What to Check Before Buying Off-Grid Land: A 5-Point Checklist
Cheap rural land is cheap for a reason. Sometimes the reason is harmless, it is just far from a city. But often the reason is a deal-breaker you cannot see in the listing photos: no legal way to reach the parcel, a water table 600 feet down, or a county rule that prohibits the way you planned to live. This checklist covers the five things to verify before you spend money on a site visit, a survey, or earnest money.
- Access: Does a public road or a recorded easement actually reach it? Landlocked parcels are worth far less.
- Water: Rainfall, nearby well depths, and who holds the water rights. In the arid West it is the most common deal-breaker.
- Zoning: The county sets the rules on minimum dwelling size, RVs, and off-grid power, and the health department permits septic. Call them.
- Hazards: FEMA flood, wildfire, and seismic risk change your build cost and insurance.
- Terrain: Slope and soil drainage decide whether septic and a foundation are cheap or expensive.
Can you legally get to the parcel?
Not all land touches a public road, and a parcel without recorded access can be effectively worthless.
Can you legally get to the parcel?
Not all land touches a public road, and a parcel without recorded access can be effectively worthless.
Look at the parcel on a county GIS map and trace how you would reach it. If the route crosses a neighbor's land, there must be a recorded easement, because a verbal agreement with the current owner does not survive the sale. Landlocked parcels sell at steep discounts precisely because fixing access can cost more than the land itself.
Is there water, and can you legally use it?
In the arid West, water kills more off-grid plans than anything else, so check it first.
Is there water, and can you legally use it?
In the arid West, water kills more off-grid plans than anything else, so check it first.
Look at three things. Annual rainfall: under 20 inches makes rain catchment a supplement, not a source. Nearby well depths from your state's well-log database or the USGS National Water Information System: wells past 400 feet get expensive fast, often $35 to $75 per foot drilled. And any surface water like creeks or springs, along with who holds the rights to use it. In much of the western US, water rights can be sold separately from the land, so confirm which rights, if any, come with it.
Is the land zoned, and what does it allow?
Living off-grid is legal in most of the rural US, but the county controls the details.
Is the land zoned, and what does it allow?
Living off-grid is legal in most of the rural US, but the county controls the details.
Some counties require a connection to the electric grid for an occupancy permit. Some set minimum dwelling sizes that rule out small cabins. Others prohibit full-time RV living, and many states allow composting toilets only with a permit or a certified unit. Call the county planning office before you buy and ask specifically about minimum dwelling size, septic requirements, and whether off-grid power is allowed for a primary residence.
What natural hazards hit this parcel?
A high-hazard parcel is not automatically a bad buy, but it changes your costs, so you want to know before you commit.
What natural hazards hit this parcel?
A high-hazard parcel is not automatically a bad buy, but it changes your costs, so you want to know before you commit.
Check the FEMA flood map for the parcel, because a high-risk zone (one whose name starts with A or V) makes insurance expensive and building permits harder. Check the USDA Forest Service wildfire hazard potential rating for the area. And check USGS seismic risk, which is highest in the West but reaches much of the country. None of these is an automatic no, but each one moves your build cost, your insurance, and your long-term risk.
Is the terrain actually buildable?
Steep or poorly-draining ground drives up every cost: foundations, driveways, and especially septic.
Is the terrain actually buildable?
Steep or poorly-draining ground drives up every cost: foundations, driveways, and especially septic.
Ground slope over about 15% makes conventional septic difficult, and over 25% makes most building expensive. Also check soil drainage against the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service soil survey: soil that drains poorly may need an alternative or engineered septic system costing $10,000 to $25,000, instead of a $5,000 to $10,000 conventional one. The soil test is often the real gate on whether a rural parcel can be built on at all.
Run any US or Canadian address through our free Off-Grid Score for a 0-to-100 read across water, legal, energy, hazards, food, and buildability, scored from FEMA, USGS, USDA, and NLR-PVWatts data, in about a minute. It is the fastest way to rule out bad land before you spend on a site visit.
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