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I am interesting in buying a piece of raw land. And then living in a van, tent, shack, or some other kind of simple structure on it.
Which states or counties have leniant regulations for this sort of thing? I basically want to buy some land and then be able to do wanything I want on it, build anything I want, etc.
There are many reasons why I want to live like this. It is something I have been dreaming about for years now. Because I am poor, I cannot afford a proper house, so I am satisfied to live more basically.
I spent a few weeks livng in a Thai village where there was no electricity, utilities, sewage etc. Just straw huts. And I loved it. I could definitely make that a permanent lifestyle just like they, and many people around the world do. I have also lived outdoors before for long periods of time, so I know what i'm getting into.
Thanks a lot people. This is a great forum you hae here with lots of great info and I look forward to getting to know you all better.
You don't need to buy land to live like a simple nomad. Tens of thousands of people in the US have RVs of all types and park on BLM land, at no cost. This is mostly in the vast open areas of the Western US, where we have unsettled tracts of BLM public land. Some of the BLM land areas are within short distances of small to medium sized cities, so you don't have to travel 50 miles to get supplies.
It might be worth trying out the "living in the open" lifestyle on BLM land first, before deciding to buy raw land. You will need a vehicle to haul in your water and supplies, and you are not supposed to leave behind any trace of habitation on the BLM land.
You don't need to buy land to live like a simple nomad. Tens of thousands of people in the US have RVs of all types and park on BLM land, at no cost. This is mostly in the vast open areas of the Western US, where we have unsettled tracts of BLM public land. Some of the BLM land areas are within short distances of small to medium sized cities, so you don't have to travel 50 miles to get supplies.
It might be worth trying out the "living in the open" lifestyle on BLM land first, before deciding to buy raw land. You will need a vehicle to haul in your water and supplies, and you are not supposed to leave behind any trace of habitation on the BLM land.
Thanks for the tip. I was considering that. I spent a few months living that way before. Camping out in national parks. Mostly in the redwoods of Northern California.
But I want to have some kind of home base, even if I spend lots of time away from it. I want a place that I can call my own and work on projects and set things up a bit, raise some animals, do some farming, etc. I may end up just building dirt floor shacks on the property, but I do want my own place that belongs to me this time.
That's my dream at least. If I can't afford to do this, i'll most likely take your advice.
Remember that a lot of governement land has length of stay rules. For the Forest Service it is 2 weeks. You can then come back after two weeks.
I believe you can camp out on your own land and do (almost) whatever in most states. Codes don't often apply until you start building over 250 square feet (this is what I have learned from reading how-tos on straw bale or cobb houses). I think the only issue I would be worried about is a "septic system." I'm thinking (but far from knowing) that that would be the main issue for codes and such at the level of living you are talking about. I guess I would just look at where land is the cheapest according to what climate/features you want, then check the outhouse regulations. In Minnesota, we had a hole dug out with two of the big blue barrels set in it.
Anyhow, in the case of outhouses, I don't think regulations are that bad--makes you really think about where you want to put it.
Basically -- on a different scale but still -- that's the way DW and I plan to start off in northern Maine. We'll be buying 40-50 acres of country land in an Unorganized Territory, which has no municipal employees, and thus very low taxes. There are supposed to be building codes, but a lack of inspectors to enforce them.
We'll likely start out living in a 30' + camper, with sliders if we can get a good used model with those, and will have a place to live while we build. We don't plan on anything fancy -- they sell Amish "camps" up there that can be bought and towed to your site. They are pricey, and not very big, so maybe we'll look into copying the design and foundation, building ourselves and building a little bigger. 1200-1500 sq ft would be easy to heat and plenty of space for us. If anybody comes up to visit us, they can always stay in the camper, which we'll keep.
I believe that having an outhouse on the premises is always a good idea, even if you have a regulation bathroom in the house. Like you, we are planning on extensive gardening and livestock, and that keeps the dirt and footprints out of the house during the workday.
We dislike going into debt and after having paid off one mortgage, decided not to go that route again. We plan to buy the land and camper for cash, and "pay as we go" when it comes to building.
Most areas of the country have some amount of rural land that is either unzoned or zoned "general use" which would let you do pretty much whatever you wanted on them as long as you follow state water and septic regulations. A quick double-check with the county would confirm whether or not you needed any building permits on the unzoned parcel (usually not) and what the size limits are if they are required... this varies greatly from 250 sq ft to upwards of 1000 sq ft before a "shed" is considered a "domicile". The only thing to be careful about is getting into a tricky zoning area where it is illegal to reside in a "shed".
Most areas of the country have some amount of rural land that is either unzoned or zoned "general use" which would let you do pretty much whatever you wanted on them as long as you follow state water and septic regulations. A quick double-check with the county would confirm whether or not you needed any building permits on the unzoned parcel (usually not) and what the size limits are if they are required... this varies greatly from 250 sq ft to upwards of 1000 sq ft before a "shed" is considered a "domicile". The only thing to be careful about is getting into a tricky zoning area where it is illegal to reside in a "shed".
All the more reason to figure out your ideal climate zone and other factors before zoning laws. Use the zoning laws to wheedle down from there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nor'Eastah
... They are pricey, and not very big, so maybe we'll look into copying the design and foundation, building ourselves and building a little bigger. 1200-1500 sq ft would be easy to heat and plenty of space for us. If anybody comes up to visit us, they can always stay in the camper, which we'll keep.
That seems a little huge for only two people (and no guests!). The smaller the house, the less wood it takes to heat. And just overall cheaper. Just my two cents.
The Unorganized Borough of Alaska. No zoning, permits, property taxes or such.
However, even elsewhere, you can get away with a lot if you keep it primitive. For instance, here (VT), a "primitive camp" with no indoor plumbing is exempt from a lot of regulations. If you only use, say, a wall tent, you'd have next to nothing to worry about in most parts of this state and several others. You just need to avoid the places with too many rules or homeowner associations...
NorEastah, keep us posted on your N. Maine project. I have about 3 1/2 years left in the cubicle bound workforce before retirement. I have plans to build a small house / cabin (about 650 sf), but I want to be within close range of a small city so I am not dependent on gasoline powered motor vehicles to make trips to town for basic shopping or to obtain basic services. I've been a daily bicycle commuter for the past decade so I have proven that a bicycle can do the job for lots of transportation needs. The key is living in a place where the terrain is not too hilly and where there are enough streets and roads in different directions so you are not stuck to just one or two main routes, packed with car traffic. And it will be outside the southern california megalopolis. I have lots of options on the table, and will have to narrow down the choices in the next couple of years.
I think the trick would be actually pulling it off without some sort of coordination between water/septic/building permit. I think you could initially maneuver the system....but eventually it sure can catch up with you. Bureaucracy has made it near about impossible to actually 'homestead' a piece of land without jumping through all the required hoops. You may be able to pull it off in a tent as long as you don't require running water or a bathroom.
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