Knox County, TX — Ag Exemption Requirements (2026)
Knox County is in the Rolling Plains north of Abilene, where cattle ranching and dryland and irrigated crops including cotton, wheat, and hay grazer are common agricultural uses. Knox CAD’s standards are particularly helpful for landowners because they set a 60-acre native-pasture stocking benchmark, tiered apiary requirements, and a generally applicable 10-acre tract threshold.
Grazing Intensity Standards
| Pasture Type | Acres per Animal Unit | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Native Pasture | 60 acres / AU | ✓ Verified |
Beekeeping Intensity Standards
| Acreage Range | Base Hives | Extra Hives/Acre (above base) | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5–20 acres | 6 | 0 | ✓ 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 are statewide default values — confirm with your CAD.
| Animal | Animal Units | Source |
|---|---|---|
| cow | 1 | Statewide default |
| cow calf | 1 | Statewide default |
| horse | 1 | Statewide default |
| sheep | 0.2 | Statewide default |
| goat | 0.17 | Statewide default |
| deer | 0.2 | Statewide default |
| turkey | 0.018 | Statewide default |
| chicken | 0.01 | Statewide default |
Wildlife Management Option
Knox 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.
A property must already have a 1-d-1 agricultural valuation before beginning wildlife management. Knox CAD follows the Comptroller's wildlife-qualification publication and Texas Parks and Wildlife's High Plains and Rolling Plains planning guidelines. For eligible tracts subdivided after January 1, 2001, 90% of acreage must be dedicated to wildlife management, lie in a qualifying wildlife property association, or be TPWD-designated endangered-, threatened-, or candidate-species habitat. A written TPWD-prescribed management plan is required with a new 1-d-1 application. The district may request an annual implementation report, but the document does not make it mandatory in every case.
Required Documents
- Form 50-129, Application for 1-d-1 (Open-Space) Agricultural Use Appraisal
- written management plan completed on the form prescribed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, if applying for wildlife management
Discretionary Caveats
"Carrying Capacity will fluctuate year to year based on weather and grazing conditions."
"Properties less than 10 acres will generally not qualify for the special-use valuation. Consideration will be given to tracts less than 10 acres that are operational with contiguous parcels if all of the following requirements are met: All other KCAD degree of intensity requirements must be met."
"The Knox County Appraisal District understands that other exceptions may arise and will evaluate those exceptions on an individual basis."
"The appraisal district may request that an annual report be filed showing how the wildlife management plan was implemented in any given year."
Frequently Asked Questions — Knox County
- Knox CAD's native-pasture benchmark is 1 unit per 60 acres. A 120-acre native-pasture tract supports 2 animal units (120 ÷ 60 = 2), subject to carrying-capacity changes caused by weather and grazing conditions.
- Fourteen acres falls in Knox CAD's 11–15-acre apiary band, which requires at least 9 active hives.
- Generally no: Knox CAD says properties under 10 acres will generally not qualify. The document allows consideration when a smaller tract is operational with contiguous parcels and all other KCAD intensity requirements are met.
- For the specified post-2001 subdivision situation, Knox CAD requires 90% of the acreage to be dedicated to wildlife management. On 20 acres, that is 18 acres (20 × 0.90 = 18).
Knox County Appraisal District
- Phone
- 940-459-3891
- knoxcad@yahoo.com
- Address
- P.O. Box 47 Benjamin, TX 79505-0047
- Website
- https://knoxcad.com
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