Living in an "RV" on your own land?

[Trixie]

Is it okay if I snicker a little bit?  

Trixie (probably a realtor or local politician, since she doesn't identify where 'here' is):  "We want to keep our lands and neighborhoods legal and right... we have to abide by the rules of the county.  And we absolutely expect everyone else to do the same."

Laws are made by politicians who take money and 'favors' from people who stand to make a lot of money from those laws.  They play it like it's for the good of the county/state/etc, but it's only for the money.  

Laws that say you 'must' install a $10,000 'designer' septic system were bought by the people who install those systems.  

Laws that say you 'must' have or build a home that is in excess of 400 sqft were bought by the people who build houses (and their biggest profit is based on the cheapest part of building a house:  excess square footage).  

Laws that say you 'must' be connected to the local public energy for power were bought by those power companies.

None of those people/companies want a growing group of decent people who want to leave a small footprint, have the same kind of simple septic that has been in use since about 1860, have simple power needs and just want a few solar panels.

Money is America's god and you're here to provide it to the decisionmakers.  So they say.

No, I'm not a realtor or local politician. And when I say 'here', I mean in my hometown in Oregon.  My parents bought this property in 1941.  It's 5 acres.  I grew up here ( on this property).  My Dad farmed until he no longer could.  Now our neighbors farm it, along with several others.  Ever since I was young, I understood that this land is for farm use only.  It was county law, so we've abided by what the law states.  I'm not wanting or trying to change the laws.  All I'm saying is, we( meaning all of the neighbors out here), have to abide by what the county law states, and we expect everyone else in our neighborhood to do the same.

 

[Bud Smiley]

highdesertranger, what did you think about Golden Valley overall? Did it seem like a good place to live for a while?

 

[Wabbit]

...NIMBYISM!...

I'll search engine something once, but after that I'll start to resent you. This was your once...lol.

 

[highdesertranger]

Bud I have only been there once, it's the desert there are stunning views of the mountains. I would not want to be there in the summer but in the winter I could stay there. I was there on 3/11/17 and the weather was perfect, sunny and warm but not hot and no wind. highdesertranger

 

[Bud Smiley]

Roger that. Thank you. My interest is piqued; I'll look into it some more myself.

 

[Ballenxj]

NIMBYISM! is for self important pricks!

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/nimbyism

 

[jimindenver]

Bud I have been looking into it too. It's desolate and isolated if you can take that sort of thing. Personally I do what ever it takes to have the isolation and would look forward to having a spot to set up and not have to move for a bit. I have spoken to someone on one of the lots out there and hope to stop by soon to see just where I'd want a lot to be. I've plotted the local cell towers so being able to access them will be a issue, elevation will be important. I also want it to be where others havent built or are likely to. 4x4 to access? all the better as far as I'm concerned. It keeps the wanna be's away.

The San Luis valley of Colorado is another place like it but I'd want to use it at least a month at a time and some places are restricted to two weeks every three months.

 

[Gunny]

I would like some isolated land with a few trees, away from building restrictions and put up a small pole barn for shade when not on the road. A propane generator if it's in the hot part of the US and a large propane tank that can be loaded with a winch and set up to power a few appliances.

Land in one persons name but anyone could responsibly use it. I had several people from different forums use my land I had in Mt. and they left it in better shape than it was to begin with.

It could be done at a very low cost. It's just a matter of being serious about finding the land.

Rob

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Once I sell my house I'll be looking for land I can live in a camper on. There's plenty of it in Maine and cheap too, but would rather head out West. I want 100 acres but more than willing to consider reasonably less, especially if lake or river front. A travel trailer and a barn/garage and i'm a happy camper.

 

[IGBT]

We are heading over to eastern Washington in a few days as soon as the snow melts a bit.

I have my eye on Stevens County.  It has probably the best rules for camping or building without permits.   The county actually says a owner constructed building does not NEED a permit.

