Before you fall in love with a parcel, ask these twelve questions. The expensive mistakes happen before the first shovel, and this guide helps you skip them.
A beautiful view and a good price can make anyone want to sign today. But the things that decide whether a piece of land can become a home are mostly invisible: water underground, soil that drains, a legal right to the road, the zoning, the fire risk, what's recorded on the title. Ask these questions, in writing where you can, and make your offer depend on the answers.
- 1Is there water, and is it yours to use?
- 2Will the ground pass a septic test?
- 3Do you have legal, year-round access?
- 4Is it a legal parcel?
- 5What does the zoning allow?
- 6What’s the fire risk, and can you insure it?
- 7Is the building site safe and buildable?
- 8Where does the sun fall, and what will grow?
- 9Can you get power and internet?
- 10What’s recorded on the title?
- 11What can you build without a permit?
- 12What will it really cost to make it livable?
Is there water, and is it yours to use?
No water, no home. Most counties want proof of a safe, reliable water source before they’ll issue a building permit, and a dry well can cost more than the land.
- Ask the seller for the well log, or look it up
- Ask for a recent pump test showing gallons per minute
- Test the water quality at a certified lab
- Ask neighbors how deep their wells are, and whether they’ve ever gone dry
- For a spring or creek, find out who holds the water right
Search the state’s public Well Completion Report map by address to see well depths and logs drilled nearby.
Western states mostly follow “first in time, first in right” water law, while eastern states tie water use to owning the land along it. Check with your state’s water agency.
No well and deep or failing wells nearby, or a seller who won’t allow a pump test.
Will the ground pass a septic test?
If the soil can’t absorb wastewater safely, you may not be able to build at all, or you may need an engineered system that costs several times more.
- Ask if a percolation (perc) test or soil evaluation was ever done
- Make your offer contingent on passing one
- Look for shallow bedrock, high groundwater or very steep ground
- Ask the county which alternative systems, like composting toilets, it accepts
Counties apply the State Water Board’s statewide policy for onsite wastewater systems, so the county environmental health office is your first call.
Rules come from your state and county health department. Some rural counties are flexible about composting toilets and graywater, and some aren’t.
A failed test on file, or a seller who says “you won’t need one.”
Do you have legal, year-round access?
A road on the ground isn’t the same as a right to use it. Without recorded legal access, lenders, insurers and the county may all say no.
- Confirm a recorded easement or public road reaches the parcel
- Ask for any road maintenance agreement with neighbors
- Drive it in the worst season: mud, snow or high water
- Check that a fire truck can reach the building site
In state fire responsibility areas, fire-safe road rules can require minimum road widths, turnouts and turnarounds before you can build.
Ask the county road department whether the road is county-maintained, private or unmaintained.
“The neighbor lets us drive through.” A landlocked parcel with no recorded easement.
Is it a legal parcel?
Some parcels were split off without proper approval decades ago. A county may refuse permits on an illegally created lot until it’s fixed, which can take time and money.
- Ask the county planning office if the parcel was legally created
- Ask whether a certificate of compliance exists, or would be needed
- Compare the legal description to the fences and corners on the ground
- Consider a survey if the boundaries aren’t clear
Under the Subdivision Map Act, a county can issue a certificate of compliance confirming a parcel is legal, sometimes with conditions.
Most states have similar subdivision laws. The county recorder and planning office can tell you how a parcel was created.
A cheap parcel with no history, or a split the seller “did themselves.”
What does the zoning allow?
Zoning decides how many homes you can build, whether you can keep animals or run a business, and sometimes whether you can live there at all.
- Look up the zoning and the general plan designation
- Ask how many homes and accessory units are allowed
- Ask about animals, farm stands, home businesses and guests
- Ask about setbacks from property lines, roads and creeks
Watch for Timberland Production Zone (TPZ) land, where a home usually needs a use permit and large minimum acreage, and Williamson Act contracts, which keep land in farm use in exchange for lower taxes.
Some rural counties have little or no zoning. Others are strict. Always ask the county, in writing if you can.
A zone that doesn’t allow a home, or an agent who says “everyone just does it.”
What’s the fire risk, and can you insure it?
In much of the West, wildfire shapes how you build, what you pay, and whether you can get insurance at all.
- Look up the fire hazard severity zone
- Get an insurance quote before you make an offer
- Walk the land for brush, dead trees and steep, wooded slopes below the site
- Find the nearest fire station and water source
Check CAL FIRE’s fire hazard severity zone maps. State law requires up to 100 feet of defensible space in these areas, and new homes must meet fire-resistant building standards. The California FAIR Plan is a last-resort insurer.
Check your state forestry or fire agency’s maps, and call two or three insurers early.
