Can you live off-grid in San Francisco County, California?
68
of 100
Major concerns
Possible, but hard and costly. We found no public well records here, so price a test well early. The growing season runs about 250 frost-free days, long enough for a spring and a fall garden. The ground is steep, with slopes averaging about 22%. That raises the cost of a driveway, septic, and foundation.
What the land says
Rain
Too dry to live on rain. Plan on a well, and on irrigating anything you grow.
About 25 inches a year (30-year average)
Wells
Well depth is unknown here. Ask the seller for the well log, or price a test well, before you offer.
No well depths in the public records for this area
Growing season
Long enough for a spring and a fall garden.
About 250 frost-free days, USDA zone 9a; last frost about March 24, first about November 29
Sun
Good sun. Size the array and battery bank for winter.
About 4.9 hours of full sun a day, averaged over the year
Flood
Flood zones are rare here. Still, look up the parcel on FEMA's flood map.
FEMA maps no flood zones nearby
Wildfire
Low wildfire risk.
U.S. Forest Service wildfire hazard map: Very 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
Earthquakes
Strong shaking is possible. Build to the seismic code and brace the water tank.
USGS seismic hazard map: high
Terrain
Steep in places. Driveways, septic, and foundations cost more.
Slopes average about 22%, about 100 feet above sea level
Road
Dirt tracks. Plan to build or maintain your own road.
Nearest road often a dirt track, about 1 mile away (OpenStreetMap)
Check a California 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
San Francisco County zones land outside its towns and publishes its zoning map. Our free lookup shows the district for any address.
Building code
The California Building Standards Code (Title 24) applies statewide and every city and county must enforce it, so a new house needs a permit however remote. A county may adopt the state's optional rules for owner-built rural homes, which relax some standards but still require a permit.
Rainwater
Collecting it is allowed.
Composting toilets
Allowed with a permit and an approved unit.
Water rights
A mix of two systems. Ask the state water office before you drill a well or dam a creek.
Ask the seller for the well log, or look in the state's well records.
We found no public well records for this area.
Road access
Confirm a recorded easement to the parcel.
The nearest roads are often dirt tracks.
Zoning
Look up the parcel's zoning district with our free tool.
The county publishes its zoning map.
Nearby counties
808,988 people live in San Francisco County, about 17323.1 per square mile. It ranks tied for 41st of the 58 California counties we scored, and California ranks 45th of 50 states.