High Plains Ecoregion

Martin County Wildlife Exemption

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

Ecoregion
High Plains
County seat & CAD
Stanton, Texas
Application window
January 1 – April 30
Core requirement
Approved PWD‑885 · 3 of 7 practices yearly

The wildlife exemption in Martin County

Martin County sits in the heart of the High Plains — shortgrass prairie, playa lakes, and pheasant country on the Llano Estacado. For landowners here, the 1-d-1 wildlife management valuation is the most practical way to keep agricultural-level property taxes without running livestock.

The High Plains of the Panhandle and South Plains are flat shortgrass prairie over the Ogallala Aquifer, dotted with more than 19,000 playa lakes — shallow seasonal wetlands that host hundreds of thousands of wintering waterfowl and cranes. Wildlife management here often pairs playa restoration with pheasant, lesser prairie-chicken, and mule deer habitat work on retired farmland.

Mule deer work the breaks and CRP grasslands while whitetails follow the creek systems; playa lake restoration is among the highest-value practices an appraisal district will see on a High Plains management plan. Typical target species for Martin County plans include mule deer, pronghorn, ring-necked pheasant, lesser prairie-chicken, sandhill cranes, and wintering waterfowl on playas. The recurring habitat challenges — playa sedimentation from cropland runoff, declining aquifer and shelterbelts, and conversion of CRP grassland back to row crops — are exactly the problems a good management plan turns into qualifying work.

How it works here

Martin 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 High Plains 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 Martin 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 High Plains 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, High Plains-style

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

1

Habitat control

Restoring playa basins by filling pits and buffering with native grass, maintaining CRP-style shortgrass stands, and re-establishing shelterbelts.

2

Erosion control

Native grass buffers around playas to trap sediment, cover cropping on sandy fields, and stabilizing wind-eroded blowouts.

3

Predator management

Coyote management for pronghorn fawns, skunk and raccoon control around pheasant nesting cover, and feral hog control along the Canadian River breaks.

4

Supplemental water

Playa restoration and protection, guzzlers on rangeland, and managing tailwater pits for waterfowl.

5

Supplemental food

Leaving grain strips of milo or corn standing for pheasants and cranes, food plots in field corners, and managing weedy fallow strips for seed.

6

Providing shelter

Multi-row shelterbelt planting, leaving stubble at least 12 inches tall through winter, and brush piles at field edges for pheasants.

7

Census counts

Winter playa waterfowl counts, pheasant crow counts in spring, mule deer spotlight or daylight herd counts, and pronghorn aerial-style ground counts.

Filing & the appraisal district

DateWhat happens in Martin 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 Martin County appraisal district (Stanton).
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 Martin County appraisal district is headquartered in Stanton. 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 Martin County acreage that's easily a five-figure bill. How rollback works →

Wildlife exemption guides for neighboring High Plains counties:

Lipscomb CountyLubbock CountyLynn CountyMidland CountyMoore CountyOchiltree County All 254 counties

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