Habitat Ledger › County deadlines › Starr County
Starr County wildlife report and ag valuation rules
Checked November 6, 2026
Report rules not posted; call to confirm
Starr County Appraisal District doesn’t post its wildlife annual report rules online, so plan on April 30 and call the district to confirm at (956) 487-5613.
| Annual report required? | Not posted; ask the district |
|---|---|
| Due date | Not posted |
What to keep for Starr County
Whether or not Starr 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 Starr County
Running cattle, cutting hay or farming instead of managing for wildlife? These are the Starr County Appraisal District’s published degree-of-intensity standards for the 1-d-1 agricultural valuation.
Starr CAD's 2019 guidelines list "minimum acres: 10" for improved and native/brush pasture under their stocking rates, without saying whether that is per animal unit or per tract, so call the district to confirm. Sheep and goats need at least 1 animal unit (6 head) per 4 acres; exotics need 4 animal units per 10 acres. Only the acreage actually in ag use qualifies.
| Hay | Incidental cutting and baling of hay does not qualify. If only part of a tract is in hay, only that part qualifies (example: 20 acres of hay on a 50-acre tract). |
|---|---|
| Crops and orchards | The same table lists 10 acres per animal unit for dry and irrigated cropland. Timber is not considered a viable ag use in Starr County. |
| Beekeeping | Bees: 5–20 acres; at least 6 live hives on the first 5 acres plus 1 hive per additional 2.5 acres; hives must be registered with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service. |
| History and filing | Land must be in ag use 5 of the 7 years before applying. Apply by April 30. The district may ask for records such as feed or fertilizer invoices, sales receipts, labor expenses or IRS Schedule F; breeding records may be required for livestock. |
| Source | 2019 Starr CAD Agricultural Valuation 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 Starr County
| Appraisal district | Starr County Appraisal District |
|---|---|
| Address | 100 N. FM 3167, Ste. 300, Rio Grande City, TX 78582 |
| Phone | (956) 487-5613 |
| Local help with your plan | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Starr 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.