Thanks Jim! I had started to look at those details, but hadn't yet gotten very far. I appreciate the reminder. Honestly I'm pretty dead set on Massachusetts, I'm very sure New Hampshire and Maine would be easier to do this in, but where's the fun in that? In all seriousness though here's the info I compiled using your points as a guide.
Taxes
1 Income a flat 5.1%
2 Property varies by county, averages 1.04% of a property’s assessed fair market value. Which is often $2k/$4k an acre in rural areas without buildings on it.
3 Inheritance An estate valued less that a million $’s does not require an estate tax.
4 Sales, 6.25% on sales and rentals.
Regulations on Building
“[In 2016], a Nantucket resident started pushing for an amendment to the town’s zoning bylaws for residents to start building tiny. The state’s attorney general office is now expected to approve an amendment that would allow new residential construction under 500 square feet in several districts. (Tiny homes would need to included water, septic and electricity hookups and fitted to fixed foundations due to hurricane concerns.) If approved, Nantucket will officially be the first Massachusetts community to approve zoning that specifically allows for tiny houses.” curbed.com
Tiny Homes And Zoning Obstacles
Mobiles homes often have specific restrictions that vary by county and township. Minimum square footage is often 500 – 600 sqft.
Regulations on Activities
Open Burning “To burn materials in your yard, you need a permit from the local fire department” In most of Massachusetts open burning is allowed from mid-winter to early spring. Densely populated cities have tighter regulations. Must be conducted Jan 15 to May 1, 10am to 4pm, near the source of materials. Burning an old building can land you in jail.
Outdoor cooking is allowed year-round and not subject to open burning regulations. The cleaner the burn the less likely it is there’ll be problems.
Hunting separate license for trapping and hunting. Not permitted on Sundays. Hours range from 1⁄2 an hour before sunrise to 1⁄2 an hour after sunset. Decoys are frowned upon, as is using “high technology”. No road hunting, no killing for another person.
Homestead Exemption $125k-$500k in home equity protection. (In re Shove, Bkrtcy.D.Mass.,2018) “…use of a portion of the property for commercial purposes does not remove the property from the protection of homestead exemption…” This however has nothing to do with taxes and exists to protect the wealth of a homeowner in the case of a lawsuit. Mortgages, taxes, assessments, claims, prior debts, court issed execution, and liens are all exempt from the exemption.
Raw Milk sales may occur on the farm, milk must be tested for Coliform & other bacteria.
Laws concerning sales from a homestead aren’t easily found, although they surely exist.
Small scale agriculture becomes commercial when it excedes 5 acres of occupied land, or 2 acres and $1,000+ of gross sales per acre. Ordinances on the keeping of animals (small scale) will vary, but will often require a permit. The Board of Health and the local town is the body that oversees these permits.
So yeah, there’s significant regulation and lots of potential obstancles. Luckily these are all in the same spirit as many other spots across the country. And by presenting yourself as following these rules and not being ostentatious it may very well be possible to live in a tiny home in a rural area for many months with no issues. Although skirting around the rules is certainly not a long term strategy. Discussing these issues with knowledgeable officials will probably present some solutions, reading the actual laws a few more, and anything else may eventually be remedied in court. It won’t be easy though.
