Post Oak Savannah Ecoregion

Fayette County Wildlife Exemption

How to get — and keep — a 1-d-1 wildlife management valuation on Fayette County land: deadlines, the appraisal district, and the practices that fit this part of Texas.

Ecoregion
Post Oak Savannah
County seat & CAD
La Grange, Texas
Application window
January 1 – April 30
Core requirement
Approved PWD‑885 · 3 of 7 practices yearly

The wildlife exemption in Fayette County

From the county seat in La Grange to the ranches beyond it, Fayette County landowners use the wildlife exemption to keep agricultural taxes while restoring habitat for white-tailed deer and bobwhite quail. The county's Post Oak Savannah setting decides which practices count — and how much of them.

The Post Oak Savannah rolls between the Blackland Prairies and the Pineywoods — a mosaic of post oak and blackjack oak woodlands, improved pastures, and sandy-loam soils. Much of this region was converted to bermudagrass pasture, so wildlife management here often centers on restoring native plant communities and managing the yaupon understory that shades out forage.

The Post Oak Savannah carries strong and growing deer populations, and its patchwork of woods and pasture makes it one of the most practical regions in Texas to run a credible wildlife management program on 20–100 acres. Typical target species for Fayette County plans include white-tailed deer, Rio Grande turkey, bobwhite quail, mourning dove, and grassland songbirds. The recurring habitat challenges — yaupon and eastern redcedar encroachment, bermudagrass monocultures with little wildlife value, and habitat fragmentation from subdivision — are exactly the problems a good management plan turns into qualifying work.

How it works here

Fayette County follows the statewide 1-d-1 framework (Texas Tax Code §23.51(7)); the local variables are your appraisal district's filing habits and the Post Oak Savannah intensity standards:

  • Start from an existing ag or timber valuation. Wildlife management is a conversion of qualified open-space land — check eligibility if your status is unclear.
  • File a wildlife management plan (TPWD form PWD‑885) with the Fayette County appraisal district, attached to Comptroller Form 50‑129, between January 1 and April 30. What goes in the plan →
  • Perform at least 3 of the 7 practices each year at Post Oak Savannah intensity levels — see the local examples below.
  • Document everything — dates, photos, quantities. When the chief appraiser requests an annual report (PWD‑888), you'll answer with records, not recollections.
  • No minimum acreage applies unless your tract was reduced in size in the past year — then the county's wildlife-use ratio sets one (commonly in the 12–50 acre range across Texas; confirm locally before planning a small tract).

The 7 practices, Post Oak Savannah-style

These are the kinds of activities appraisal districts in the Post Oak Savannah recognize as real management — your plan picks at least three:

1

Habitat control

Mechanical yaupon and cedar control, converting bermudagrass paddocks back to native bunchgrasses, and prescribed burns to maintain the savannah structure.

2

Erosion control

Gully shaping and re-seeding on sandy soils, filter strips of native grass along drainages, and pond-dam repair with erosion-control seeding.

3

Predator management

Feral hog trapping, coyote and bobcat management balanced for deer fawn survival, and fire ant control around quail nesting areas.

4

Supplemental water

Adding wildlife ramps and shallow edges to stock tanks, building small wetland cells below pond spillways, and installing guzzlers in pasture corners.

5

Supplemental food

Cool-season food plots of oats, wheat and clover, strip-disking to encourage native forbs like croton and ragweed, and protecting oak mottes for acorn production.

6

Providing shelter

Half-cutting cedars for instant quail covey headquarters, leaving brush piles after clearing, and maintaining native grass nesting cover at least 12 inches tall.

7

Census counts

Spotlight deer counts on ranch roads, fall covey call counts for quail, trail camera surveys, and dove cooing counts.

Filing & the appraisal district

DateWhat happens in Fayette County
January 1Valuation date — land is judged on its use and qualification as of this day.
Jan 1 – Apr 30File Form 50‑129 with your PWD‑885 plan at the Fayette County appraisal district (La Grange).
After Apr 30Late applications accepted until the appraisal roll certifies, with a 10% penalty on that year's savings.
On requestThe chief appraiser may require a PWD‑888 annual report — many districts ask annually. Keep logs so the answer is one click away.

The Fayette County appraisal district is headquartered in La Grange. For current mailing addresses, phone numbers, and any locally adopted wildlife-use ratio, use the Texas Comptroller's county directory — and confirm details before filing; districts occasionally adjust procedures year to year.

The cost of letting it slip

Losing qualification means market-value taxes going forward — and if the land's use changes to non-agricultural, rollback taxes: three years of recaptured savings plus 5% annual interest. On typical Fayette County acreage that's easily a five-figure bill. How rollback works →

Wildlife exemption guides for neighboring Post Oak Savannah counties:

Burleson CountyCaldwell CountyDeWitt CountyFranklin CountyFreestone CountyGonzales County All 254 counties

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