Areas in the U.S. With No Building Codes

[notsothoreau]

I'm going to do something similar. Build a vardo and use the shell to move my stuff. Buy a small chunk of land, possibly one that had a house at one time, but has electric and septic available. Set up a carport with a room to one side. Park the vardo under the carport and set up my other things in the room. it can be used as space for company or if I get too old to live in the vardo, I can move into that room. I don't think I'm going to have a lot of money to spend for a place, so trying to figure out a way to do this as cheaply as I can.

[hoss73ford]

In my small Arkansas town (population 252) there isn't a city code. People are pretty much on the honor system and it's worked well. In six years there's been just two house fires (one struck by lightning and the other, a vacant house the cause was likely an electrical short)
I want to convert my driveway from dirt to asphalt as I have classic cars and don't want to get mud on them. NO PROBLEM, pay the town a $50 fee and get it done. I want to extend the concrete from the carport too. Again no problem, pay the fee and do it. Larger cities would either outright say no or there'd be a bunch of red tape to go through. No thanks I like my freedom guaranteed by the Constitution.
HOAs and POAs are almost non existent in this state (just 3% of all homes in the entire state belong to one) Them and their Nazi regulations would be run out on a rail here.

[hoss73ford]

In Oregon there's a guy that lives on his property in an old Boeing 727. He did a great job building the interior.

[ketchikanite]

The majority of Alaska is free from building codes.

[PBC-1966]

Originally Posted by 6.7traveler

-Several counties in the Southern Missouri Ozarks. Inexpensive land as well.

So long as you stay outside incorporated areas, many rural counties throughout Missouri have no building/electrical/mechanical/plumbing codes, no permits and no inspections. The exceptions are for wells and septic systems which are regulated at state level. But once you have those taken care of, you can build pretty much anything you like.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by PBC-1966

So long as you stay outside incorporated areas, many rural counties throughout Missouri have no building/electrical/mechanical/plumbing codes, no permits and no inspections. The exceptions are for wells and septic systems which are regulated at state level. But once you have those taken care of, you can build pretty much anything you like.

Here in Maine, the state regulations for wells, required that the well driller file a form with the state saying that he had drilled a well, its depth, and its flow rate. There was no 'approval' process, and the state did not have any information about the drill site before drilling began.

As to our septic system. I hired a soil science / septic engineer, he walked all around on my property taking soil samples. He found the best location for a leechfield, and he gave me a custom design for my leechfield. Then attached to my building application was a letter from him stating that he had given me the design. He told me that the design is my property, and the state has no claim to ever see the design.

A lot of people in this area have 'camps', which do not require permission from the state.

But if you want to build a dwelling with a slab or foundation, then you are required to apply through the state for a building permit.