With the population of Hays County expected to grow immensely over the next 30 years, the need to protect endangered species' habitat grows increasingly important.

 The Hays County Regional Habitat Conservation Plan (RHCP) provides a streamlined way for landowners to comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA), while protecting high-quality endangered species habitat in Hays County. The process to apply for a permit to develop on land in endangered species habitat from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) can be lengthy. Still, landowners in Hays County can obtain a permit to mitigate habitat removal in just a few weeks for a one-time fee. This fee goes towards acquiring and managing a preserve system in Hays County.

US Fish & Wildlife has issued the county an incidental take authorization permit, which authorizes the County to issue Participation Agreements to landowners who choose to enroll and mitigate through the RHCP rather than directly with USFWS. Mitigation through the RHCP provides regulatory certainty to individual landowners, developers, and infrastructure providers. Contact us today to learn more!

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