"Owner/Builder Exemption Owner/
Builder Definition: For the purpose of this section shall mean
an individual person and members of that person's immediate family, but shall not include corporations and
their agents, partnerships and their agents, nonprofit
corporations and their agents, and all persons who
intend to construct a private residence for sale, lease or rental to other persons. This section shall not
prohibit any Owner/Builder from contracting any part of the construction of the individual's home, in
conformance to R.C.W. Chapter 18.27, relating to general contractors and specialty contractors.
Residence Group
R, Division 3, as defined by 1982 edition of the U.B.C. relating only to detached single
family dwellings, occupied by an ownerbuilder,
and shall specifically not include structures which are
used for providing services and goods for sale to members of the public, lodging to persons, for
compensation, or structures which are used in the manufacture of goods intended for sale to the public.
A building permit, inspection fee, and inspections shall not be required for an owner/builder residence. The
owner/builder has the option of requesting building code plan reviews and inspections conforming to
Section 2 Uniform Codes and Standards Stevens County Ordinance 011980
and pay fees in accordance to
the established fee schedule (Resolution 1321984)"

 

[Gunny]

I know it's been discussed here a few times about a partnership or several members buying the land and using it. It would be ideal for me with one HUGE drawback. My longevity is a bit in doubt. I'm afraid if I went in with a few people I would leave them holding the bag. Not my way of doing things.

It's probably just a 'Pipedream' on my part, but hey we all need dreams, Eh?

Rob

 

[Charlotte's Web]

...The more freedom you want, the more rural you have to go.  Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr said it best "The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins"...  

Excellent comments, ARLH!
And I would like to add the following guidelines for anyone looking to find a bit of land:

Every rural area has 2 sets of rules:  Official & Unofficial.   Each area also has its' own culture, tho as an outsider, it may be, initially, invisible.  And each rural area has its' own customary & acceptable loopholes for getting around county/gov regulations.  These will vary from one end of a county to another, even from one end of a valley to the other.   Generally, sensible regulations that protect the serenity, safety, environment, & property values of the area tend to be respected.  

One cannot simple buy a bit of acreage & expect to thrive/survive without understanding & being part of the local culture/community.   Privacy is afforded, but in exchange one must abide even more strictly to the Unofficial rules than to county/gov regulations.   Perhaps no one is likely, for example, to call the sheriff if your dog runs loose & kills your neighbors poultry flock.  Instead, you will likely be sanctioned in *any number* of different ways.  
It's critical one learn the culture of a community & respect it. 

If one hopes to find a bit of land somewhere, by all means learn the legal codes & regs for the area.  But understand that if you can learn to live in harmony with the culture of the area, there are loopholes used by everyone.   But: you must remain in the good graces of your immediate neighbors & surrounding community.

Take your time.  Get to know an area well before you buy.  Most rural people have deep roots in their community & have paid a lot of dues in sweat equity & taxes for a rural lifestyle.   Yes, talk to local realtors.  But don't stop there.  Tune in a local radio station, have a beer in the brew pub, shop in a food co-op, browse the town hardware store, visit the library, read the local newspaper.   You get the idea!
Good luck
Charlotte

 

[Wabbit]

@Charlottes Web-I don't like it, but that is really good advice for those of us that either "don't get it", or have a different view on how we think life should be. Thnx for the lesson\reminder.

 

[Headache]

We are heading over to eastern Washington in a few days as soon as the snow melts a bit.

I have my eye on Stevens County.  It has probably the best rules for camping or building without permits.   The county actually says a owner constructed building does not NEED a permit.

But if I remember correctly a GC has to be involved in some way with either you hiring one or taking the test.  I don't remember the exact terminology but they figure out ways to get their grubby mitts involved.

 

[DLTooley]

This is an important topic. It is not uncommon for poor rural counties to NOT have zoning codes for building. That is a good sign, but I am not sure if it is universal. Mobile homes and RV's are not completely interchangeable. Mobile Homes are regulated by HUD. So-called 'Park Model' mobile homes are ones that don't meet those codes. A question I have in that regard is whether you can get an RV (or a tiny home) that does meet the HUD standards.

