Texas counties / Edwards Plateau
Wildlife management valuation in Real 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 Real County.
Real County lies within the Edwards Plateau ecoregion, so TPWD's Edwards Plateau guidelines govern wildlife management plans here.
Key facts
- Ecoregion
- Edwards Plateau (100%)
- 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 Real 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 Real 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 Edwards Plateau
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 Edwards Plateau 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 Edwards Plateauaren’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 |
|---|---|---|
| Edwards Plateau (Western) | 96–98% | 94–95% |
| Edwards Plateau (Eastern) | 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: Real Central Appraisal District
- Website
- realcad.org
- Property search
- esearch.realcad.org
- Phone
- (830) 232-6248
- Address
- 763 US Highway 83, Leakey, TX 78873 (mailing: P.O. Box 158, Leakey, TX 78873)
Details verified July 6, 2026 against the district’s public web presence — confirm before filing.
Real 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 6, 2026 from published district or state guidance — confirm with the district before relying on it.)
- • A wildlife management plan on TPWD state form PWD 885-W7000 must be submitted together with the 1-d-1 (Form 50-129) application, and applications are available at the appraisal district office.
- • Land must already be under 1-d-1 agricultural valuation before it can qualify for wildlife management use.
- • Real County is in TPWD Region 2 (Edwards Plateau); the Board of Directors adopted the 98% wildlife-use-requirement value, so the smallest tract that qualifies for wildlife management is 50 acres ((50-1)/50 = 0.98).
- • As of the Dec 6, 2016 Ag Advisory Board action, the district's minimum acreage for ag special valuation is 30 acres, with accounts under 30 acres reviewed case-by-case.
- • The district evaluates wildlife applications under the Comprehensive Wildlife Planning Guidelines for the Edwards Plateau ecoregion in addition to the state Manual and Comptroller guidelines.
Common questions in Real County
How do I switch from ag exemption to wildlife exemption in Real 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. In Real County that means TPWD’s Edwards Plateau guidelines.
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 Real 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 Edwards Plateau.
What is the minimum acreage for wildlife management use in Real 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 Real 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 Real 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 Real 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.