Buying your own boondocking land

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by susans69

You need to know that is illegal. Cannot live in a travel trailer unless it is zoned and certified. Sucks but true

Originally Posted by susans69

Unfortunately, it is against the law. You can get a 6 month permit to build a house but that is it.

What geographic area are you referring to? The laws governing these things vary widely by location, with most rural areas permitting the kind of use discussed here [on private property], at least for a limited time IMO.

If your comments were replies to specific posts, FYI it helps to "Quote" a post before you reply to it. That puts comments in the proper perspective. Also, FYI there is a ten-minute window within which you can "Edit" your posts. These commands are located on the right, in the blue menu bar below.

FYI
FWIW

[farafield]

Originally Posted by Tall Grass

As a retired farmer still living on the farm, all I have to do is take the trailer to the other side of the farm and hey presto, I'm boondocking!

Thats what I do! And can still take care of the animals.

[susans69]

It is throughout the US. Google it. Cannot live "off the grid". I wanted to do the same thing.

[Lily&Me]

Maybe you could provide some links to your information sources, susans69?

Threads pop up here frequently about folks wanting to buy a piece of land to put their trailer on, and they do run into zoning issues.

Rather than just throw water on all this enthusiasm, when we can all certainly use something to distract us and be excited about these days , cite some facts, as in links.

Hmmm?


On edit: googling “where to live off grid in the US” five websites immediately popped up, this being the first...

https://offgridworld.com/best-place-...f-grid-in-usa/


Maggie

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by susans69

It is throughout the US. Google it. Cannot live "off the grid". I wanted to do the same thing.

I believe this to be false. Please provide evidence supporting your claim.

[pdavitt]

She can't. Some folks have mentioned that most land in Texas is privately owned, which means it can be bought by a private individual. The county I live in has no building or zoning codes, so no restrictions.

The view from my front porch.

Originally Posted by DKB_SATX

I believe this to be false. Please provide evidence supporting your claim.

[Tall Grass]

Originally Posted by pdavitt

She can't. Some folks have mentioned that most land in Texas is privately owned, which means it can be bought by a private individual. The county I live in has no building or zoning codes, so no restrictions.

The view from my front porch.

Attachment 377701

*GASP*! Your horizon has bumps! Mine is flatter than a pancake (if you ignore the drilling rigs).

[Bill M.]

I think it is going to be hard to make general statements about legality of travel trailer living. I know in Tennessee there are areas with restrictions. I am sure Susan ran into a problem. I would not expect "everywhere" to be prohibited but the legality of the spot I choose would be the first thing I would investigate before I mad a deal. "You can do what you want on your own land" is a concept that is outdated in some areas of the country.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Thanks again for a very helpful thread, with great details, and links to additional threads. Curious to know how you left things.



It would be interesting to know if you left these items on site, and your security/protective measures to deal with weather, theft and so forth. Does your driveway have a locked chain across the entry? Or maybe you have a nearby caretaker?
.......

Happy trails,

Hi

Around here, the most common approach is to build a cinder block building about 8' x 8' with a single very stout steel door on it. One or two vents are placed to keep it from becoming a swamp.

The generator, well pump, and whatever else needs to be "locked up" go in there. If you are lucky enough to live where you can get a signal, a simple cellular based security system might go on as well.

Cost for the building and slab to put it on is non-zero. You see a lot of similar buildings out and about. They rarely have anything of significant value in them. That makes them (relatively) unattractive to the bad guys. Smaller is better in this case ....

Bob

[SYC2Vette]

Been looking at this same idea for a couple of years now. We came to the conclusion that building a tiny house to minimum (least expensive) code requirements with a well or mutual water company hookup and septic was the best way to go. Technically it was not to code to hook up the RV to the water and septic, but very unlikely that would be an issue unless that was an enforcement priority or a neighbor complained.

Years ago my Aunt and Uncle built a houseboat on large pontoons as a place to live on their lakefront property, when their application for a cabin was denied. Don't know how water and waste were handled, but seriously doubt they would pollute their own lake.

[SYC2Vette]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

What geographic area are you referring to? The laws governing these things vary widely by location, with most rural areas permitting the kind of use discussed here [on private property], at least for a limited time IMO.

