The tax year / continuity first
The history matters as much as the hives.
Current valuation, prior qualifying use and a requested change date are three different facts.
Maintain or switch an existing use
An ending hay lease calls for continuity review, not an automatic new-history waiting period. Balcones will compare the end with preferred placement and seek district guidance on notice, application and any gap.
Keep unknown history open
Market value today does not prove there is no qualifying history. We review the district record and your evidence before recommending an existing-history application or managed use that builds history. There is no promise of immediate savings.
Five of seven years
The 1-d-1 framework uses qualifying agricultural use in five of the preceding seven years. The district confirms the history route and partial-year treatment. An incomplete history does not support a precise eligibility year.
Dates to verify
WCAD publishes a January 1–April 30 application window. A commercial Travis account reports a February 1 annual survey; a commercial Hays account reports full-calendar-year colony presence. Balcones will confirm the applicable year's requirements before proposing timing.
WCAD resources; Travis commercial account; Hays commercial account.
Acknowledge the records gap
Keep the photos, leases and correspondence you have. We inventory that evidence and seek district guidance on missing records. Future logs start with actual service. No past inspection is invented or backdated, and a request receipt does not repair a gap.
Plan your transition