In DFW, start with your appraisal district record to see whether the land carries an ag or open-space value, then confirm whether a city or the county controls platting. Tarrant charges $20 to record a deed's first page; Dallas and Denton start at $25.
Selling a lot or acreage in the Dallas-Fort Worth area? Our Texas guide to selling vacant land covers the statewide pieces: the TREC land contracts, the required notices and how rollback taxes are calculated. This page is the local layer. It shows where DFW owners look up their land, how two local appraisal districts apply the ag rules, who reviews plats and what the county clerks charge.
Begin with your appraisal district account
Every tract has an account with the appraisal district for its county. The account shows the owner of record, the acreage on the roll and whether the land is valued for agricultural or open-space use. Buyers will look at this record, so read it first. If the acreage on the roll differs from your deed or survey, find out why before you set a price.
DFW appraisal districts: Tarrant Appraisal District · Dallas Central Appraisal District · Collin Central Appraisal District · Denton Central Appraisal District. Several DFW cities spill across county lines, so search by the property's own address or account number rather than by city.
TAD's form library includes the Application for 1-d-1 (Open-Space) Agricultural Use Appraisal. Collin CAD posts the same state application, Form 50-129, with its own questionnaire, plus annual report forms for wildlife management and beekeeping. A buyer who wants to keep the land's ag value will file one of these in their own name.
How Dallas and Collin appraisers apply the ag rules
State law sets the framework, but each appraisal district publishes guidelines on how it measures use. Two DFW districts post theirs online.
Dallas Central Appraisal District. DCAD's guidelines say it uses 3 acres as a guideline to separate agricultural tracts from hobby operations, and that only the acreage actually used for agriculture can qualify. On rollback, DCAD says a physical change in use triggers it. A reduced intensity of use does not, and neither does a change in ownership. Stopping all agricultural activity on all or part of the land does. When DCAD finds a change of use, the owner gets written notice and 30 days to protest.
DCAD asks for applications after January 1 and no later than April 30. A late application can still be filed before the appraisal review board approves the records, but it carries a penalty of 10 percent of the tax savings. A new application is required when the land changes hands.
Collin Central Appraisal District. Collin CAD's February 2023 guidelines describe three animal units year round as typical for grazing, and say the district will accept two animal units to give owners the benefit of the doubt. An animal unit is 1,000 pounds of animal weight; the guidelines give two cows, 14 goats or 12 sheep as examples of two units. A home on a small tract is treated as a separate land segment, with a standard minimum of one acre for the homesite.
Collin's deadline is before May 1, with a new application required after a change of ownership. A late filing is accepted until the roll is certified, subject to a 10 percent penalty.
Tarrant and Denton apply their own standards, which this guide does not cover. Call the district before you tell a buyer the ag value will carry over.
City, ETJ or unincorporated county?
Who controls the land shapes what a buyer can do with it. Inside a city, the city's zoning and plat rules apply. Outside city limits, the county handles platting, and a nearby city may share that role if the land is in its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ).
- Tarrant County. The county's Development Division regulates platting in unincorporated areas. Its page notes that unincorporated Tarrant County does not enforce zoning, that a plat is required to divide land into two or more parts, and that land in a city's ETJ needs that city's plat approval before county review. That plat rule is subject to the state-law exceptions in Local Government Code Section 232.0015, such as lots all larger than 10 acres with no public dedication.
- Denton County. Development Services says any development in unincorporated Denton County needs a Development Permit, and septic systems may need a separate permit from county public health.
- Collin County. The county applies its subdivision regulations to unincorporated land under Chapter 232. Each new parcel needs road frontage, and lots served by septic systems need at least one usable acre each.
If you plan to split the land before selling, our guide to selling part of a mortgaged tract in DFW walks through the city and county plat offices in more detail.
Recording the deed: county clerk fees
The title company records the deed with the clerk of the county where the land sits. Fees are set per page.
| County | First page | Each added page | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarrant | $20 | $4 | Schedule effective January 1, 2024 |
| Dallas | $25 | $4 | $5 recording, $10 preservation and $10 archiving |
| Denton | $25 | $4 | Plus a required $4 recording information page |
| Collin | Ask the clerk | The fee sheet we looked for was no longer posted | |
Collin County takes land recordings at its McKinney and Plano offices. Denton County says all recordings go to its Denton location. Tarrant County offers free unofficial copies of recorded documents through its online Official Records Search, a quick way to pull your vesting deed and any old easements before you list.
A DFW land seller's checklist
- Print your appraisal district record and note the acreage and the appraisal method.
- Find your recorded deed and any prior survey or plat.
- Confirm whether the land is in a city, a city's ETJ or unincorporated county.
- If the land has ag value, call the district about what a buyer must show to keep it.
- Ask the title company which notices your contract needs and how rollback will be split.
For quicker timelines, see how to sell land fast in DFW, or read selling land by owner in DFW if you plan to skip the agent.
Selling a DFW house as well
Cash Home Advisors is based in Fort Worth and buys houses across DFW. When we buy a house, we can close in 7 to 14 days, we pay all closing costs, and you see the closing statement before you sign.
Start with a free cash offer on your house, or see the cities on our areas we serve page, including Fort Worth and Dallas.
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Frequently asked questions
Does selling Dallas County ag land trigger a rollback by itself?
Not under DCAD's published guidelines. They say a change in ownership does not trigger a rollback, but a physical change in use does, including stopping all agricultural activity on all or part of the land. The buyer still has to file a new application.
How small can a tract be and keep ag value in Dallas or Collin County?
DCAD uses a guideline of 3 acres to separate agricultural tracts from hobby operations. Collin CAD's guidelines require at least two animal units on pasture and treat a homesite as a separate land segment of at least one acre. Each district reviews applications one by one.
Who approves a plat for land outside city limits in Tarrant County?
Tarrant County's Development Division reviews plats in unincorporated areas. If the land lies in a city's extraterritorial jurisdiction, that city must approve the plat before the county does.
What does Denton County charge to record a deed?
The Denton County Clerk lists $25 for the first page, plus a required $4 recording information page and $4 for each additional page.
Sources
- Dallas Central Appraisal District, Qualified Open Space Land Agricultural Guidelines
- Collin Central Appraisal District, Agricultural Land Qualification Guidelines (February 2023)
- Collin Central Appraisal District, Agricultural and special use forms
- Tarrant Appraisal District, All forms (1-d-1 open-space application)
- Tarrant County Engineering Services, Development
- Tarrant County Clerk, Real estate records fee schedule
- Dallas County Clerk, Recording fees and payment
- Denton County Clerk, Real property fees information
- Collin County Clerk, Land recordings
- Tarrant County Clerk, Copies of official public records
- Denton County, Development Services
- Collin County Engineering, Land division and development
General information, not legal or tax advice. Talk to a Texas attorney or CPA about your situation.