Habitat Ledger › County deadlines › Harris County
Harris County wildlife report and ag valuation rules
Checked November 6, 2026
Report rules not posted; call to confirm
Harris Central Appraisal District doesn’t post its wildlife annual report rules online, so plan on April 30 and call the district to confirm at (713) 957-7800.
| Annual report required? | Not posted; ask the district |
|---|---|
| Due date | Not posted |
What to keep for Harris County
Whether or not Harris 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 Harris County
Running cattle, cutting hay or farming instead of managing for wildlife? These are the Harris Central Appraisal District’s published degree-of-intensity standards for the 1-d-1 agricultural valuation.
Grazing needs at least 4 animal units (1 animal unit = 1 cow, 1 horse, 6 sheep or 7 goats). Improved pasture needs at least 7 acres and 1 animal unit per 4 acres on larger tracts; native pasture needs at least 8 acres and 1 animal unit per 7 acres. The same page also carries an older drought notice saying the district will decide later when intensity standards resume, so confirm with the district at (713) 957-7402.
| Minimum acres | 7 acres (grazing) |
|---|---|
| Minimum animals | 4 animal units |
| Improved pasture | 4 acres per animal unit |
| Native pasture | 7 acres per animal unit |
| Hay | At least 7 acres producing 2,400 lbs per acre per cutting. Control weeds, vines and brush; improved hay fields must be fertilized each spring and cut and baled at least twice a year (once a year for native grass or fields also grazed). |
| Crops and orchards | Dry crops: 10 acres with minimum yields (corn 87 bu, grain sorghum 33 cwt, peanuts 1,600 lbs, soybeans 24 bu per acre). Rice: 10 acres, 54 cwt. Orchards, nurseries, truck farms and turf: 5 acres, wholesale only; orchards need 100 fruit or 27 nut trees per acre. Exotic animals: 7 acres in commercial production. |
| Beekeeping | 6 hives on 5–20 acres; more than 20 acres cannot qualify. |
| History and filing | Land must have 5 of the past 7 years of ag use (5 continuous years inside city limits). Apply between January 1 and April 30. Harris CAD makes ag and timber owners requalify every 3 years on a rotating schedule by school district; in the off years you get a renewal letter. |
| Source | Agricultural & Timber Land – Degree of Intensity Standards for Harris County · 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 Harris County
| Appraisal district | Harris Central Appraisal District |
|---|---|
| Address | 13013 Northwest Frwy., Houston, TX 77040-6305 (mail: P.O. Box 924208, Houston, TX 77292-4208) |
| Phone | (713) 957-7800 |
| Local help with your plan | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Harris 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.