Habitat Ledger › County deadlines › Gonzales County
Gonzales County wildlife report and ag valuation rules
Checked November 6, 2026
Annual report required every year; no posted date
File a wildlife management plan the first year and a new plan in the 6th year; an annual report is filed in years 2–5 with a map, photos and receipts. No due date is given.
| Annual report required? | Yes, every year |
|---|---|
| Due date | Not posted |
| Source | Gonzales Central Appraisal District (checked Nov. 6, 2026) |
What to keep for Gonzales County
Whether or not Gonzales County asks for a report this year, keep dated proof that you carried out at least three of the seven wildlife management practices in your plan:
- A log of each activity: the date, what you did, where and how much
- Dated photos of the work (feeders, water, brush piles, cleared brush)
- Receipts and invoices for feed, seed, materials and contractors
- Census sheets with dates, routes and numbers seen
Read our plain-English guide to the annual report (PWD-888) for the full 3-of-7 rule, or see deadlines for other counties.
Ag valuation in Gonzales County
Running cattle, cutting hay or farming instead of managing for wildlife? These are the Gonzales Central Appraisal District’s published degree-of-intensity standards for the 1-d-1 agricultural valuation.
Any livestock operation needs at least 2 animal units. Cattle: 1 animal unit per 4–7 acres on improved pasture and per 7–20 acres on native pasture (sheep, goats and horses: 3–6 improved, 5–10 native). No set minimum acreage, but tracts under 10 acres or with 2 animal units or less get an on-site inspection. Small acreage with a home is treated as mainly residential.
| Minimum animals | 2 animal units |
|---|---|
| Improved pasture | 4–7 acres per animal unit |
| Native pasture | 7–20 acres per animal unit |
| Hay | At least 2 cuttings a year, sold or fed to your own livestock; under 5 acres gets an on-site inspection. Baling and sales receipts may be required. |
| Crops and orchards | Pecans 7 trees per acre, peaches 14 trees per acre, vineyards 100 vines per acre. Free-ranging exotics need 50 acres; pen-raised exotics 5 acres. |
| Beekeeping | 5–20 acres: 6 hives for the first 5 acres plus 1 hive per additional 2.5 acres. |
| History and filing | Ag use 5 of the last 7 years. File January 1–April 30. The district may ask for feed, fertilizer and equipment invoices, sales receipts and labor expenses. Land out of production more than two years may lose qualification. Posted only as a scanned image. |
| Source | Gonzales Central Appraisal District Agricultural Use Guidelines · checked Nov. 6, 2026 |
An animal unit is one cow (or cow-calf pair); a horse counts as one, and about five goats or sheep make one, though some districts count them differently. See what Texas requires for ag valuation. Your appraisal district has the final say, so call them if anything here doesn’t match your letter.
Who to contact in Gonzales County
| Appraisal district | Gonzales Central Appraisal District |
|---|---|
| Address | 301 Saint Joseph St. Ste. A, Gonzales TX 78629 |
| Phone | (830) 672-2879 |
| Local help with your plan | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Gonzales County |
The appraisal district decides your wildlife valuation and sets any report deadline, so call them if a letter or form doesn’t match what’s on this page. Your county AgriLife Extension office can help with a wildlife management plan.