Productivity Appraisal May Lower The Property Taxes

1. Harris County Appraisal District News Release
For additional information contact Jack Barnett, Communications Officer, 713-957-5663
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April 20, 2016
Productivity Appraisal May Lower The Property Taxes
On Your Farm, Ranch Or Timberland
Houston — Texas law allows farmers, ranchers, wildlife managers and timber
growers to pay property taxes based upon the productivity value of their land rather than on
market value. This means qualified land is taxed based on its ability to produce crops,
livestock or timber – not on its value on the real estate market. And it can mean substantial
property tax savings.
If your land has never had a productivity appraisal or you are a new owner, you must
apply to the Harris County Appraisal District by May 2 to take advantage of this benefit on
your property taxes. You may get up to 60 extra days if you have a good reason and ask
for it before May 2. If you miss this deadline, you may still be able to apply, but you will
pay a penalty.
If your land already receives agricultural or timber productivity appraisal, you
normally don’t need to reapply unless the chief appraiser requires you to do so. If a new
application is required, the appraisal district will notify you by mail.
To qualify ranch, farm or timber land for productivity appraisal for the first time, you
must meet three criteria. The agricultural use must meet the degree of intensity standards
specified by the appraisal district. You must demonstrate that the property was used for
agriculture or timber production, as applicable, on January 1. Finally, you must show that
the land was used for agriculture or timber production in five of the seven preceding years.
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Land already qualified for one of these forms of productivity appraisal may be
converted to wildlife management. Land under wildlife management is appraised as if it
were still devoted to the qualifying agricultural use. Acreage size and use restrictions
apply.
If you apply for and receive productivity appraisal, you must continue to use the land
for the qualifying use from year to year. If you change its use to a non-qualifying use, an
additional “rollback” tax will be imposed. Usually, the additional tax recaptures the last
five years of tax savings.
For more information about productivity appraisal and application forms, contact the
Harris County Appraisal District’s Agricultural Appraisal Section at 713.957.7402 or visit
the district’s offices at 13013 Northwest Freeway in Houston. Information is also available
on the Comptroller’s Property Tax Assistance Division’s website at
www.comptroller.texas.gov/taxinfo/proptax/ .
About HCAD
The Harris County Appraisal District is a political subdivision of the State of Texas
established in 1980 for the purpose of discovering and appraising property for ad valorem
tax purposes for each taxing unit within the boundaries of the district. The district has
more than 1.7 million parcels of property to assess each year with a total market value of
approximately $526 billion. The appraisal district in Harris County is the largest in Texas,
serving approximately 500 taxing units, and one of the largest appraisal districts in the
United States. For further information, visit www.hcad.org.
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