OFF GRID INFO!! DO YOUR OWN DUE DILIGENCE AS LAWS CHANGE OFTEN!
WHAT STATES ALLOW OFF GRID LIVING, AND LIENIENT BUILDING CODES, AND ACCESS TO WATER
Which states in u.s.a offer the most Freedom for Off Grid living?
Where is the best state to live off grid with the “freedoms” of that particular area. Laws are very different from state to state — building codes and water rights.
(***note: this information can change and is not matter of fact*** please do your own research prior to prepare for off grid living)
There are a few states that meet up to a life Free and on the Land. Grow food, and hae the opportunity to practice permaculture standards, leaving less of a foot print on the Planet. There are around 6 main concerns to consider for off grid living, and they are: Cost of living, freedom of lifestyle, water availability, how easy it is to grow food there (weather patterns), energy availability (solar etc), and the community in that area.
The first state that appears to have some of the best qualities for an off grid location is
ALABAMA with many counties that have limited and/or no Building codes
which may insure a personally built tiny home can stay there legally/lawfully.
Alabama is a state in the Deep South region of the Southern United States,
bordered by Tennessee to the north; Georgia to the east; Florida and the Gulf of Mexico
to the south; and Mississippi to the west. Alabama is the 30th largest by area and the
24th-most populous of the U.S. states. With a total of 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of
inland waterways, Alabama has among the most of any state.
ALABAMA also has Riparian Water Rights. Alabama also, appears to be the third in line for the best in lowest land/property tax, just below New Mexico and Louisiana. Mississippi, Wyoming, Arkansas and Oklahoma follow in the lowest property taxes and cost of living index. Arizona, Utah and South Carolina all follow this list as decent off grid locations per property tax and cost of index. Of course all these figures can change as years move forward.
The cost of living index gives a relative idea of how expensive it is to shop and live in the area - such as toiletries, gas and groceries. At the beginning of setting up, purchasing locally for building material, etc should be considered.
In GEORGIA Truelten County appears to have light Building Code restrictions, and also RIPARIAN water rights. Tennessee has MANY counties that allow light to none building codes and Texas has many counties with little to no building code restrictions, including HYBRID water rights.
Wyoming has many Counties with or without building code restrictions, including Colorado's Delta, Custer and Montezuma Counties.... all of which have Prior Appropriation Water Rights. Montana has many counties that have no or limited restriction codes for building, including Alaska (both have Prior Appropriation Water Rights).
Nevada's Eureka County has little to no building codes, and Prior Appropriation Water Rights.
Many off gridders are interested in building home themselves such as tiny homes of a more natural building and container homes, off grid cabins, hobbit homes, dome homes, sand-bag homes, earthships etc and need to be sure you're in a location that will not shut you down after all your efforts, time/money which is why off gridders prefer to live in counties and states with minimal building codes or other regulations.
We must assume that every state has some form of regulation regarding septic, electrical, and plumbing and there are still some that don’t really mind if you build the way that you want.
Property Tax Rate: http://worldpopulationreview.com/states/property-taxes-by-state/
Cost of Living Index: http://worldpopulationreview.com/states/cost-of-living-index-by-state/
WATER RIGHTS
East coast states tend to have the most liberal policy, riparian, where if you have access to water, then you can use it within reason.
West of the Mississippi, most states have some form of “prior appropriation” which means you need to apply for a permit in order to use water, and the oldest permits submitted get preference. Just because you may have a stream on you property, it doesn’t mean you will have the right to use the water.
Some states also have mixed policies, which is a little of both. You get some rights just by owning the property and others you must apply for.
https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/whose-water-is-it-anyway.html
Dry desert land requires deeper, more expensive wells which offsets the low cost of such property, and also we must consider the legislating factors of collecting RAIN WATER. Some states do not allow this!
RAIN WATER HARVESTING:
Alabama is among the top of the list for this availability, including next in line is Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and all these states have 50-63% annual rain fall.
https://worldwaterreserve.com/rainwater-harvesting/is-it-illegal-to-collect-rainwater/
https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/average-annual-state-precipitation.php
BEST STATES FOR GROWING OFF GRID?
