Ellis County Texas Property Tax Ag Exemption for Beekeeping

This page is to share information on obtaining an agricultural exemption for keeping honeybees. We receive many calls and emails inquiring how to go about obtaining an agricultural exemption. here in Ellis County Texas. We do not have nor do we qualify for an agriculture exemption because we do not have the required acreage. We cannot give you personal experience in the process, but will direct you to entities that you will need to contact.

We are delighted when we hear of property owners who wish to be good stewards of their land by providing native and adaptive plants to support honeybees and native pollinators. Even if you do not keep bees, please be kind to God's creatures.  Do not use pesticides or herbicides on your property.  Plant a variety of native and adaptive plants for seasonal blooms.

At the bottom of this page we have included resource documents you may find useful.

To apply for an agricultural property tax exemption in Ellis County Texas, you must contact the 

Ellis County Appraisal District, 

400 Ferris Ave.

Waxahachie, TX 75165 

Phone Number 972-937-3552  

https://www.elliscad.com/forms  

It is our understanding one must have their  completed application and supporting documentation submitted and approved by April 1.

The appraisal district may require that you register your apiary with The Texas Apiary Inspection Service

You may want to apply for an Agricultural and Timber Exemption through the Texas Comptrollers Office.  The guidelines and application is online.  Agricultural and Timber Exemption

While the information provided by the Ellis County Appraisal District lists under items of use, "purchase of boxes"  you may want to consider making your own bee boxes.  If you do not plan to move your bees as many commercial beekeepers do, then you may want to consider top bar hives.  They are less expensive to build and require much less equipment in order to extract honey. Remember,  the type of hive is for the convenience of the beekeeper.  If you are seeking information on top bar hives,  we recommend  Les Crowder at Bee Mindful    We have included a download file with his top bar hive plans and a list of plants Les recommends. 

Providing year around forage for your bees is very important.  Start small and add pollen and nectar plants each year.  We recommend Native American Seed,

Consider joining a beekeepers association.

Texas Beekeepers Association

Metro Beekeepers  (Fort Worth)

Trinity Valley Beekeepers  (Dallas)

Good luck with your beekeeping and if we may be of service you are welcome to contact us.