Possible, but hard and costly. Only about 4 inches of rain falls a year, so you will rely on a well or hauled water. The growing season runs about 317 frost-free days, long enough for a spring and a fall garden. The nearest roads are often dirt tracks, so plan to build or maintain your own access.
What the land says
Rain
Desert rain. Plan on a well or hauled water, and on irrigating anything you grow.
About 4 inches a year (PRISM, 1991 to 2020 average)
Wells
Well depth varies a lot here. Get a local driller's quote before you offer.
Typical well depths here range from 70 feet to 540 feet
Growing season
Long enough for a spring and a fall garden.
About 317 frost-free days, USDA zone 9b; last frost about February 5, first about December 7
Sun
Strong sun. A modest solar array covers a household.
About 6.7 hours of full sun a day, averaged over the year
Flood
Low ground here can flood in a very large storm. Look up the parcel on FEMA's flood map.
some land is in the 500-year floodplain
Wildfire
Low wildfire risk.
U.S. Forest Service wildfire hazard map: Very Low to Moderate 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 720 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
Dirt tracks. Plan to build or maintain your own road.
Nearest road often a dirt track, about 2 miles away (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 Yuma 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.
Depends on depth, which varies here. Get a driller's quote.
Septic
$5,000 to $10,000
Standard system
Solar and batteries
$17,000 to $34,000
Sized for a modest household
Road or driveway
$15,000 to $39,000
From the nearest road to a house site
Clearing
$1,000 to $4,000
A house site, solar, and garden
Total
$37,000 to $87,000
Before the house, plus the well
Before you make an offer on land here
Well depth
Get a local driller's depth estimate.
Typical well depths here range from 70 feet to 540 feet.
Road access
Confirm a recorded easement to the parcel.
The nearest roads are often dirt tracks.
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.
Nearby counties
213,221 people live in Yuma County, about 38.7 per square mile. It ranks 13th of the 15 Arizona counties we scored, and Arizona ranks 48th of 50 states.