How Much Does Ag Exemption Beekeeping Cost in Texas? (2026 Pricing Guide)

Updated July 2026 — reflects current Texas Tax Code rules, including the 3-year rollback period in effect since 2019.

Ag Exemption Bee yard set up

The short answer: In Texas, professional ag exemption beekeeping service typically costs $200–$350 per hive per year, with prices moving into $350+ near Dallas, Austin, and Houston where land values — and therefore tax savings — are highest. A typical 10-acre property needing 8–9 hives runs roughly $1,800–$3,000 per year, while the property tax savings on that same land are often several times that amount.

What Drives the Price

Ag exemption hive management isn't a set-and-forget service — the price reflects real, recurring work. Four things move the number more than anything else:

• Your county's intensity standard. Most North Texas counties require about 6 hives on the first 5 acres plus an additional hive for every 2 to 2.5 acres after, capped around 12–14 hives at 20 acres. More required hives means more equipment, more bees, and more work per visit.

• Distance and drive time. A yard 15 minutes from other client properties costs less to service than one 90 minutes from anything. Some providers add mileage or per-visit fees for remote sites.

• Colony replacement. Texas beekeepers lose 20–30% of colonies in a normal year — and upward of 60% in a bad one. A responsible service replaces winter dead-outs at no extra charge — and prices that risk into the annual rate. A quote that ignores replacement is a quote from someone who hasn't done this long.

• What's actually included. Hive installation, year-round management visits, mite treatment, feeding, equipment, and — critically — documentation. More on that below, because it's the part that varies most between providers.

The Three Pricing Models You'll See

Per hive, per year is the standard and the one we recommend comparing on. It's transparent, it scales with the county requirement, and you know your cost before you sign.

Percentage of tax savings (usually 20–40%) sounds appealing but ties your cost to appraisal swings rather than the work performed — and it puts you and your beekeeper on opposite sides of every appraisal notice.

Flat site fee is simple but make sure it maps to your county's hive requirement. A 6-hive site and a 14-hive site are very different amounts of work, and a flat fee that doesn't account for that is mispriced in one direction or the other.

The Question That Separates Providers: Ask About Records

Here's what most landowners don't learn until it matters: your appraisal district never opens a hive. When your ag valuation gets reviewed — and reviews are getting more common as counties tighten up — the district asks you to prove agricultural use. The difference between keeping and losing your valuation is documentation.

At Timber Creek Bees, every service visit is logged with the date, the work performed, and the hive count against your county's intensity standard, backed by dated photos and current Texas Apiary Inspection Service registration. When a client gets a review letter, they hand over a season of records and the conversation is over. Whoever you hire, ask them one question before you sign: "What documentation do I get, and how often?" If the answer is vague, the discount isn't worth it — a denied exemption plus rollback exposure costs more than a decade of the price difference.

Is It Worth It? The Math

Take a representative 10-acre tract in Collin County with a market value of $400,000. At market value, the annual property tax on the land might run $6,000 or more. Under a 1-d-1 agricultural valuation, the same land is taxed on its productivity value — often a few hundred dollars of tax. Against $2,000–$2,500 per year of hive service, most landowners in high-value counties come out thousands ahead every year, and the savings compound for as long as the land qualifies. Lower land values narrow the gap, which is why the service makes the most sense within commuting distance of the metros.

Pricing FAQs

Yes — if you want to become a skilled beekeeper and learn the management it takes to replace the summer and winter losses that happen every year. If you're re-buying hives each spring, you're losing money on top of doing all the work and documentation yourself. Budget roughly $400–$600 per hive in startup equipment and bees, plus treatments, feed, replacement stock, and your time — and plan to keep records the way your CAD expects. Plenty of our nuc customers do exactly this. The service exists for landowners who want the valuation without the second job.

The low end is usually hobbyists who haven't priced fuel, treatments, feed, and colony replacement — many quietly quit after a hard winter, which puts your exemption timeline at risk. The high end reflects metro-area land values and full-service documentation. Most established providers in North Texas land in the $200–$350 range.

Are there costs beyond the annual fee?

Ask up front. Some providers charge setup or installation fees, mileage for remote properties, or extra for documentation packets. Get the all-in annual number in writing before comparing quotes.

Can I save money by keeping the bees myself?

Does the fee change year to year?

Reputable providers hold pricing stable within a contract term. Watch for contracts that let the provider raise rates mid-term or exit without protecting your exemption timeline — the 5-year use history is the asset you're really paying to protect.

Timber Creek Bees provides turnkey ag exemption beekeeping across 40+ North Texas counties — find your county here.

Want a number for your specific property? Start your bee ag quote — pricing is based on your acreage, county requirements, and location.