Avoid building permit? - Small Cabin Forum


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Small Cabin Forum / Off-Grid Living / Avoid building permit?

Author	Message
cizzi Member	# Posted: 12 Oct 2008 18:17 - Edited by: cizzi Reply Is there anyway I can build something decent like 15x20 or so without a building permit? I dont want a concrete foundation, just on 4 way blocks like this site suggests.. And I will use solar power for electricity.. any reply would be niec
unixfmike Member	# Posted: 16 Nov 2008 12:25 Reply Hi Cizzi. Sure you could just build it and see how long you can keep it. The local municipality will determine if you can keep it and financially penalize you, or condemn it and require you to destroy the building. To protect your time, money, and happiness invested it would be wise for you to call your local tax assessor and your local building/planning department and find out what you can do legally. My brother always lived in the 10x12 or 120 sq. ft. rule for small buildings. In July after calling the city planning department(Lancaster, CA, USA), he found out he could build up to 220 (roughly 12x18)sqr. feet with no permits with 110v power. 220v power would require the whole structure be permitted. With a call to my county assessor (Hughes Co, OK, USA), I was told "If it's on your land you can build it any size, but your phone, commercial electricity, and gas lines must be inspected". Come to find out, solar systems, non-comercial wind generators known to them as "experimentals", and gasoline generators can be connected via a manual transfer switch without any inspections or permits. Once again, it is my recomendation to you that you make a few phone calls to whoever assigns tax value to your property, the people who approve building permits, and a surveyor (to insure you build on land you own). Make sure what you build is on your property, and that no one can fine you for it or take it away. --Mike W.
Alex T	# Posted: 20 Jan 2009 11:07 Reply I'm wondering if anyone has a list, even partial, of counties or municipalities where building permits are no issue. Is it common knowledge that in certain places, you can buy land without scrutiny from local officials and just live there? Where are these places? Is there any reason why such a list is not more commonly available (it's not like there are many of us who like to high-tail it to the woods with some tools and build for ourselves). I live in Pittsburgh PA, where I bought a house for $4000, which I'm rebuilding to my taste, on a diet of almost 100% salvage and woodland material. I want to own a bit of land where I can do this without the added hassle of official oversight -- I could actually care less about higher taxes or fees, bring em on -- I just don't want anyone telling me how I have to build. Good hilly country, where I can find a stream and grow a lot of fruit -- even wastelands like old mountaintop-removal mines would be a welcome challenge to me. West Virginia, northern PA, Adirondacks -- but where exactly? Washington, eastern Oregon, BC? ?:)
superfly	# Posted: 20 Sep 2009 18:27 Reply I have heard that near Christmas Valley, Oregon, or perhaps Lake County Oregon this can be done. My desires exactly! Good luck.
lamar5292 Member	# Posted: 26 Sep 2009 01:27 Reply Check your local building codes for shed and outbuilding codes. Generally as long as your cabin meets these codes and has no utility connections or sewer connections you can get around codes. Its your neighbors that may cause problems. Sewer can be handled with a composting toilet. water hauled in and a storage tank. Good luck! Lamar ww.simplesolarhomesteading.com www.homesteadernews.com
elkdiebymybow Member	# Posted: 12 Jan 2010 00:10 Reply My permit was $5 with no inspections at all. I agree, better to ask and find out what they will allow you to do than roll the dice. I had to provide a plan- I sketched this myself and showed that the structure met all the minimum set backs. It was pretty easy.
flatwater Member	# Posted: 12 Jan 2010 21:57 Reply Superfly , Do you know anything about Christmas Valley ? In 1963 I bought my first piece of land there at the grand old age of 15.I have been buying and trading land ever since. If ya like sand, high wind and jack rabbits, that's the place to be. Land should be pretty cheap there.
toyota_mdt_tech Member	# Posted: 28 Feb 2010 19:03 Reply In my state, you have to keep it under a 120 sq feet, cant have a permanent foundation and must be called a storage shed/tool shed. Otherwise, you need a p ermit.
Anonymous	# Posted: 14 May 2010 02:06 Reply can you live in the storage shed/toolshed Finding land to bulid is harder than finding water
Hick Member	# Posted: 14 May 2010 23:41 Reply In Baker county Or, I was told if it is 200 square feet or less you don't need a permit. I'm playing dumb and putting a loft in our cabin. 12x16. Every area is different.
Rob_O	# Posted: 16 May 2010 23:52 Reply Here in KY, anything under 120 ft^2 is exempt as is a "farm dwelling"
Anonymous	# Posted: 17 May 2010 16:15 Reply we are buyin our cabin prop in central Colo... I wont even get started tellin all the permit garb..apparently cant even camp on your own property without a permit. but already wish we had bought elsewhere and not even broke ground yet on the cabin .. ...
Anonymous	# Posted: 17 May 2010 16:19 Reply ok,,, just a little more to get it off my chest...in Colorado you cant build anything less than 600 sq ft,, must have permits, can not get any build permit without a well permit, septic permit, road cut permit, (witch we need NONE of that) and cant build without electric and plumbing permit.., (witch the services are not even available in the county) our prop Way out in county,,,,,Colorado has TO MANY rules!
larry Member	# Posted: 17 May 2010 19:02 - Edited by: larry Reply so what can the county do to you if you build without a permit? can they force you to tear it down or just fine you to bankruptcy? Colorado is still in the USA or was it sold to communist china?
Scott_T	# Posted: 18 May 2010 16:01 Reply The penalty is probably a fine of some amount depending on the infraction...anyone have first hand experience with what the consequences of building without permits might be?
Anonymous	# Posted: 18 May 2010 22:27 Reply no experience but By reading the county laws ,, in my case 10g + just for permits on a 2,000 recreational cabin,, no way could the penalty cost as much as trying to comply ....
Anonymous	# Posted: 18 May 2010 22:30 Reply correction to last post $2,000 cabin project,, not to be confused with a 2000 sq ft cabin , our cabin only gonna be 350 sq ft...