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How did you decide on where exactly to go off grid? I've read books on the topic, listened to radio shows and watched videos by both experts and novices living the life. There doesn't really seem to be a consensus, such as a best state for living this way since people that are enthusiastic about the topic live all over the country in many different states and regions. So what criteria did those of you living off grid, who are also into prepping, use to decide on the general area, state and locale to settle down in?
I've been seeing stories where the government in certain states and counties is cracking down on people living off grid and in tiny homes and such, in some cases forcing them off their land. That's one of my concerns about this. I would hate to find a perfect piece of land and set up on it, only to have the government force me off because they suddenly decided that off grid living there was illegal or something like that. Is anyone else concerned about that aspect and if so what sort of precautions have you taken? Thanks.
You have to be a bit more detailed on what you mean by "going off grid".
Technically, you have gone off grid when you disconnect from public utilities and services.
Some use it to mean they want to build a shanty dung hole in the woods and pickle acorns in their chicken coop while drinking their own urine.
Others (some right here on this forum) believe going off grid means hating the government, blaming "liberals" for everything and arming themselves to the teeth; all the while living in their 4 bedroom 3 bath suburbia home with lawn service, using their high speed internet, watching premium cable TV and driving a Buick Encore.
Others think going off grid means having everything in camo and dressing like the picture of a contractor from Iraq, eating only prepackaged survival food, furnishing their home like a picture from a doomsday magazines, and basically going as far as they can while still not giving up their "easy life" internet and utilities.
Or, like real off gridders instead of shallow stereotypes, you want someplace removed from the crime and violence of the metro areas, without strangling government restrictions, where you can live peacefully with your family the way you choose to?
What exactly does off grid mean to you? Do you want to be "green", self sufficient, make your own power or experimental home? Maybe you want to raise or supplement your food supply to avoid a lot of chemical additives? Maybe you want to cut the power lines and bills so you have a stable power source no matter what happens.
There are a couple of government lacky agitators on this board that are just 3 day weather preppers that believe the fEMA pamphlets are holy writ and the feds will never let anything bad happen, just ignore them, they scream shout spout hyperbole and try to deride, but they're pretty harmless and ineffective.
Then there are a lot of good folks that take care of themselves that post here and can be a valuable source of good information on widely varied subjects.
You need to define what you want to do and ask specific questions to get the answers you need.
Last edited by MTSilvertip; 07-30-2016 at 12:24 AM..
Technically, the term "off grid" means not being connected to the electrical power supplied by utility companies. That's all it really means. I have a home in
Maine that is not connected, because it's very rural and there are no power poles close enough to hook up to, for reasonable cost. It isn't a political statement. It has nothing to do with anti-government sentiments. We use solar panels, generators, bottled propane, have internet and cell phones, and live pretty much like other Americans. The house is built to code.
We have a vacation place in TN that is connected to the power grid, because poles ran right by it on the road. Connecting was a no-brainer. That place is rural, also.
My feeling is that if the power lines run close to your property, you may as well connect, if only for convenience. You can still have solar panels, a battery bank, and a generator. You can still run a portion of your household on your own power, and use only as much grid power as is convenient for you. You make the choices.
And making choices is really what this lifestyle is about. You have more say in your finances, power usage, carbon footprint, "greenness", as well as how rural and away from large populations you want to be.
The term "off grid" has come to be associated with living in alternative housing (yurts, travel trailers, school buses, earth berm, etc), and with such things as organic gardening, raising livestock, collecting rainwater, being a prepper, being anti-government, owning firearms, or being a "patriot". Those things may or may not apply to you, or the livestyle you are pursuing. It's important to be precise.
Generally, the more rural areas are where you will find the most freedom of choice. I know of no state where there are no such areas, but some states are better than others. Densely concentrated urban development, liberal ("blue" states), and places where the legislatures have over-active control issues, might be good placesto avoid.
Pay no attention to snarky posters on this forum who delight in calling you Rambo, insist that you have wet dreams over the Zombie Apocalypse, or accuse you of being a gun-toting mall ninja. None of that has anything to do with being off grid.
Technically, the term "off grid" means not being connected to the electrical power supplied by utility companies. That's all it really means. I have a home in
Maine that is not connected, because it's very rural and there are no power poles close enough to hook up to, for reasonable cost. It isn't a political statement. It has nothing to do with anti-government sentiments. We use solar panels, generators, bottled propane, have internet and cell phones, and live pretty much like other Americans. The house is built to code.
We have a vacation place in TN that is connected to the power grid, because poles ran right by it on the road. Connecting was a no-brainer. That place is rural, also.
My feeling is that if the power lines run close to your property, you may as well connect, if only for convenience. You can still have solar panels, a battery bank, and a generator. You can still run a portion of your household on your own power, and use only as much grid power as is convenient for you. You make the choices.
And making choices is really what this lifestyle is about. You have more say in your finances, power usage, carbon footprint, "greenness", as well as how rural and away from large populations you want to be.
The term "off grid" has come to be associated with living in alternative housing (yurts, travel trailers, school buses, earth berm, etc), and with such things as organic gardening, raising livestock, collecting rainwater, being a prepper, being anti-government, owning firearms, or being a "patriot". Those things may or may not apply to you, or the livestyle you are pursuing. It's important to be precise.
Generally, the more rural areas are where you will find the most freedom of choice. I know of no state where there are no such areas, but some states are better than others. Densely concentrated urban development, liberal ("blue" states), and places where the legislatures have over-active control issues, might be good placesto avoid.
Pay no attention to snarky posters on this forum who delight in calling you Rambo, insist that you have wet dreams over the Zombie Apocalypse, or accuse you of being a gun-toting mall ninja. None of that has anything to do with being off grid.
Finally....a sensible response to an honest question
County regulations may be the most important issue. I live in a very sparsely populated county that didn't even require permits, in most locations, 20 years ago. Things have changed here.....pretty radically.
Across the nation, large number of counties are making it a lot more difficult to go off the grid. They are requiring:
1) Power source such as wind or solar or grid tie-in.
2) Water source such as well. They may allow a cistern (water storage).
3) Septic system with large holding tank - this county requires a 1200 gallon holding tank.
4) 600 sq ft living structure....minimum.
Basically...they are saying "No to Camping" on your own property. There are plenty of pros and cons to this of course.
This over reaching dystopian government is driving people to seek more privacy and safety from possible consequences of a dystopian government. The knee jerk reaction of a dystopian government is to make it harder to get away from them. They have more power and control over city dwellers.
Check the county before you buy. Be aware that county regulations can change overnight. Buy a lot of popcorn and watch the show unfold.
Some of the best locations for this are in Texas. Many west Texas counties have little or no building codes. Usually people think north, but there are people doing it to different degrees here, like this guy.
Of course in most of Texas, you can still vary how you want to do it. You can still get power, a water well, but don't really need a septic system govt. approved in many parts.
I know another guy in this area who had a metal barn built, and then built a living quarters inside, so that he had a combination woodworking shop /living quarters.
We looked at a lot of places where water is not readily accessible year-round.
So many regions deal with annual water-stress, droughts, fluctuating water-tables, etc.
Easy access to water, along with low land prices, low taxes, sparse regulations, and culture of self-sufficiency and indepenence, were all importance to us.
Best case scenario seems like being able to set up to be compliant under the most strict regulations that you can even imagine then as covertly as possible make sure you do not actually 'need' to be hooked up or use the excess space in the structure.
Building codes, regulations, etc can all change at any time, like you said and you could be forced out years later. As others have posted, water is the thing, again, best case scenario - have a secret, runs all year, potable spring on your property.
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