Possible, but hard and costly. Only about 5 inches of rain falls a year, so you will rely on a well (near 70 feet here) or hauled water. The growing season runs about 304 frost-free days, long enough for a spring and a fall garden. Flood zones cover parts of the county, so look up any parcel on FEMA's flood map before you offer.
What the land says
Rain
Desert rain. Plan on a well or hauled water, and on irrigating anything you grow.
About 5 inches a year (PRISM, 1991 to 2020 average)
Wells
Shallow wells, so drilling should be one of the cheaper costs.
The typical well here is about 70 feet deep; a well typically runs $4,000 to $10,000
Growing season
Long enough for a spring and a fall garden.
About 304 frost-free days, USDA zone 9b; last frost about February 9, first about December 2
Sun
Strong sun. A modest solar array covers a household.
About 6.7 hours of full sun a day, averaged over the year
Flood
Flood zones cover parts of the county. Look up any parcel on FEMA's flood map before you offer.
FEMA maps flood zones in parts of the county
Wildfire
Low wildfire risk.
U.S. Forest Service wildfire hazard map: Very Low to Low here
Storms
Hurricanes and strong tornadoes are rare here.
NOAA: no hurricane-strength storm within 50 miles since 1975; no strong (EF2 or stronger) tornado within 25 miles since 1990
Terrain
Flat to gentle, easy to build on.
Slopes average about 1%, about 660 feet above sea level
Soil
Good ground for a standard septic system. The county's soil test decides.
Loam, well drained (USDA soil survey). A standard system typically runs $5,000 to $10,000
Road
Paved roads are close by.
Nearest paved road usually within about 1 mile (OpenStreetMap)
Check an Arizona parcel, or plan the one you own
Get a free 0-100 off-grid score.
A step-by-step build plan, sizing your solar, water, garden, septic, heat, and buildings.
Is it legal here?
Zoning
We found no public zoning map for La Paz County, so call the county planning office with the parcel number to ask whether the land is zoned.
Building code
No statewide residential building code: each county and city decides whether to adopt one, and a county may exempt land zoned rural or unclassified. State law still requires a county building permit for any building or addition costing over $1,000, even where the county has no code.
Rainwater
Collecting it is allowed.
Composting toilets
Allowed.
Water rights
Water belongs to whoever claimed it first. A new well or pond may need a state permit, and a creek may already be claimed.
Drilled to about 70 feet, with pump and pressure tank
Septic
$5,000 to $10,000
Standard system
Solar and batteries
$17,000 to $34,000
Sized for a modest household
Road or driveway
$8,000 to $20,000
From the nearest road to a house site
Clearing
$1,000 to $4,000
A house site, solar, and garden
Total
$35,000 to $77,000
Before the house
Before you make an offer on land here
Flood map
Look up the parcel on FEMA's flood map.
Flood zones cover parts of the county. Building in one means flood insurance and extra permits.
Zoning
Call the county planning office with the parcel number.
There is no public zoning map, so we cannot tell whether the land is zoned.
Soil test
Get a soil test before you count on septic.
The county has to approve the ground before it issues a septic permit.
Nearby counties
16,710 people live in La Paz County, about 3.7 per square mile. It ranks 14th of the 15 Arizona counties we scored, and Arizona ranks 48th of 50 states.