If your comments were replies to specific posts, FYI it helps to "Quote" a post before you reply to it. That puts comments in the proper perspective. Also, FYI there is a ten-minute window within which you can "Edit" your posts. These commands are located on the right, in the blue menu bar below.

FYI
FWIW

Here is a pretty good summary. I like the term "soft no" apparently there might be a few places where an RV can be registered as an "accessory dwelling" that's a new one to me.
https://www.crowsurvival.com/where-c...rv-state-laws/

[Lily&Me]

And, ya know, to not completely derail this thread, the OP is not living full time in their RV on their own parcel of land, but driving to it and spending time there “camping”, in their own spot of land, without conventional hookups.

There’s a difference, and I seem to recall reading of there being time limitations in various parts of the country for such activity...without express prohibitions.

Wherever one wanted to go, zoning restrictions would dictate what one can do and for how long.

Maggie

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the comments and article. It is my understanding that the OP does not intend to have a permanent dwelling on this land. Thus the article and recent comments do not really apply exactly IMO.

It all depends on the neighbors and local authorities, which in rural NW Nova Scotia [?] appear to be few and far between.

Boondocking like this is not "residing" in the eyes of the law IMO.

Edit -- oops . . . Maggie just covered this . . . well said.

Edit #2 --
[Post #55 -- click on orange arrow to see the full post, and all the great info and links therein]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

. . .
This was a short-term camping trip on privately-owned land - we were not setting up a permanent or even semi-permanent living arrangement that would have required a more elaborate system.
. . .

Happy trails,

[SYC2Vette]

Varies widely is correct, here are variations just within Colorado.

https://parkcountypropertyrights.com/?p=144

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Shiny16

Well I’m totally impressed that you could manage 14 days in an environmentally correct way. I’m sure it lots of work but sometimes that’s half the fun.

I’m a little surprised by some folks who would suggest that I might foul my own land either through ignorance or intention. But they may not understand the context fully, which is the purpose of developing a thread.

There’s nothing that a commercial septic system does that cannot also be achieved on a smaller scale by setting it up yourself - ON A MUCH SMALLER SCALE of course, and for a shorter duration. Waste is waste, and there’s nothing magical about a septic - no gremlin inside of there that waves his magic wand and says “POOF - you are no longer a waste”. It’s much the same material break-down process, although for the moment I will skip those details for brevity.

As for the debate about legality, again, it’s all about context and jurisdiction. I’m not talking about full-timing and living off grid at the outset. I’m talking about acquiring private land, and camping on private land to start with. I might grow into needing a future well and septic, yes. But for the past several years, for us, it has been baby steps of progressive capacity increase at minimal cost.

As others have noted, jurisdiction is everything. In Texas, we have a special real estate listing word “unrestricted” which is attached to rural properties. It does not mean you can dig a shallow hole and poop in it for all 12 months of the year. But there is a great deal of freedom associated with what CAN be done on an unrestricted property. That’s the whole point of being away from densely-developed areas - many more options to do with the land what you want.

[1000Miles]

What you pay for in this scenario is as follows:

1. Land
2. Access to your land (clearing, driveway / road)
3. Upgrades to your Airstream (MH or trailer) so that it can support itself off-grid
4. Maybe you pay for other amenities depending on the configuration of your site (e.g., perhaps a water tank or water well if your property does not front to a body of fresh water).

What you DON’T pay for in this scenario includes the following:

1. Construction of a dwelling (cottage / cabin) - VERY expensive
2. Running utilities into the property and/or building them on the property (e.g., septic) - VERY expensive
3. Insurance, if you can even get it (in many jurisdictions, it’s not possible to insure an unoccupied structure, and cottages are unoccupied most of the time)
4. Far higher annual real estate taxes based on conventional fixed assets

In other words, your primary investment goes into your rig, not your land. The land is just there to enable your rig.



Hi Interblog,
This is something my husband and I REALLY considered doing, as it was allowed where we bought land, but in the end, chose to build a new cabin. I do want to point out a few things where I differ on your points above, and also let you know why we went the cabin route:

1) Our (modular built) cabin cost less than most new Airstreams; it was under 100k and we got 688 sq. ft of living space. (As an aside, for another 27k, we opted for a lower level/walkout basement, which doubled our living space to 1300+.)

But if we're comparing some newer, larger AS models to just our upper level cabin, we got twice the space for the same price.

