How Many Bee Hives for an Ag Exemption in Texas?

Most Texas counties require a minimum of 6 bee hives on 5 to 20 acres to qualify for an agricultural exemption. For properties larger than the base acreage, you’ll typically need 1 additional hive for every 2.5 acres beyond the first 5. But county appraisal districts set their own standards, and some are stricter than others.

Here’s exactly what you need to know about hive counts, county-by-county variations, and what the appraisal district actually looks for when they inspect your property.

The Standard Rule: 6 Hives on 5-20 Acres

The Texas Comptroller’s guidelines for beekeeping as a qualifying agricultural use follow a straightforward formula:

5-20 acres: 6 hives minimum
Over 20 acres: 1 additional hive per 2.5 acres beyond the initial acreage
Maximum qualifying acreage: 20 acres in most counties

This means a 5-acre tract and a 20-acre tract both need the same 6 hives under the standard rule. The math changes once you go above 20 acres, but most counties cap the beekeeping exemption at 20 acres. If you have 50 acres, you’d use beekeeping for the first 20 and need a different qualifying activity for the remaining 30.

Counties That Follow the Standard

The majority of Texas counties stick to the 6-hive, 1-per-2.5-acre formula. From our county data:

Harris County - 6 hives on 5 acres, 1 per 2.5 acres after, 20-acre max
Dallas County - 6 hives on 5 acres, 1 per 2.5 acres after, 20-acre max
Collin County - 6 hives on 5 acres, 1 per 2.5 acres after, 20-acre max
Williamson County - 6 hives on 5 acres, 1 per 2.5 acres after, 20-acre max
Denton County - 6 hives on 5 acres, 1 per 2.5 acres after, 20-acre max
Fort Bend County - 6 hives on 5 acres, 1 per 2.5 acres after, 20-acre max

If your county follows the standard rule, the hive count math is simple. Six hives gets you started, and you only add more if you’re claiming more than 20 acres under beekeeping valuation.

Counties With Stricter Requirements

Not every county uses the standard formula. Some appraisal districts have adopted tighter rules, and the differences can catch you off guard if you’re not prepared.

Hays County: 1 Hive Per 1.5 Acres

Hays County is notably stricter than the state guideline. Instead of 1 additional hive per 2.5 acres, Hays CAD requires 1 additional hive per 1.5 acres above the base. They also require you to submit a landscape and foraging plan along with your application.

For a 15-acre property in Hays County, you’d need roughly 6 base hives plus additional hives calculated at the 1-per-1.5-acre rate. That’s a meaningful difference compared to counties following the standard formula.

Travis County: 1 Hive Per 2 Acres

Travis County uses a slightly tighter standard than the default - 1 additional hive per 2 acres instead of 2.5. Travis also requires that homestead acreage be excluded from the qualifying acres, and you must register with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service.

Kendall County: Dedicated Acreage

Kendall County follows the standard hive count but adds an important detail: the 5 qualifying acres must be entirely dedicated to beekeeping, excluding residential structures and their immediate footprint. If your homestead sits on 2 acres of your 7-acre property, you’re working with only 5 qualifying acres.

What Counts as a “Hive”?

Your appraisal district isn’t counting empty wooden boxes. A qualifying hive means an active colony with:

A queen bee
A sufficient worker bee population to sustain the colony
Brood (eggs, larvae, pupae) during the active season
Frames with drawn comb

Nucleus colonies (nucs) that are actively growing generally count, but a box of frames with no bees in it does not. If an appraiser visits your property and finds 6 boxes but only 3 have living colonies, you have 3 hives, not 6.

Equipment That Supports Your Case

While the hives themselves are what gets counted, having supporting equipment demonstrates that you’re running a legitimate beekeeping operation:

Hive tools, smoker, and protective gear
Feeders for supplemental feeding during dearth periods
Varroa mite treatment supplies
Extraction equipment (even a basic manual extractor)

Documentation matters too. Keep a hive inspection log noting colony health, queen status, and any treatments applied. This is your evidence if the appraisal district questions your operation.

What Happens If Your Hives Die?

Colony losses are a normal part of beekeeping. The average Texas beekeeper loses 30-40% of colonies over winter in a bad year. If your hive count drops below the county minimum, you have a window to replace them before it becomes a problem.

The practical reality: Appraisal districts typically inspect during the active beekeeping season (spring through fall). If you lose hives over winter and replace them by spring, you’re unlikely to face issues. Most beekeepers order replacement packages or nucs in January and February for March delivery.

The risk: If you let your hive count stay below the minimum through the active season and an appraiser visits, you could lose your agricultural valuation. That triggers a rollback penalty - 5 years of back taxes on the difference between ag value and market value, plus 7% interest per year.

Best practice: Maintain 1-2 hives above the minimum as a buffer. If your county requires 6 and you keep 8, you can absorb normal colony losses without dropping below the threshold.

Registration Requirements

Every county requires that you register your hives with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service (TAIS), administered through Texas A&M AgriLife. Registration is:

Free
Done annually
Required before you file your ag exemption application

TAIS may conduct inspections to check for diseases (American foulbrood, in particular) and pests. This is separate from the appraisal district’s valuation inspection, but both are part of running a legal beekeeping operation in Texas.

Quick Reference: Hive Count by Acreage

For counties following the standard guideline:

Acreage	Minimum Hives
5 acres	6
10 acres	6
15 acres	6
20 acres	6
25 acres	8
30 acres	10

Remember, most counties cap beekeeping at 20 acres. Check your specific county’s rules using our county lookup tool before setting up your operation.

Next Steps

Look up your county’s exact hive requirements on our county pages
Register with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service
Source your bees from a reputable Texas supplier (local nucs adapt better than shipped packages)
Set up hives, document everything, and file your application before April 30

If you’re starting from scratch and wondering whether beekeeping is the right path for your property, read our comparison of the easiest ag exemption options in Texas.