Texas counties / Post Oak Savannah

Wildlife management valuation in Colorado 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 Colorado County.

Colorado County spans more than one TPWD ecoregion: Post Oak Savannah (about 55% of the county), Gulf Prairies and Marshes (about 31% of the county), Blackland Prairie (about 14% of the county). Which guidelines govern your land depends on where your tract sits, not on the county line.

Key facts

Ecoregion: Post Oak Savannah (55%) · Gulf Prairies and Marshes (31%) · Blackland Prairie (14%)
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: Not yet verified

Deadlines that matter in Colorado 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 Colorado 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 Post Oak Savannah

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 Post Oak Savannah 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 Post Oak Savannaharen’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
Gulf Prairies and Marshes (Upper Coast)	92–94%	90–91%
Gulf Prairies and Marshes (Lower Coast)	96–98%	94–95%
Post Oak Savannah	92–94%	90–91%
Blackland Prairie	92–94%	90–91%

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: Colorado County Appraisal District

Website: coloradocad.org
Property search: esearch.coloradocad.org
Phone: (979) 732-8222
Address: 106 Cardinal Lane, Columbus, TX 78934 (P.O. Box 10, Columbus, TX 78934)

Details verified July 7, 2026 against the district’s public web presence — confirm before filing.

We haven’t verified whether Colorado County Appraisal District requires the PWD-888 annual report. Districts can request it at any time, so the safe default is to keep activity records as if it’s required — and ask the district directly.

• The original wildlife application must include the TPWD PWD 885-W7000 plan form PLUS a one-page summary listing the species managed for and the actual practices being conducted.
• By Board resolution (April 9, 2024), minimum acreage for wildlife-management valuation is 11.1 acres if the tract is in a Wildlife Management Association or certified for Endangered Species habitat, otherwise 16.1 acres; the 16.1-acre floor applies to new-owner tracts split from a larger tract (a tract in a full 12-month conversion as a larger tract is exempt from the 16.1-acre minimum).
• Only open-space (1-d-1) agricultural land can convert to wildlife management use — market-value land and 1-d land are not eligible; the district may require proof of open-space status for the prior 3 years and may conduct an on-site visit by CAD staff.

Common questions in Colorado County

How do I switch from ag exemption to wildlife exemption in Colorado 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 Colorado 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 Colorado 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 Post Oak Savannah.

What is the minimum acreage for wildlife management use in Colorado 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 Colorado 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 Colorado 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 Colorado 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.