Van life on a private lot, no dwelling no hookup. Legal challenges?

[cyberpine]

I found some cheap land in South Central Florida on roads the county does not maintain. No city power, no city water, no mail , no garbage pickup and that is fine with me. 1/2 mile away there are houses and a few miles away is a major state road, a Publix supermarket and a CVS.

The lot is heavily wooded and the road (trail really) in front is impassible to most cars due to really soft sand in some spots.   The lot is full of animal tracks from Coyote, Panthers, Bears and dear. 

It's exactly 1.5 hours from both coasts and about 2 hours from Tampa, WPB, Miami and Fort Myers. 

I have no neighbors and I'd like to use the lot for van life camping some times. I  have no plans to build anything permanent or ask for any permits.

I would like to install a small (20x20) hammered in "temporary" steel wire and living fence (Boma-style) in the back away from 100 ft from the street and put in a deep ground anchor to chain down some things.  Also plan to drill my own shallow well (20ft) for non-potable water for washing, bathing and watering and add a 12v solar power source inside the enclosure. Again, no structure, no walls, no roofs, no plumbing.

It's my land, i own it and i pay taxes on it.. Anything legally stopping me from doing any of this?

And if we get into legality things,  even without land, In Florida think it's illegal to sleep in your car on the street and parking lots. I suspect it's also illegal to urinate in the park, throw #2 in public garbage cans and shower in public.  All this I am constantly doing for years and is of course very hard to enforce without a complaint and evidence.

Right now my biggest challenge is getting the roads to be passable and fear of wildlife that is everywhere while i work. When there i see and hear nothing but nature. I am yet to stay the night. I do not carry a firearm - only bear spray, a tactical knife and a C02 gun.

Looking to talk to people with similar ideas and interest. Possibly collaborate on something.

Thanks.

 

[WanderingRose]

The best place for accurate information is the county in which this land is located.

Call the circuit clerk, perhaps, who can direct you to the right person and/or applicable zoning ordinances.

Good luck.

 

[cyberpine]

I did several times and several departments. Got great information. Seems i am within the law as far as what is reasonable and hard to enforce. Pretty sure if you corner them though you will get the formal answer you did not want to hear.

Looking to hear other opinions and challenges others have faced. I've talked to people on Youtube who have faced zoning issues in other areas over neighbor complaints about supply and garbage piles that were visible, RVs with no hookup, illegal outhouses, unchained dogs and noise ordinances. But they all started with neighbor complaints. I have to think if i ever filed a theft report that this would trigger code enforcement.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums cyberpine! This is an issue of interest to a lot of forum members. Please let us know what you discover and keep us updated on your plans for your land.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[trailer-t]

You could contact the County zoning office(if any) assuming it is not in the city limits.
There may be rules for RVs but vehicles may be different. Each county could be also different.
I would not let them know anything to identify you/ your location if possible and just try to get general information.
Usually with zoning in our area someone would complain or object before the zoning office gets involved
unless it is something they just discover.
If you are not building a structure the other option is just start using it and see if anyone objects to your use.
I have a similar question with some lots I have in Illinois. Our Bylaws allow temporary use of a camper for up to
2 week periods--but County zoning is a gray area on things other than RVs. I have a Cargo trailer camper not titled as an RV.

The well may need some permit of some sort.

T

 

[maki2]

You might get into some issues regarding the well. But even if you do it under their radar you would want to get a water quality report done to make sure there is not anything at a toxic level in it be it chemical, mineral or biological. It is hard to know for sure if it is suitable for any kind of use, including watering food plants, or washing your clothes or hands or taking a shower until you get it tested. If it is sandy soil you will need to be careful to put your humanure pile well away from your well. That and your garbage could bring in even more unwanted wildlife.

Begin by reading articles for how hunters set up their campsites when staying in areas where there is wildlife so as to reduce risk.

 

[Trebor English]

unless it is something they just discover.

In Brevard County, East Central Florida, tax assessors have used aerial photos comparing photos years apart to find added buildings to tax.  Law enforcement have used aerial photos to look for specific agriculture.  A 20 x 20 fenced clearing would probably be noticed but not attract much attention by either group. 

There have been condemnations and evictions where people were living in properties not connected to electric and water utilities.  If you use the land for camping and your occupancy of it is not continuous and there are no structures then there isn't much for them to keep you from doing.  Rephrased, there isn't any tax revenue they are missing.

