Yes, with one thing to plan around. Wells are shallow here, near 90 feet, which keeps drilling costs down. Solar is weaker here, about 4.3 hours of full sun a day, so plan a bigger battery bank or a generator.
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 39 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 90 feet deep; a well typically runs $6,000 to $13,000
Growing season
Enough for most vegetables. Start tomatoes and peppers indoors.
About 156 frost-free days, USDA zone 5a; last frost about May 6, first about October 12
Sun
Fair sun. Plan a larger array or a generator for winter.
About 4.3 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 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
Rolling ground. Look for a flat house site.
Slopes average about 11%, about 560 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 0.6 miles (OpenStreetMap)
Check a Vermont 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
Set by the town, not the county. The rules depend on which town the parcel is in.
Building code
Vermont has no statewide building code for an owner-occupied single-family home (the state code covers public buildings and rentals), though a town may adopt its own, so ask the town. New homes must meet the state residential energy code unless the owner builds to live in it and discloses any shortfall to a later buyer.
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 90 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 $8,000
From the nearest road to a house site
Clearing
$1,000 to $4,000
A house site, solar, and garden
Total
$33,000 to $69,000
Before the house
Before you make an offer on land here
Zoning
Call the town office with the parcel's address.
Zoning here is set by the town, not the county.
Soil test
Get a soil test before you count on septic.
The county has to approve the ground before it issues a septic permit.
Road access
Confirm the parcel fronts a public road or has a recorded easement.
Without one, you may not have a legal way in.
Nearby counties
37,720 people live in Addison County, about 49.2 per square mile. It ranks tied for 3rd of the 14 Vermont counties we scored, and Vermont ranks 30th of 50 states.