Off-grid means you do not need the utility company. It does not mean you do not need the county.
That gap is easy to miss. Picture a cabin, a well and a few solar panels, with no one to answer to. Then the county health office asks for a soil test, and the plan has a new first step.
What off-grid removes, and what it does not
Going off-grid changes who supplies power, water and sewer. You, not a utility, do. The monthly bills go away. The approvals do not.
What off-grid usually means:
- No monthly bill to a power, water or sewer utility
- Your choice of how to supply each one: solar, a well, stored or hauled water, a septic system
- Lower running costs once the setup is in place
What it usually does not mean:
- No permits
- No inspections
- No limit on how long you may camp or live in an RV on the land
- Freedom to put any structure anywhere on the parcel
Rules differ by state and by county. That is the point of the questions below: each one goes to the office that actually decides.
Ask in this order
Ask the questions in this order, because the first "no" can end the idea. It is better to hear it before you pay than after. Each question below names the office to call, and each answer is worth getting in writing.
1. Is your plan an allowed use?
Ask the county planning or zoning office what the parcel's zoning allows: a home, a cabin, camping, an RV, or living on the land year-round. Many counties set limits on each.
Ask for the answer in writing, and ask what is needed to camp or park an RV for a few weeks, which is often treated differently from living there year-round.
2. Will the soil pass a septic test?
Most rural parcels without a sewer line need a septic system. That usually starts with a soil test, often called a percolation test (a "perc" test), which checks how well the ground absorbs water. The permit comes from the county health office.
This is often the question that decides whether a dwelling is possible at all. Some parcels fail the test, and a parcel in a flood zone can be refused a septic permit.
Ask the health office what it requires, and which alternatives it accepts. A composting toilet with greywater (used wash water) is not accepted everywhere, and may not meet code for full-time living.
3. Is a well allowed, and what are the other water options?
Most places require a permit before a well is drilled. Ask the county, or the state water agency, whether a new well is allowed on that parcel.
If it is not, the other options are hauled water, stored water and rainwater collection. Each has its own rules. A well driller can give you a written quote for the drilling itself.
4. What does solar need?
Solar is the common off-grid answer for power. Ask whether the county requires a permit or an inspection for solar or electrical work on a parcel like this one.
If a power line is close, ask the utility for a written estimate to extend service. The utility sets that cost, not the seller.
5. What may you build, and where?
Cabin, tiny home, mobile home and RV are treated differently from one county to the next. Ask the building department about permits, minimum sizes, setbacks (the required distance from property lines) and any deed restrictions or homeowners association (HOA) rules.
Write down who said what
For each answer, record the office, the name of the person, and the date. A verbal answer from a seller is not an answer from the county. Ask the office itself.
An answer you could not get is not a zero. It is a cost you have not priced yet. Our earlier post, Five Questions That Show What Cheap Land Really Costs, shows how to turn the answers into one number.
The takeaway
Off-grid changes who supplies the services. The county still decides what you may do on the land.
Ask in this order: use, septic, water, power, structure. Save the list for your next search, and if you are looking for a particular kind of land, tell us at mysolands.com.