No insurer will quote the property, or only at a price you can’t afford.
Is the building site safe and buildable?
Flood zones, steep slopes, wetlands and unstable ground can limit where you build, or require costly engineering.
- Check FEMA flood maps for the parcel
- Measure the slope where you’d build
- Look for wet spots, springs and seasonal creeks
- Ask about creek and wetland setbacks
- Look for signs of slides or erosion
Counties often require a geotechnical report on steep or unstable sites, and creek setbacks can be large.
FEMA flood maps cover the whole country, at msc.fema.gov.
The only flat spot is in a flood zone, or the site needs a long retaining wall.
Where does the sun fall, and what will grow?
Sun, soil and season decide your garden, your solar power and how warm your home will be in winter.
- Stand on the site at midday in winter if you can, and look for shade
- Prefer gentle south-facing slopes in the Northern Hemisphere
- Look up the soil on the USDA Web Soil Survey
- Find your frost dates and hardiness zone
- Ask neighbors what grows well, and what doesn’t
Mountain and valley parcels just a few miles apart can have very different frost dates and snow.
The USDA Web Soil Survey and plant hardiness map cover every state.
A north-facing slope in deep shade where you hoped to garden.
Can you get power and internet?
Bringing utility power a long way can cost a surprising amount. Off-grid solar is a real option, but it has to be planned and paid for.
- Ask the utility how far the nearest line is, and for a rough extension quote
- Note the best spot for solar panels, with no winter shade
- Check cell signal at the building site
- Look up internet options on the FCC National Broadband Map
Off-grid homes still need permits and inspections for their electrical systems.
Rural electric cooperatives serve much of rural America. Call them early.
A long, expensive line extension and no good solar site.
What’s recorded on the title?
Easements, restrictions, mineral rights and liens travel with the land. You inherit them all.
- Order a preliminary title report early
- Read every easement: who can cross, dig or build?
- Look for CC&Rs or HOA rules
- Ask who owns the mineral and timber rights
- Check for unpaid taxes or liens
A title company can explain the report. Title insurance protects you if problems surface later.
The same steps apply in every state.
A utility or road easement right where you planned to build.
What can you build without a permit?
Knowing the small structures you can build right away lets you start living on and caring for the land while the house permit moves forward.
- Ask the building department which structures are exempt
- Ask about farm buildings, which some counties exempt
- Ask whether you may live in an RV or trailer while building, and for how long
- Remember: exempt buildings still follow zoning setbacks
A one-story detached accessory building of 120 sq ft or less generally doesn’t need a building permit, as long as no one sleeps in it. Fences up to 7 feet are usually exempt too.
Many states using the International Residential Code exempt accessory buildings up to 200 sq ft. Some rural counties exempt much more.
Plans that depend on living in an unpermitted cabin.
What will it really cost to make it livable?
The land price is only the beginning. Well, septic, power, driveway and permits often come before the first wall goes up.
- Get quotes for a well, septic system and driveway
- Ask the county for a list of permit and impact fees
- Add the cost of power, solar or a line extension
- Add a cushion of at least 10 to 15 percent
- Compare the total to a parcel that already has these
A parcel with a working well, septic and power can be worth tens of thousands more than raw land nearby, and save a year or more of work.
Costs vary widely by region. Get local quotes, and see the Off-Grid Systems course for a full budget.
Raw land that looks cheap until you add the well, septic and road.
Compare your parcels
Problems with any of the first five questions (water, septic, access, a legal parcel and zoning) can stop a homestead entirely. Problems with the rest can usually be solved with money, time or good design. Know which kind you're facing before you buy.
Your parcel scorecard
Mark each answer as you learn it. Your scorecard saves in this browser and prints with the guide.
| Question | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Water | |||
| 2. Septic | |||
| 3. Access | |||
| 4. Legal parcel | |||
| 5. Zoning | |||
| 6. Fire and insurance | |||
| 7. Buildable site | |||
| 8. Sun and soil | |||
| 9. Power and internet | |||
| 10. Title | |||
| 11. Exempt buildings | |||
| 12. True cost |
Six courses, from reading your land to raising a family on it
Permaculture Design, Off-Grid Systems, Natural Building, Agroforestry & Food Forests, Raising Children on the Land, and Community Building. Each one has hands-on family projects, planning tools and homeschool records.
See the coursesSources and where to look things up
- California DWR — Well Completion Reports and map application
- California State Water Board — onsite wastewater treatment systems
- California Government Code § 66499.35 — certificates of compliance
- Example county TPZ zoning rules (Trinity County)
- CAL FIRE — fire hazard severity zones
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center
- USDA Web Soil Survey
- FCC National Broadband Map
- California FAIR Plan