How to get a county road use agreement and a Chapter 312 tax abatement
General information, not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.
Who grants it: The county commissioners court (county judge's office), and any school district or city for its own abatement.
When it applies: A road use agreement where the county asks for one for haul routes on county roads; a Chapter 312 abatement if you want one (the county must designate a reinvestment zone and hold a public hearing). Neither is required by state law.
What the application asks for, and where to find it
| The application asks for | Where you find it | How |
|---|---|---|
| Haul routes and county roads to be used | Your engineer | From the construction traffic plan; the report's map shows county roads around the parcel. |
| Pre-construction road condition survey | Your engineer | Video or photo survey the agreement usually requires. |
| Parcel IDs and acreage in the project | Appraisal district (tax assessor) | Appraisal district records; the report's Lease page lists the property ID and acreage for the spot. |
| Appraised value and current agricultural valuation | Appraisal district (tax assessor) | The appraisal district's notice; rollback exposure is on the report's Lease page (Tax Code 23.55). |
| Project investment, jobs, schedule | You (the applicant) | For the abatement application; the county's guidelines say what to include. |
| Owner consent | The landowner | The owner is a party to the abatement where the land is taxed to them. |
What the "where you find it" column means
- This site: the land report
- Run the spot on the land report; the value is on the page named, with its agency source.
- Appraisal district (tax assessor)
- The county appraisal district record: property ID, legal description, acreage, owner of record, agricultural valuation. The report's Lease page links it; the Permits page lists the district's phone.
- The landowner
- Only the owner can supply it: signed authorization, deed reference, existing leases, access, their contact details.
- Your engineer
- From your civil or electrical engineer: site plan, disturbed acreage, drainage, the electrical one-line, nameplate and inverter data, structure heights.
- Surveyor or title company
- Boundary survey, legal description for recording, easements of record, title commitment.
- The agency's website
- The agency publishes it: forms, fee schedules, community numbers, district offices, portal accounts.
- You (the applicant)
- Your entity details: legal name, address, signatory, contacts, FEIN, insurance.
How to file it
- Ask the county judge's office (the report lists the phone) whether the county uses a road use agreement and whether it has Chapter 312 guidelines.
- For an abatement, read the Comptroller's Chapter 312 page: the county adopts guidelines, designates a reinvestment zone after a public hearing, then approves the agreement.
- File the county's application; attend the hearing; record the executed agreement.
The pages you will use
Official pages cited
How-to guidance from the agency pages linked above, not legal advice; forms, fees and offices change, so confirm with the office before filing. The land report fills in the site facts; the rest comes from the sources named in each row.
Related questions
General information from the sources linked above, not legal, tax, or financial advice.
Sources and helpful links
- Comptroller's Chapter 312 page comptroller.texas.gov
- Tex. Tax Code ch. 312 statutes.capitol.texas.gov
More official contacts and resources: Helpful links.