The state’s overall agricultural productivity is also most important.
The warmer, southern states are at the top of the list in the agricultural productivity; such as Florida and Hawaii are nearly tied, with Louisiana below that and Texas still quite productive.
A means used to measure agricultural productivity by experts is “Growing Degree Days” (GDD). With GDD, the bigger the number, the more opportunity you have in a year to grow large harvests. When you have a larger GDD, usually it can indicate the more food per acre.
POSSIBLY THE BEST 10 STATES FOR OFF GRID AGRICULTURE
Top of the list is Florida, then Hawaii, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Georgia and South Carolina.
POWER / SOLAR
For POWER, the states with Solar Availability is Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Hawaii, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.
So where is everyone going? It is suggested that you should go off grid with a group, or find a community that share your interests!
Western states like California and Oregon have large off grid communities and also some states that rank high for other aspects of off grid living are Missouri and Colorado.
State with the strongest off grid living at current time appear to be California at the top, then down the line is Oregon, North Carolina, Virginia, New Mexico, Missouri, Washington, and then New Hampshire, Colorado, and New York.
Overall best ranked off grid state may be Alabama. Following Alabama in 2nd position is Missouri. Next is Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, Hawaii, Colorado, Arkansas, Maine, Florida, Idaho, Wyoming, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas.... and so forth down the line.
It is difficult to find exact laws that specify it to be ILLEGAL or LEGAL (or lawful) to live off grid, however, what appears to be the most Free states for all off grid living are Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Missouri, Indiana, Maine and Texas.
NOTE: keep in mind that as new Governors and Mayors take office, this information can change. Please do your own due diligence prior to picking up and settling somewhere.
Where is that FREE LAND, and living off grid with no money? How do you grow food off grid with a survival garden? How to cook without electricity? There is more information coming in the future here at CHGG, however, in the meantime, there are millions of acres that are unused and sitting inwhich can be used to help deliver more 'healthy' food to Humanity for a cleaner and better life, a healthier life, and limiting the foot print on the planet!
This is why we believe in diversity - be sure to share eco-villages with those you trust, have the same motivation, are lie-minded, and have other abilities than yourself! Knowing a retired electrician, or plumber, or cabinet worker, or framer is always great in off grid planning. Having some that are good with First Aid, Energy Healers, and Dowsers are all great also!
From all my research in building this website, and speaking with permaculturists and other off griders, I believe one of the greatest designs off grid is the Earthship home in Taos, New Mexico.
The Greater World Earthship Community is the world's largest off-grid LEGAL subdivision. Michael Reynolds is the first in architecture that mastered designing and building a home that takes care of YOU, instead of the other way around!
However, do not think that came easy for Michael Reynolds and/or the community, as the architech fought tooth and nail to allow this community to exist. 630 acres which is 15 minutes NW of Tao, New Mexico, a community platted for 130 homes. and community members own their land FEE SIMPLE. Too bad it's not allodial ownership, however, this is a great community, if you can afford to buy, or build in there as you would be among many like-minded people that are typically done with the corporate utilities, smart grids, and toxic public water systems.
An Earthshipis a type of passive solar house that is made of both natural and upcycled materials such as earth-packed tires, pioneered by architect Michael Reynolds. The Earthship architecture concept began to take shape in the 1970s. The architect Michael Reynolds wanted to create a home that would do three things: first, it would utilize sustainable architecture, and material indigenous to the local area or recycled materials wherever possible; second, the homes would rely on natural energy sources and be independent....
EARTHSHIP BIOTECTURE:
https://taos.org/places/earthship-biotecture/
Decide the environment you wish to live in ~ each state is run differently and it's up to you to choose your path that will be the balance you desire!
PREPPER CAMP! NORTH CAROLINA
460 Orchard Lake Road, Saluda, NC
September 24th, 25th, and 26th, 2021