One brainstorm solution - how about getting a permit for small RV park on your land? That would likely require water, power, and sewer but perhaps no other structures save for perhaps a shed of some sort.

 

[DLTooley]

Fortunately, this country is absolutely enormous, comprised of 50 states and within those states, thousands of individual jurisdictions.  There are areas that fit everyone's needs.  The more freedom you want, the more rural you have to go.  Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr said it best "The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins"  Areas full of people have a lot of noses with in arms reach.  It would be total chaos if everyone could just do as they pleased anywhere and everywhere.  As much as I don't love government regulations and at times they most certainly go too far, they're a necessary evil in my opinion.  People aren't good at governing themselves.  Looks at all the trash on public lands and everywhere for that matter.

It used to be that Alaska was the last frontier.  I've heard it said that the Alyeska pipeline ended that at the State level.  The frontier was the element that made the US free, in spite of its many constitutional problems in 'developed' areas.  There are certainly areas left, but they are becoming smaller and the internet is getting larger.  The Free 'State' of Nomads may be the Nation's best hope.

 

[Tomcor]

Regarding land in Golden Valley AZ. I stopped at a local realtor today. They have 2.3 acre lots for about 3K but in order to legally keep your rv there requires a septic. For around 5k to install the septic. You can get a yearly permit for rv use for around $100. Only with septic of course.

It is a very nice area, but Mohave county does not have any build what you want. All buildings need a permit she said. The other alternative is to find a lot with septic,electric,water already installed.
So there is no free lunch in this county.

I also am looking like everyone else to find a cheap piece of land for my retirement home base.
Where you could park an rv to live in.

 

[jimindenver]

Thank you for saving me a trip up there. The real estate agent I spoke with brie, sure said oh yeah, sure you can.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

It used to be that Alaska was the last frontier.  I've heard it said that the Alyeska pipeline ended that at the State level.  The frontier was the element that made the US free, in spite of its many constitutional problems in 'developed' areas.  There are certainly areas left, but they are becoming smaller and the internet is getting larger.  The Free 'State' of Nomads may be the Nation's best hope.

You can still do whatever you want in a heck of a lot of Alaska.  My uncle lives an hour outside of Fairbanks and he has no property taxes because he's no in any jurisdictions.  That also means no fire department, no ambulance, no police, (there is a state trooper that patrols the area, mind you one state trooper that is probably in charge of some 500 sq miles).  He doesn't need building permits to do anything, it's quite the life he carved out for himself.  I've spent a fair amount of time there and if not for my health issues I'd move to Alaska tomorrow.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Regarding land in Golden Valley AZ. I stopped at a local realtor today. They have 2.3 acre lots for about 3K but in order to legally keep your rv there requires a septic. For around 5k to install the septic. You can get a yearly permit for rv use for around $100. Only with septic of course.

It is a very nice area, but Mohave county does not have any build what you want. All buildings need a permit she said. The other alternative is to find a lot with septic,electric,water already installed.
So there is no free lunch in this county.

I also am looking like everyone else to find a cheap piece of land for my retirement home base.
Where you could park an rv to live in.

If it's an area you like, 8k for land and septic doesn't sound very bad at all.  I have a small amount of experience with rural building permits and 18 years of experience with city type building permits.  And rural permits/inspections are almost a joke on the handful of projects i've been involved with.  They look over your project in about 90 seconds and tell you you're good.  The building inspectors in the state I've done most my work in (Boston, Ma and surrounding suburbs) will spend an hour tearing apart every piece of your build and make you fix everything to their satisfaction down to the spacing on your nails (literally).  

If you can find someone that's built in the area you're interested in and get a sense for what their building inspections involved, it may be little more than another way for the county to make a few dollars.  I just remodeled my house inside and out in Maine and the permit was only $100.  The inspector spent 5 minutes inside and said looks good, signed off and left.  And i'm in a town of 20k so it's not like it's the middle of nowhere.  So my long winded reply in a nutshell.....it might not be worth ruling out.  Unless you are in search of zero government interference of any sort.