Texas counties / Post Oak Savannah
Wildlife management valuation in Grimes 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 Grimes County.
Grimes County spans more than one TPWD ecoregion: Post Oak Savannah (about 55% of the county), Blackland Prairie (about 45% 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%) · Blackland Prairie (45%)
- 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
- On request
Deadlines that matter in Grimes 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 Grimes 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Post Oak Savannah | 92–94% | 90–91% |
| Blackland Prairie | 92–94% | 90–91% |
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: Grimes Central Appraisal District
- Website
- grimescad.org
- Property search
- grimescad.org/Advanced-Search
- Phone
- (936) 873-2163
- Address
- 360 Hill St, Anderson, TX 77830 (P.O. Box 489, Anderson, TX 77830)
Details verified July 7, 2026 against the district’s public web presence — confirm before filing.
Grimes Central Appraisal District requests the PWD-888 annual report case-by-case — keep activity records current so a request is a formality, not a scramble. (Verified July 7, 2026 from published district or state guidance — confirm with the district before relying on it.)
- • Minimum acreage for wildlife management is generally 10 acres, but for tracts that were part of a larger tract qualified for 1-d-1 on Jan 1 of the prior year the minimums are: individual tracts 12.50 ac, wildlife-management-association tracts 10.00 ac, endangered-species tracts 10.00 ac.
- • The plan must pass a review plus an on-site review conducted by a staff appraiser, and landowners should include with the plan a map indicating where the various practices will be conducted.
- • Grimes County is governed by TPWD's Post Oak Savannah / Blackland Prairie ecoregion guidelines; the district attaches an intensity-level summary to its Wildlife Application, and practices must meet those intensity minimums (e.g. brush management ≥10% of the property or 10 ac annually).
- • The district strongly recommends consulting a wildlife professional before converting, and wildlife applicants file both a Form 50-129 and a written plan on TPWD Form PWD-885 (or equivalent) between Jan 1 and Apr 30.
Common questions in Grimes County
How do I switch from ag exemption to wildlife exemption in Grimes 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 Grimes 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 Grimes 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 Grimes 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 Grimes 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 Grimes 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 Grimes Central Appraisal District.
Start your planInformational 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.