2) As another aside, the cabin was "that high" in cost because I went custom on the finishes. Yes I had to have that rain shower head! It would have been much less if I went with standard finishes, but heck, you only get to build once, so there were splurges.

And, in regards to "other costs to build" it does vary by a location's codes, plus the owner's desires. We have septic, but the cabin south of us has an outhouse, and the RV north of us has a holding tank! and all three of us are on a shared well, which was so much cheaper to buy into than doing our own.

3) Our cabin is structurally sound (it was built by a trad stick builder in their warehouse workshop, not by one of the big, mass-marketed modular sellers) and has proven to be a champ in high winds given where we built it. We also live is an above-average tornado-prone area, and now have a basement/lower level to go to "in case".

And, I don't want to go deep into the ability to secure a home versus an RV, but I'll just say we feel bug-out ready to deal with the zombies...lol...😉

4) Yes, my property taxes will be more than yours, but will be offset on April 15 when paying those taxes, when I can claim what I pay.

5) I'll concede that as AS doesn't have the repair or devaluation as any other RV, but you do have maintenance costs, gas, oil, wear and tear, etc. Our cabin does as well, but since it's so small and airtight, we are pleasantly surprised how little those costs, like heat, are.

I don't know how much or how little you pay every year, but I bet if you did a spreadsheet of the past, say, 5 years of upgrades/repairs, etc., plus the initial purchase of the RV, you might look at it differently, that it's not so cheap. I say this as an accountant for nearly 25 years; people tend to be surprised by the "deal" they think they're getting.

6) Our cabin is insured.

7) Our resale value, when the time comes, will provide us a more than adequate nest egg/rainy day emergency fund, as our property's value will increase. Your Interstate may hold some value, but it won't increase like a cabin would. That may not be as important to you if you have other resources, but I like having that in my back pocket. I'm in my 40s and have serious health issues, and so what we're putting in now will pay off for us in the future.

So my 2 cents...no criticisms intended, just giving you my perspective. Believe me, we are still dreaming of the RV! And, I do hope you enjoy your acreage in whatever way you choose to use it.

[TouringDan]

Thanks for this thread. I am following it with interest.

It appears that you have done an incredible job of developing the property to date to use it as planned.

One comment I have about providing electrical power to your land. You may not need it for your use and camping, but it may make sense to have it when it comes time to sell the property. The value differential of the property with power may be more than the actual cost of running power to your land.

Dan

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by SYC2Vette

Varies widely is correct, here are variations just within Colorado.

https://parkcountypropertyrights.com/?p=144

Great link . . . thanks.

Dan -- good point about installing electric.

Breathtaking!

[pdavitt]

Also have some altitude, my house is at 5400 feet above msl. About the same as Denver.
Pat

Originally Posted by Tall Grass

*GASP*! Your horizon has bumps! Mine is flatter than a pancake (if you ignore the drilling rigs). [emoji38]

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by 1000Miles

What you pay for in this scenario is as follows:.....

Hi Interblog,
This is something my husband and I REALLY considered doing, as it was allowed where we bought land, but in the end, chose to build a new cabin....

1) Our (modular built) cabin cost less than most new Airstreams;....

(Etc redacted for brevity)

So my 2 cents...no criticisms intended, just giving you my perspective. Believe me, we are still dreaming of the RV! And, I do hope you enjoy your acreage in whatever way you choose to use it.

All excellent points that every Airstream owner should consider as they evaluate their own paths.

Here’s one point I didn’t initially make, though:

Right now I can only manage to spend about 3 weeks per year camping on our land in Canada, because it’s so far away and because we are not retired people - we have jobs. But last year, I lived in our Interstate for 3 *months*.

It’s not a straight apples to apples comparison for this reason. In many scenarios, yes, a cabin may be a better investment and it may make more sense financially. But if I can only use it 3 weeks of the year, then that whole equation goes out the window for me. I cannot take a cabin with me to other places as I do with our Airstream.

We also have a membership in an Airstream park in deep east Texas. Is it as wild and wonderful and breathtaking and as off-grid as our Canada property? Heck, not even remotely close. But it is 2.75 hours from Houston, which means that I can get to it on a Friday afternoon.



Cabin does one thing. Airstream does ALL things, at least for us. The number of different contexts in which I’ve used our Interstate are too numerous to list. That’s why it translates into making the most sense for us in our Canada boondocking context.