Little to no building codes?? (mobile home, buying, construction)

[Mari3Col3]

Hello! My partner and I plan on building our very own tiny house, but on a foundation due to his height. We're trying to find a small piece of land to build, 1-5 acres, in a rural wooded area or mostly wooded area. The only problem is building codes. We plan on using solar panels for our electric and digging a water well for our water so we're able to be completely off grid! Does anyone know of any place outside of townships that has little to no building codes or can at least get away with our little house? I have a friend who lives in the country down a dirt road in a small wooded area and he definitely isn't up to code! No one seems to bother him and I would love a place like that, but I'm having a very hard time finding one and he wouldn't be able to help me. Ideally I'd like to stay in Southeastern Pa. If anyone can help me it would be greatly appreciated!

[Wells5]

There is a state wide building code in PA and a code office or enforcement agent in every county. I might suggest purchasing a primitive (meaning no electricity) hunting cabin or "cabin shell" in northern PA if you really want to live "off the grid." Some cabins in northern Potter County may even have their own private gas well. These cabins would be "grandfathered" in and not subject to code. There is little chance that you could fulfill your dream in southeastern PA.

[Mari3Col3]

We've decided to instead build on a trailer so it would be classified as a trailer/mobile home/ etc. You can get away with building codes that way, but we still want to buy our own land in Southeastern Pa and use solar panels as our electric and water well as our water. We don't want to be in a trailer park. Do you think now it's more possible to find wooded secluded land living in a "trailer" and being completely off grid?

[PAhippo]

I'm not sure what building codes you think trailers are exempt from but you might want to rethink that. There are still codes to be followed. Some, as wells5 pointed out, are state, some county, and some local.


I think his suggestion of buying a hunting cabin would be your best bet.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by PAhippo

I'm not sure what building codes you think trailers are exempt from but you might want to rethink that. There are still codes to be followed. Some, as wells5 pointed out, are state, some county, and some local.


I think his suggestion of buying a hunting cabin would be your best bet.

And most of those will be north of I80.

OP, the southeastern part of the state will be difficult, if not impossible to find something you want. In addition, that part of PA is some of the most expensive.

[ki0eh]

Worse than the building code for what you may want to do, may be the septic code. Basically no soil zone in PA passes for an inground trench system common in other states. The drywell still legal (last I knew) in NY is nowhere legal in PA. Most common is a sand mound with a dosing tank, with a pump that could be a drain on the solar panel output. A cheap rural property might not pass for this even so you could be looking at a mini sewage treatment plant (many more $$$ and electrons burned here) or even totally impossible for residential construction.

A holding tank is not allowable for new-build residential, and a legal privy even detached from the main house is basically a holding tank - and a greywater system in PA, has many more approval hoops and even then only gets you a 40% reduction in the footprint of what you would otherwise have to do for an absorption area.

You could new-build a "recreational cabin" (unless the local township declared that not possible, which many did especially in the southeast) without building code, but that carries a deed restriction requirement, and doesn't exempt you from the septic code.

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

And most of those will be north of I80.

OP, the southeastern part of the state will be difficult, if not impossible to find something you want. In addition, that part of PA is some of the most expensive.

I agree. If you are looking for low cost land without strict land use limits, SE PA is the last place in the state to venture.

[fisheye]

Having no building or zoning codes might not be desirable. Lets say, for the sake of argument, that you love your new location and decide to constantly improve your lot and dwelling. Your property, your capitol investment, then might have real worth. However; you could have neighbors that also enjoy the no-regulations zone you live in. Somebody might start a shale pit and a heavy equipment contractor could decide to store all of their outdated/broken equipment on the other side - then nobody wants your property. You could lose all of your investment (if you decided to sell).

I also agree that you probably have to look north for properties like you describe.