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Peter DeJay wrote:I'm from New Mexico, which is a rather well known "mecca" of sorts to unconventional buildings, especially in the northern part where the EarthShips are situated. I've noticed that the places with the lax building codes/restrictions tend to be somewhat featureless and dry. Not that that isn't beautiful in its own ways; I fully miss the high desert of my birth, but here in Oregon for example, when resources are more abundant restrictions tend to be higher.
However, there is a rather large middle area as far as just how unrestricted you need it to be. If you are willing to work with local jurisdictions and have a well thought out design you might be surprised at an areas bureaucratic willingness. Jackson county, OR for instance, while listed on the "pockets of freedom" map on the EarthShip website as a "red" zone, which is true it does tend to have some strict building codes, also has quite a few strawbale, cob, and light clay-straw type structures. But if you wanted to have zero restrictions/meddling then I would suggest northern NM. I guess in the end it depends on the climate you want to live in, and the type of structures you are looking to build.
LaLena MaeRee wrote:I'm from the state of Idaho, in the bigger cities and towns you can't even think about building a dog house without a permit. However, there are lots of old mining towns, and mountain areas where you can do whatever the hell you want. I have seen people living in shacks of all kinds, even junkyards. I lived in one of the old mining towns in my teen years and even the local cops had properties with multiple small shacks everyone lived in, they all let their kids have their own little house out back that was essentially a plywood shack or camper or old broken van, whatever they could sleep in and put a fireplace into usually. We still visit that area, everyone still lives the same way. You even occasionally see a 5 year old leading a gigantic mule down the street for exercise. I guess it is true the backwoods of Idaho are pretty "hillbilly." Beautiful area though, I haven't been anywhere with fresher air and cleaner rivers yet than the mountains of Idaho
Ernie DeVore wrote:Here in my county in Texas there are no building codes for rural property. I came out here and built a 512 square foot cabin with no issues at all. No inspectors, no government busybodies, no nothing. Only a few nosy neighbors who showed up periodically to gawk at the hillbillies who want to live in a plywood shack.
There are some state regulations in Texas that are problematic, but they can be ignored so long as you don't build next to the road and don't invite bureaucrats into your home to show them all your violations. Nosy bureaucrats tend to not wander down dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. For extra bureaucrat protection, I put on some overalls without a shirt underneath and my old straw hat and go sit down by the county road and play the banjo for a little whlie.
Many of the requirements also have loopholes which you can exploit. For instance, properties require a septic tank to handle "waste". My property generates no waste, only compost, so therefore we do not fall into their septic tank jurisdiction. We don't require electrical inspections because we aren't hooked up to the grid. We don't require water inspections because we don't get their water.
If you go to the world and ask for worldly things then you bring yourself into their world and are subject to their regulations. If you withdraw from the world and live without their assistance then for the most part they tend to leave you alone.
