Possible, but access will be hard. The nearest roads are often dirt tracks, so plan to build or maintain your own access. Wells are shallow here, near 120 feet, which keeps drilling costs down. The sun is strong, about 6.2 hours of full sun a day, so a smaller solar array covers a household.
What the land says
Rain
Too dry to live on rain. Plan on a well, and on irrigating anything you grow.
About 20 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 120 feet deep; a well typically runs $5,000 to $11,000
Growing season
A full season for most vegetables.
About 220 frost-free days, USDA zone 8a; last frost about March 31, first about November 7
Sun
Strong sun. A modest solar array covers a household.
About 6.2 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
Wildfire risk is high in places. Check the risk for the parcel you want.
U.S. Forest Service wildfire hazard map: Low to High here
Storms
Hurricanes and strong tornadoes are rare here.
NOAA: no hurricane-strength storm within 50 miles since 1975; about 0.8 strong (EF2 or stronger) tornadoes a decade within 25 miles
Terrain
Flat to gentle, easy to build on.
Slopes average about 2%, about 2,500 feet above sea level
Soil
Good ground for a standard septic system. The county's soil test decides.
Clay 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 1 mile away (OpenStreetMap)
Check a Texas 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
None. Texas counties cannot zone rural land, though septic, well, and floodplain rules still apply.
Building code
Texas state law applies the International Residential Code only inside city limits, so a house on unincorporated county land usually has no building code or permit. A county may opt in to require it, checked by an inspector the builder hires, but it cannot require approval before you build or charge a fee.
Rainwater
Collecting it is allowed.
Composting toilets
Allowed.
Water rights
A mix of two systems. Ask the state water office before you drill a well or dam a creek.
Drilled to about 120 feet, with pump and pressure tank
Septic
$5,000 to $10,000
Standard system
Solar and batteries
$20,000 to $35,000
Sized for a modest household
Road or driveway
$7,000 to $16,000
From the nearest road to a house site
Clearing
$1,000 to $3,000
A house site, solar, and garden
Total
$37,000 to $75,000
Before the house
Before you make an offer on land here
Road access
Confirm a recorded easement to the parcel.
The nearest roads are often dirt tracks.
Wildfire
Ask an insurance agent whether they will write a policy.
The U.S. Forest Service rates wildfire risk high in places.
Deed rules
Order a title search for deed restrictions.
With no county zoning, deed restrictions and subdivision rules decide what you can build.
Nearby counties
572 people live in Borden County, about 0.6 per square mile. It ranks tied for 213th of the 254 Texas counties we scored, and Texas ranks 34th of 50 states.