 

[maki2]

Improvements to the road would be noticeable. You would have to haul in rocks or logs to get the sandy area firm enough to drive across.

 

[crofter]

Illegal in Oregon and the taxes are high. You can have "alternative dwelling units" if there is already a house there.   -crofter

 

[ckelly78z]

It' better to ask forgiveness than permission.

 

[maki2]

yeah nothing like begging the court to forgive you so that you don't have to pay those big fines that got levied against you. That is a great time ....NOT

 

[Riverman]

First thing I would do is to install a legal septic system.

 

[bullfrog]

Owning land in this country comes with many restrictions and are all different and subject to change depending on where the land is located and who makes the rules. It is very difficult and expensive in most cases to develop isolated raw land especially if access is not by a public maintained road. I have bought undeveloped lots in areas where others had already done so with RVs on neighboring lots but without their help and guidance I would have made many expensive mistakes. It may be cheaper and easier to buy and old property with established utilities and a garage if your using a van. That was the easiest way in the past for us. Now we rent and for us it is much cheaper and much less work.

 

[owl]

First, don't worry about the animals they are not going to bother you. A forum is a good place to ask questions about general topics. The specific question you asked is going to get responses from folks who have never done what you're talking about and have no clue. Buyer beware. Florida has some very restrictive land use ordinances. It would be smart of you to do some research in that area. The more permanent improvements you make the more attention you will draw from the powers that be. "Camping" on private land is almost never restricted. Where it gets cloudy is when "improvements" are made. The assumption that you are circumventing building codes and taking up residence is what will drive attention. Never good.

 

[ckelly78z]

yeah nothing like begging the court to forgive you so that you don't have to pay those big fines that got levied against you. That is a great time ....NOT

Yeah, nothing like pleading your case to endless government agencies for approval, and being denied, then having a spotlight on yourself for the future !

 

[jacqueg]

You need to contact your own county.

Just tell them you want to camp on your own land periodically, and ask them what regulations you need to know about. Ask whether you can build a hunting shelter of some type. Many rural counties do allow these. IME, you will be limited as to the amount of time per year you can legally camp. If they ask whether you intend to build a house someday, just say you haven't decided yet, and see what they tell you. Usually, you CAN camp on land while you are building a permitted structure, and they may allow you to put up say, a pole building, with the house to be determined later, but counties will vary widely in how much time they give you to finish.

Most likely, you will have to haul water if all you are doing is camping. In many places, drilling a well requires a permit. But they might allow you to put in a rain catchment system to fill a water tank.

Then, make sure you follow the regs. Your neighbors WILL report you.

 

[squatting dog]

Having lived in Florida, I can tell you that you want to check with your county. I've only been in one other state (Ca.) that had as many if not more regulations. Hell, I had to get a permit to install new windows and a door in my house.    As if that wasn't enough, I was even supposed to get a permit to replace my electric stove.   Also, they have those little nazi's in their "code enforcement" trucks that cruise around in out of the way places looking for something to pounce on. I couldn't get out of that state quick enough.
Another thing, don't bother asking realtors what is legal and what isn't. They rarely know squat. You wouldn't believe how many times a realtor would tell me "don't worry, you can do whatever you want" only for me to check with a county clerk and discover all sorts of regulations. Wish you well.

 

[outermostsoul]

I grew up in Ft Myers and think the hunting cabin option/ ruse is your best bet. Hunting is fading in popularity in many areas and the Fish and Wildlife State departments want the counties to support sportsmen and women. If the land is heavily wooded check out the Treehouse Masters show . We built cool tree forts in the heavy woods when I was a kid in the 60s. You might need a swamp buggy to get to the land during rainy season.

 

[rokguy]

Seems to me that if you start making enquiries with local authorities then they have to act on it.
I would go ahead and camp on the land and make subtle changes as you come and go.
Though I live on the other side of the world I'm doing the same thing, no one seems to care here (unless your ripping trees down and leaving junk everywhere) but I'm proceeding with caution bringing in a small cabin and a couple of storage containers as I improve. I think its a good idea to have equipment stored inside a container anyway.
I have lots of native trees which hide stuff from the air and roadway.
I don't know about the US but here technically and legally you are able to make access into your own property without permits.

Good luck with it.

 

[maki2]

If you own the land then you know exactly how it is zoned. You don't have to talk to anyone at the county to find out the regulations for the various zoning designations, they post them on the website.

But let us know how it all turns out. Don't be a hit and run forum member, hang around it is an interesting topic.