How many beehives do you need for a Texas ag exemption?
Beekeeping is one of the ways smaller pieces of Texas land can earn the ag valuation. The acreage rule is the same statewide, the hive count is not.
How many hives do you need to qualify?
Last verified July 2026. Source: Texas Tax Code 23.51(2).
The 5 to 20 acre framework
Texas added beekeeping as a way to qualify for the ag valuation in 2012. The size window is set by law: land of at least 5 acres and not more than 20 acres can qualify through beekeeping. Smaller or larger pieces of land usually have to use a different kind of farming or ranching instead.
As with any ag valuation, your land usually needs a history of real use, and your county has the final say. Check with your county for how the acreage and history rules apply to your land.
Why hive counts vary by county
Every county appraisal district publishes what it calls a degree of intensity schedule. In plain terms, that is the minimum level of real activity the county expects before it grants the valuation, and the hive count is part of it. Some counties set a base number of hives for the first few acres, then add more for each extra acre. Others use one flat number.
That is why a neighbor one county over can have a completely different number than you. Check your county for the number that applies to your land, and treat any figure you read elsewhere as a starting point, not a rule for your parcel.
An honest word on intensity
Intensity minimums are the real level of activity the law expects for the valuation, not a paperwork target. You have to actually run the operation: keep the colonies alive, active, and on the land for the part of the year your county expects. A valuation built on hives that are not really there is what leads to a change-in-use finding and a rollback later. Not legal or tax advice, and approval is up to your county appraisal district.