / Rolling Plains

Wildlife management valuation in Coleman County, Texas

Often searched as the “wildlife exemption” — technically it’s not an exemption at all, but keeping your existing 1-d-1 productivity valuation with wildlife management as the qualifying use. Here is what that takes in Coleman County.

Coleman County spans more than one TPWD ecoregion: Rolling Plains (about 63% of the county), Edwards Plateau (about 34% of the county), Cross Timbers and Prairies (about 3% of the county). Which guidelines govern your land depends on where your tract sits, not on the county line.

Key facts

Ecoregion: Rolling Plains (63%) · Edwards Plateau (34%) · Cross Timbers and Prairies (3%)
Filing window: January 1 – April 30 (late filing possible with penalty)
Forms: Form 50-129 (wildlife section) + TPWD PWD-885 plan
PWD-888 annual report: Required

Deadlines that matter in Coleman County

File between January 1 and April 30 of the tax year: a new 1-d-1 open-space application (Comptroller Form 50-129) with the wildlife management section completed, plus your wildlife management plan (TPWD PWD-885), with the county appraisal district. The plan alone converts nothing — the application does.

Before the deadline passes, the chief appraiser may grant up to 60 extra days for good cause if you ask in writing (Tax Code §23.54(d)) — worth asking before assuming you’re late.

Missed April 30? Late applications are accepted until the appraisal review board approves the appraisal records for the year — with a penalty equal to 10% of the difference between the tax at productivity value and what the tax would have been at market value, i.e. a tenth of that year’s savings (Tax Code §23.541).

We haven’t verified Coleman County’s ARB approval date yet — statewide it typically lands around July 20. Ask the appraisal district for this year’s schedule before counting on a late filing.

Wildlife management practices for Rolling Plains

State law requires implementing at least 3 of the 7 statutory wildlife-management practices; committing to 5 or more leaves margin if a practice slips during the year. We haven’t finished encoding TPWD’s Rolling Plains intensity standards into structured data yet — the regional guideline document (linked below) is the authority for what counts and how much is enough in this region.

• Habitat control
• Erosion control
• Predator control
• Providing supplemental supplies of water
• Providing supplemental supplies of food
• Providing shelters
• Making census counts to determine population

Region-specific intensity standards for Rolling Plainsaren’t in our structured database yet — TPWD’s regional guidelines are the authority until they are.

County lines are not ecoregion lines — your tract’s governing ecoregion resolves from where the land actually sits. The plan wizard does this from your parcel location.

Minimum acreage (the wildlife-use requirement)

This minimum-acreage table only applies if your tract got smaller after January 1 of the preceding tax year (34 TAC §9.2005(b)–(c)). If your acreage is unchanged or larger, there is no wildlife-use requirement to meet — most landowners can skip this section.

Wildlife-use appraisal region	Standard range	Property-association range
Rolling Plains	96–98%	94–95%
Edwards Plateau (Western)	96–98%	94–95%
Edwards Plateau (Eastern)	93–95%	91–92%
Cross Timbers and Prairies	93–95%	91–92%

The rule splits this region into sub-areas with different ranges — both are shown. Which sub-area applies depends on where your tract sits; the chief appraiser then selects the ratio from that sub-area’s range. Your appraisal district can confirm which sub-area covers your land.

Ranges from 34 TAC §9.2005 (Wildlife Use Requirement). Land in TPWD-designated endangered/threatened-species habitat has its own band under subsection (e) — ask the appraisal district if that may apply to you.

Where you file: Coleman County Appraisal District

Website: colemancad.net
Property search: colemancad.net/home
Phone: (325) 625-4155
Address: 105 S. Commercial Ave. (P.O. Box 914), Coleman, TX 76834

Details verified July 6, 2026 against the district’s public web presence — confirm before filing.

Coleman County Appraisal District asks wildlife-management accounts for the PWD-888 annual report — plan on filing one each year and keep activity records as you go. (Verified July 6, 2026 from published district or state guidance — confirm with the district before relying on it.)

• Wildlife management plans and annual reports are due on or before April 30, but the district urges a personal deadline of March 1 because it begins mailing ag-value removal / certified letters around April 1 to meet its ~May 1 appraisal-notice schedule.
• Electronic filings are accepted only as a single PDF emailed directly to Chief Appraiser Eva Bush (ebush@colemancad.net); the owner must confirm receipt within 3 business days or risk a late ag-filing penalty.
• For tracts subdivided from a larger 1-d-1 parcel after January 1, 2001, the district sets a 50-acre minimum; whitetail-deer management plans are generally not considered under 100 acres unless part of a coop/association.
• Coleman County is in the Rolling Plains ecoregion; the district evaluates plans against TPWD's High Plains and Rolling Plains Comprehensive Wildlife Management Planning Guidelines, requires one primary native indigenous species, and does not count exotics.

Common questions in Coleman County

How do I switch from ag exemption to wildlife exemption in Coleman County?

Both are 1-d-1 open-space valuations, not true exemptions. Converting means filing a new 1-d-1 application (Form 50-129) with the wildlife-management section completed, plus a wildlife management plan (TPWD PWD-885), with the appraisal district between January 1 and April 30. Your land must already hold 1-d-1 (or timber) valuation, and wildlife management must become its primary use. Because Coleman County spans ecoregions, your plan follows the guidelines for where your tract sits.

Do my property taxes change when I convert to wildlife management use?

Conversion keeps your existing 1-d-1 productivity valuation with wildlife management as the qualifying use — it is designed to be tax-neutral relative to your current ag valuation. The chief appraiser makes every valuation decision; no software or consultant can promise an outcome.

How many wildlife management practices do I need in Coleman County?

At least 3 of the 7 statutory practices; many landowners commit to 5 or more for margin. Practices come with region-specific intensity standards — TPWD’s regional guidelines set the standards for Rolling Plains.

What is the minimum acreage for wildlife management use in Coleman County?

There is no blanket statewide minimum. A minimum-acreage test (the wildlife-use requirement) applies only if your tract was reduced in size after January 1 of the preceding tax year; otherwise the requirement does not apply at all. If it does apply, the appraisal district picks a ratio from the range set for this wildlife-use appraisal region — the ranges for this county are on this page.

What if I miss the April 30 deadline in Coleman County?

Ask about the good-cause extension first: before the deadline the chief appraiser may grant up to 60 extra days on written request. After that, late applications are accepted until the ARB approves the appraisal records — typically around July 20 statewide, but confirm the current year’s schedule with the appraisal district — with a penalty of 10% of that year’s tax savings.

Prepare your Coleman County package

The plan wizard turns your answers into a complete DRAFT conversion package — the wildlife management plan, the official PWD-885 and 50-129 forms, map exhibits of your property, and a filing checklist — for your own review and self-filing with Coleman County Appraisal District.

Start your plan

Informational only — not legal, tax, or biological consulting advice. Verification dates for county-specific facts are shown alongside them; confirm current details with the appraisal district before filing.