Burning brush in Shelby County has been an on-again, off-again proposition all fall. County Judge Harbison signed a new order prohibiting outdoor burning on Oct. 15, less than a week after the previous ban was lifted, and the Commissioners Court ratified it Oct. 28. For landowners around Center, Tenaha, Timpson and Joaquin, we at Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland), ranch Brokers in San Angelo serving every corner of Texas, walked through the burn rules, the dry pastures and what land is bringing in deep East Texas.
What the Court Has on Its Plate
According to Shelby County Today, the ratified order stays in effect until the court removes it. The agenda for the court’s regular meeting at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, includes the current burn ban and an order that would let Judge Harbison lift burn bans as needed without a separate court vote.
The same agenda lists two requests from adjoining landowners to close county roads: a 0.96 mile stretch of County Road 4651 beginning at a gate, and County Road 2820. Owners who use either road for access should read the request, since road access is one of the first things a buyer or appraiser checks.
Drought Moves In
The U.S. Drought Monitor had all of Shelby County in severe drought from late September onward. Extreme drought, which covered under 2 percent of the county on Sept. 29 and none by October, came back on 20.89 percent on the Oct. 27 map, and the Nov. 3 map held that line.
Texas A&M AgriLife’s East district report for Nov. 3 described falling pond, creek, lake and river levels, with some producers worried about livestock water. Fall armyworms and pasture mealybug hit what grass was left. More operations were feeding hay, and slaughter cow prices eased at local sales.
Toledo Bend Reservoir, on the county’s eastern line, was 84.2 percent full on Nov. 9, according to the Texas Water Development Board, down from 85.6 percent a month earlier.
Deer Season Rules
TPWD places Shelby County in the North Zone with a bag of 4 white-tailed deer, no more than 2 bucks and 2 antlerless. Antler restrictions apply, and general season runs through Jan. 3.
East Texas Land Prices
The Texas Real Estate Research Center puts Shelby County in an 11-county land market area with Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk and Smith, one piece of its Northeast Texas region. The second quarter 2026 report put the regional median at $8,604 an acre, 5.96 percent lower than a year earlier, while the number of sales climbed 9.64 percent to 887. Typical tract size was 119 acres. Timber, poultry houses, pasture and lake access each change what a Shelby County place is worth, so local sales matter more than any average.
A Little History: When Land Sold for Ten Cents an Acre
The Handbook of Texas Online says John Latham, reputedly the county’s first settler, took up land in the southeast part of the county in 1818. It was organized as Tenehaw Municipality, with Nashville, founded in 1824, as its main town. The Republic of Texas created Shelby County in 1836, and Nashville became Shelbyville, the county seat until Center took over in 1866.
Disputes over land titles and fraudulent land deals set off the Regulator-Moderator War in 1840, which ran until 1844. A San Augustine newspaper reported that land had fallen to ten cents an acre, less than a twentieth of its former value. The slump did not last. By 1850 county farms counted more than 20,000 hogs and 10,000 cattle. The courthouse in the photo above, modeled on an Irish castle, was finished in 1885.
Talk With Us
Selling, buying or valuing East Texas land? Lee, Lee & Puckitt’s Brokers and Agents answer at 325.655.6989, with listings at llpranchland.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a ranch Broker from San Angelo help with Shelby County property? Yes. Lee, Lee & Puckitt has handled Texas farm and ranch transactions since 1962 and works with East Texas owners on sales, purchases and valuations.
How do I find land for sale in Shelby County? Check llpranchland.com for current listings and call 325.655.6989. Tell us whether you want timber, pasture, poultry or recreation so we can narrow the search.
What makes a ranch Broker the best fit for Shelby County? A long list of closed rural sales, an understanding of how timber, water and road access drive price, and Broker’s Price Opinions or appraisals grounded in recent comparable sales.
Is there a burn ban in Shelby County? Yes. A county order effective Oct. 15, 2026, was ratified Oct. 28 and remains until the Commissioners Court removes it. The court is set to discuss it Nov. 12.
About Lee, Lee & Puckitt
Started in Bronte in 1962 and headquartered in San Angelo since 1977, Lee, Lee & Puckitt is a ranch real estate company run by partners who are ranchers themselves. Our Brokers and Agents provide sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions and advocate for landowners across Texas.
Sources
- Shelby County Today, “Shelby County Burn Ban Remains Active,” Oct. 28, 2026, and burn ban order of Oct. 15, 2026: https://scttx.com/authors/submitted-debby-snider
- Shelby County Today, “SC Commissioners’ Court Regular Meeting Agenda for Nov. 12”: https://scttx.com/articles/sc-commissioners-court-regular-meeting-agenda-nov-12
- Shelby County, burn ban notices: https://www.co.shelby.tx.us/
- U.S. Drought Monitor, county statistics for Shelby County, maps of Sept. 29 through Nov. 3, 2026: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DmData/DataTables.aspx
- Texas A&M AgriLife Today, Texas Crop and Weather Report, Nov. 3, 2026: https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2026/11/03/plenty-of-turkeys-this-thanksgiving-as-wholesale-prices-hold-steady/
- Texas Water Development Board, Water Data for Texas, Toledo Bend Reservoir, Nov. 9, 2026: https://www.waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/individual/toledo-bend
- TPWD Outdoor Annual, Shelby County 2026-27: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/counties/shelby
- Texas Real Estate Research Center, Texas Rural Land Markets, Second Quarter 2026: https://trerc.tamu.edu/reports/texas-rural-land-markets-second-quarter-2026/
- Handbook of Texas Online, Cecil Harper, Jr., “Shelby County”: https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/shelby-county
- Related: Land appraisals, Contact Lee, Lee & Puckitt, Cherokee County Ranch News: Hay Show Wraps as East Texas Dryness Pushes Rusk Ranchers Toward Winter Feeding
Photo: Renelibrary, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shelby_County_Courthouse_Center_Wiki.jpg). Cropped.
