Can you live off-grid in Carver County, Minnesota?
86
of 100
Good with caveats
Yes. We found no major drawback on the land. The ground is mostly flat and drains well, which keeps building simple.
What the land says
Rain
Rain helps, but plan on a well for most of your water and on watering the garden in dry months.
About 32 inches a year (PRISM, 1991 to 2020 average)
Wells
Typical well depth. Budget for a mid-range well.
The typical well here is about 160 feet deep; a well typically runs $9,000 to $19,000
Growing season
Enough for most vegetables. Start tomatoes and peppers indoors.
About 159 frost-free days, USDA zone 4b; last frost about April 30, first about October 7
Sun
Good sun. Size the array and battery bank for winter.
About 4.5 hours of full sun a day, averaged over the year
Flood
Flood zones run along creeks and rivers here. Look up the parcel on FEMA's flood map.
FEMA maps flood zones within a quarter mile across much of the county
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; about 0.7 strong (EF2 or stronger) tornadoes a decade within 25 miles
Terrain
Flat to gentle, easy to build on.
Slopes average about 3%, about 960 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 0.8 miles (OpenStreetMap)
Check a Minnesota 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 Carver County, so call the county planning office with the parcel number to ask whether the land is zoned.
Building code
The Minnesota State Building Code (the 2018 International Residential Code with Minnesota changes, for homes) applies statewide, but a city, township, or county enforces it only if it has adopted the code by ordinance. Whether a new home needs a building permit depends on that local adoption, so ask the city, township, or county.
Rainwater
Collecting it is allowed.
Composting toilets
Allowed.
Water rights
Owners of land along a creek or lake can make reasonable use of its water.
Drilled to about 160 feet, with pump and pressure tank
Septic
$5,000 to $10,000
Standard system
Solar and batteries
$18,000 to $34,000
Sized for a modest household
Road or driveway
$3,000 to $9,000
From the nearest road to a house site
Clearing
$1,000 to $4,000
A house site, solar, and garden
Total
$36,000 to $76,000
Before the house
Before you make an offer on land here
Flood map
Look up the parcel on FEMA's flood map.
Flood zones run along creeks and rivers here. 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
111,057 people live in Carver County, about 313.8 per square mile. It ranks tied for 30th of the 86 Minnesota counties we scored, and Minnesota ranks 31st of 50 states.