Habitat Ledger › County deadlines › Wharton County
Wharton County wildlife report and ag valuation rules
Checked November 6, 2026
Report rules not posted; call to confirm
Wharton County Appraisal District doesn’t post its wildlife annual report rules online, so plan on April 30 and call the district to confirm at (979) 532-8931.
| Annual report required? | Not posted; ask the district |
|---|---|
| Due date | Not posted |
What to keep for Wharton County
Whether or not Wharton 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 Wharton County
Running cattle, cutting hay or farming instead of managing for wildlife? These are the Wharton County Appraisal District’s published degree-of-intensity standards for the 1-d-1 agricultural valuation.
Wharton CAD (2026 guidelines): cattle need at least 10 acres and 3 head; sheep or goats 10 acres and 15 head (5 = 1 animal unit); breeding horses 10 acres and 3 animal units. Stocking rate: 1 animal unit per 3 acres of improved pasture, 6 acres of native pasture, 8 acres of timberland. Land that qualified in 2025 or earlier is grandfathered until use or ownership changes.
| Minimum acres | 10 acres (grazing) |
|---|---|
| Minimum animals | 3 animal units |
| Improved pasture | 3 acres per animal unit |
| Native pasture | 6 acres per animal unit |
| Hay | Hay meadows: at least 5 acres with no livestock, at least 3 cuttings a year and about 4 round or 100 square bales per acre a year; keep baling receipts and sales records. |
| Leases and small tracts | Smaller tracts can qualify if worked with a nearby larger operation by the same operator, with a written lease. No new ag applications for lots inside city limits. |
| Source | Wharton CAD Ag Use Guidelines (Min. Guidelines for Ag-Use 1-D-1) · 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 Wharton County
| Appraisal district | Wharton County Appraisal District |
|---|---|
| Address | 308 E. Milam St., Wharton, TX 77488-4918 |
| Phone | (979) 532-8931 |
| Local help with your plan | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Wharton 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.