What should I know about living off grid in a tiny home?
I want to know what legal obligations there are for living off grid in GA. Is there a minimum house size requirement? I want one of these small homes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qghZ2ao7GKM
It may be slightly larger than the house in the video. I just don't want the federal government stepping in from left field and saying, "Oh sorry. You're violating XYZ ordinance. The penalty is death."
Worse case scenario. I know. But I don't want any surprises. I just want something off grid where I can always go if things go south. I know I need water or a well. I'd prefer to harvest my electricity using solar energy, wind, personal nuclear reactor, etc, etc. Whatever. Just off grid. The land doesn't need electric or water connections. I'm just worried about square foot minimum requirements. I don't want the government all up in my cool-aid. Any suggestions?
=== as long as you are not doing anything that is unlawful [[[ drugs or gun running ]]] then you have nothing to worry about == you do need to learn the county rules for construction and how you plan to remove trash or other waste materials == a septic tank requires an inspection and there is a very big problem to attempt a personal nuclear reactor (( that is not going to happen )) what you can do is build a home that conforms with the county rules === so you do not get looked at twice and you get left alone ............. research the solar battery storage bank that is necessary to maintain the minimum of a refrigerator and a light bulb or two == you just cannot live on cold pork'n';beans forever and you need some way to keep good health and cook fish and game ---- look at your area and choose wisely as you are the person to keep the g-ment dogs out of your life -- make waves and you get looked at and marked --------- the 14X14 cabin looks great but you need to plan a large front porch to be comfortable and you probably want to add a good fireplace ,,SO it should be larger to be viable and chlostrophobic
You have to check the requirements for each jurisdiction. They will be different in different places. That kind of regulation is local, city or county, not federal, and can depend on the zoning for that parcel. It may be different in a the rural portion of a jurisdiction that includes urban as well as rural prorpeties. Sometimes a smaller dwelling is permitted if it's for "recreational use", i.e. part time living rather than full time. Or you may be allowed to park a travel trailer on it and live in that. If the land is located in a place that has piped water available, you will probably not be allowed to install a well. You will need sewage disposal facilities and what is required for that varies from place to place.
This question begins with the basics of buying the land. Zoning and building code requirements are no big mystery, but you need to at least know the county where your land is located to look up the codes. Once the land is decided upon and purchased, setting up camp on the land as you build should be no big problem. You need to decide upon which county you prefer in Colorado, find some suitable tracts of land for sale, then look up the county code regulations either on the Internet or at the records department in the county seat before you make your purchase.
Home size and building methods are enforced by local governments, not the state. Usually it is the county, city, or township in rural areas. Some remote areas do not really have home size rules. But this is just in extreme remote or wilderness areas. And I don't know if GA has such areas. I only know about my home state.