Chambers County, TX — Ag Exemption Requirements (2026)
Chambers County occupies the upper Texas coast east of Houston, between Galveston Bay and the lower Trinity River. Chambers CAD's published standards cover native pasture, irrigated and dry crops, orchards, timber, grass farms, crawfish and fish, bees, and wildlife management; the six-acre native-pasture rate and clear bee-colony formula are particularly useful for small agricultural tracts.
Grazing Intensity Standards
| Pasture Type | Acres per Animal Unit | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Native Pasture | 6 acres / AU | ✓ Verified |
Beekeeping Intensity Standards
| Acreage Range | Base Hives | Extra Hives/Acre (above base) | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5–20 acres | 6 | 0.4 | ✓ Verified |
Animal Unit Equivalencies
An animal unit (AU) is a standardized measure used to compare livestock of different sizes. One AU = one 1,000-lb cow. Your total stocking rate is calculated in AUs, then multiplied by the acres-per-AU standard for your pasture type. These values are published by the county.
| Animal | Animal Units | Source |
|---|---|---|
| cow calf | 1 | County-published |
| brood mare | 1 | County-published |
| goat | 0.2 | County-published |
| sheep | 0.2 | County-published |
| hog | 0.2 | County-published |
Wildlife Management Option
Chambers County allows wildlife management as a qualifying use. Landowners must implement at least 0 of the seven recognized wildlife management practices defined by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Wildlife management requires at least 20 acres, a breeding, migrating, or wintering population of indigenous wild animals, qualifying open-space agricultural use in the previous year, compliance with state guidelines, and a wildlife management plan. The published document does not state a numeric practice count or annual-report requirement.
Required Documents
- Form 50-129, Application for 1-d-1 (Open-Space) Agricultural Use Appraisal
- Wildlife management plan, if applying for wildlife management
- Timber management plan, if applying for timber or restricted timber appraisal
Discretionary Caveats
"Minimum acreage varies by agricultural classification; no universal minimum acreage is stated in the published document — confirm with CAD."
"Improved-pasture animal-unit stocking rate not stated in published document — confirm with CAD."
"The published wildlife-management standard directs applicants to meet state guidelines but does not state a numeric minimum-practices requirement — confirm with CAD."
Frequently Asked Questions — Chambers County
- Chambers CAD's native-pasture standard is 1 animal unit per 6 acres. 30 acres ÷ 6 acres per animal unit = 5 animal units.
- The standard starts with 6 hives on the first 5 acres and adds 1 hive per additional 2.5 acres. The additional 7.5 acres require 3 more hives, so 12.5 acres requires 9 hives.
- Chambers CAD lists a 10-acre minimum for both irrigated crops and dry crops. A 10-acre irrigated or dry-crop operation meets the published acreage threshold.
- Twenty acres meets the published wildlife-management acreage minimum. The tract must also have qualified for open-space agricultural use in the preceding year, sustain an indigenous wildlife population, meet state guidelines, and have a wildlife management plan.
Chambers County Appraisal District
- Phone
- 409-267-3795
- info@chamberscad.org
- Address
- P.O. Box 1520, Anahuac, TX 77514-1520
- Website
- https://www.chamberscad.org
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