areas with least intrusive building codes and regulation? (farmer, house, water)

[skytop]

I keep hearing about off grid homes being targeted by local authorities and all sort of horror stories like that. This make me wonder: are there any particular states/areas/counties or towns with reliably minimal (or non existent) building codes and regulation?

[quoss]

If you're not in town, you should experience minimal interference. Normally, the county/state just want a bit of money from you for "letting" you build whatever you want.

[mesclun88]

There are plenty counties/townships in Texas, New Mexico, Vermont, Maine, Tennessee, etc. that don't have building codes. Once you find an area call town hall or get in touch with a realtor in the area and inquire about your concerns. (We looked a while and finally found a town. It may take a while but it is worth if you want to build 'alternative' housing.) Good luck!

[ChrisC]

Look for unincorporated counties/townships in low-population-density states/areas. Northern Maine comes to mind. There are some areas in northern Nevada that will let you build whatever your like. In my state (Utah), Millard county is fairly friendly to alternative building methods of homes--you'd best like desert living to be there, though. Interior Alaska, of course. Parts of Wyoming. Western New Mexico to an extent. UP Michigan is quite lax, I'm told by a native of the area (because there are lots of hunter cabins in the area).

However, just because it's rural, don't assume that building is open. Big money runs the (excessive) building code scam, and big money isn't always just in the metro areas.

[Cnynrat]

I've not done any sort of exhaustive search, but I do know that zoning ordinances in Boundary County ID are relatively more lax than many areas in the country. They will want to approve your septic system placement, and see the results of a perc test, but other than that I think it's pretty wide open. There may be electrical and plumbing inspections, but I don't believe there are no structural inspections.

This is a quote from the introduction to their zoning ordinances:

It is the belief of the county that people who buy and build a here have the right to build the home that best suits them with minimal intrusion; if the roof caves in under the weight of the snow, they'll know better next time. Conversely, you may build a beautiful home that meets the most stringent building codes, but your next door neighbor may not. County government will not intercede on your behalf to make your neighbor live up to your standards.

As they point out, lax zoning ordinances can have some drawbacks.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by skytop

I keep hearing about off grid homes being targeted by local authorities and all sort of horror stories like that. This make me wonder: are there any particular states/areas/counties or towns with reliably minimal (or non existent) building codes and regulation?

Generally anywhere that is rural. Say 10 people per square-mile, or less.

Originally Posted by quoss

If you're not in town, you should experience minimal interference. Normally, the county/state just want a bit of money from you for "letting" you build whatever you want.

Exactly.



We bought forest land in '05. We began building that year. We heat with wood, we have solar panels, we raise poultry and pigs. We sell produce at a Farmer's Market.

We have not seen any inspectors.



It takes tax revenue to pay an inspector his salary. Our township burned it's town charter in the 1970s, so there are no local officials on salary to do anything. We pay property taxes directly to the state, for roads and schools. So far 40 towns in this state have burned their charters, jointly to lower their taxes, and also to lessen regulation.

[Nor'Eastah]

And then there's the 'alternative' for the alternative-minded. If you call it a "house", then you'll have to follow the rules for a "house", even in some sparsely-populated rural areas. Whereas, if you call it a "barn", "shop", "ag building", or whatever comes to the imagination, you can have a lot more leeway. Why bother with all that, you say? Because you may need to remain in a certain state or area of the country where it's hard to find land with few/no building codes.

What you do with the building, once it's constructed, will likely be your own business. There are ways to get around almost anything. Imagination isn't a thing that can be bought for love nor money. You either have it, or you don't.

[stiffnecked]

Prince of Wales island in Alaska. It's the 4th largest island in the United States and 98% is free from building codes or regulation. Preppers paradise.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

[[[[[[........if the roof caves in under the weight of the snow, they'll know better next time..........]]]]]]]]

Not anywhere in Oregon, no matter how thin the population. For one thing, we are very protective of our water, so your septic system will have to be to code, which is stringent.

No one really cares if your roof falls in around your head. What we care about is that you, or a confidence artist "builder", will build a house where the roof won't support snow and then sell it to a trusting new buyer and the roof will fall in on them. Or maybe your own children will burn to death in a house fire because you only think you know how to do electrical wiring.

Another alternative to consider is to build a house that is permitted and inspected in an area where alternative housing is allowed. There is all sorts of odd stuff, built with permits and inspections, in my area. Straw bale house, earth ships, rammed earth, metal framed, envelope solar, log construction, off grid, wind powered, solar powered, geodesic .......

Oregon does have requirements about insulation values and weatherization that a yurt can't meet, so there are a few yurts, but they aren't full time permanent housing.

[dhanu86]

Any dirt road with privacy should do.