Can you live off-grid in Columbia County, Wisconsin?
87
of 100
Good with caveats
Yes. We found no major drawback on the land. Wells are shallow here, near 130 feet, which keeps drilling costs down.
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 37 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 130 feet deep; a well typically runs $7,000 to $16,000
Growing season
Enough for most vegetables. Start tomatoes and peppers indoors.
About 158 frost-free days, USDA zone 5a; last frost about May 2, first about October 10
Sun
Good sun. Size the array and battery bank for winter.
About 4.6 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 in places
Wildfire
Low wildfire risk.
U.S. Forest Service wildfire hazard map: Very Low to Moderate here
Storms
Strong tornadoes pass through now and then. A safe room is worth pricing.
NOAA: no hurricane-strength storm within 50 miles since 1975; about 2 strong (EF2 or stronger) tornadoes a decade within 25 miles
Terrain
Flat to gentle, easy to build on.
Slopes average about 6%, about 880 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 0.7 miles (OpenStreetMap)
Check a Wisconsin 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 town by town. County zoning applies in a town only if the town board has approved it, and some towns zone on their own, so ask the town clerk with the parcel's address.
Building code
Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code is a statewide building code for new one- and two-family homes. The town, village, city, or county enforces it with a building permit and inspections, and in a small town that does neither, the state Department of Safety and Professional Services does, so plan on a permit for a new house almost anywhere.
Rainwater
Collecting it is allowed.
Composting toilets
Allowed with a permit and an approved unit.
Water rights
Owners of land along a creek or lake can make reasonable use of its water.
Drilled to about 130 feet, with pump and pressure tank
Septic
$5,000 to $10,000
Standard system
Solar and batteries
$19,000 to $37,000
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 town or township office with the parcel's address.
Set town by town. County zoning applies in a town only if the town board has approved it, and some towns zone on their own, so ask the town clerk with the parcel's address.
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
58,091 people live in Columbia County, about 75.9 per square mile. It ranks tied for 19th of the 72 Wisconsin counties we scored, and Wisconsin ranks 28th of 50 states.