Tex. Agric. Code § 131.001 – Definitions (2024)

FAQs

Tex. Agric. Code § 131.001 – Definitions? ›

The minimum degree of intensity was established using Section 131.001 of the Texas Agricultural Code's definition of an apiary (collection of bees), which is a place where six or more colonies of bees or nuclei (small mass of bees and combs of brood used in forming a new colony) of bees are kept.

How Many Acres Does the Law Allow for Keeping Bees? Texas law restricts the property covered by this valuation to between 5 and 20 acres, so you must have at least 5 acres to qualify.

House Bill 590, authored by Rep. Ernest Bailes, R-Shepherd, states that a product cannot be labeled as “Texas honey” unless the product consists “exclusively” of honey produced from apiaries in the state. While the concept of the bill seems simple, Texas beekeepers say it could sting producers and their livelihood.

Generally speaking, most backyard beekeepers have 1 to 2 acres of land with 2 or 3 bee hives. I have personally had 10 hives on a 1 acre lot in a subdivision. One important thing to do is talk with your neighbors first.

If you are a beekeeper/pollinator than you offer a service to a farm, but if you raise them for your crops than they are integral to farming and we then be considered farming.

Ag exemption requirements vary by county, but generally you need at least 10 acres of qualified agricultural land to be eligible.

These requirements vary by county. But you will usually need a minimum of 10-15 acres to be eligible for ag exemption. These rules could also vary based on the type of agriculture activity. For example, if you're a beekeeper, you'll need a minimum of approximately 5-10 acres to qualify.

If you own between 5 and 20 acres in Texas you could be eligible for an AG exemption for having honeybees. For a fee, we will place hives on your property, maintain, and manage the colonies.

Beekeeping. Beekeeping is regulated both at the state and local levels. The state agency tasked with regulating bees is the Texas Apiary Inspection Service (TAIS). In addition to state law, you will also need to consult your local laws to determine whether or not you can have bees on your property.

It is illegal for anyone other than an apiary inspector to kill any managed colony of honey bees without the owner's permission. If a managed colony needs to be moved, contact the owner. All apiaries must be marked in some way that identifies the owner.

How far away from the house should a beehive be? ›

If you have no other options though, make sure to try to give your bees at least 20 feet of space. A distance of 20 feet will allow them to reach their preferred flying altitude without interfering with you or your house.

Selling honey is by far what most beekeepers do; it's the most common way to earn money as a beekeeper. One joy of beekeeping is having your honey supply at home, and selling the surplus honey for additional income is a sweet deal.

More experienced beekeepers may want to keep even more than two hives to increase their odds of success. If there was an ideal number of hives for a backyard beekeeper, most beekeepers would estimate that 2-5 hives are optimal. Of course, you will also need enough space.

For example, if farming is a hobby for you, then you are only able to deduct expenses related to that hobby, and you can't claim a tax loss. If your farming activities are classified as a business, you can take advantage of many more deductions and tax breaks.

Depending on the size of your property, by keeping 6 or more colonies of bees, you may be able to considerably reduce your property taxes. What is commonly referred to as an "Agriculture Exemption" is not actually an exemption but rather an alternate valuation of your property based on an agricultural use.

It is also important to note that there is a limit for the years of losses that can be reported before it gives the IRS a red flag. “An agriculture business needs to show profit three out of every five years or two out of every seven years if it is a horse business,” he noted. “Scale is not a factor.”

To promote the growth of healthy colonies, you should plan to have at least 2 acres at your disposal to build strong hives and keep enough space for your honey bee colony to thrive.

Landowners can often qualify through beekeeping

If you own 5 to 20 acres of land you could be saving hundreds if not thousands in property taxes every year. You could qualify for an Ag Exemption (or valuation) that will save you money each year, with bees!