Boring? Yes. Skippable? Absolutely not. This is the chapter that saves you from buying land you can’t use.
What to check before you buy or build:
- Zoning. Can you legally keep animals? Build structures? Some townships have zero zoning (ours in Michigan has none, just state building codes). Most places aren’t that free. Call the township and ask.
- Right to farm. Many states protect working farms from nuisance lawsuits. Know whether your state has it and what it covers.
- Building codes. Even with no zoning, the state still has building, health, and environmental rules. Septic permits, well permits, these are real and enforced.
- Water rights. Who owns the water under and around your land? Varies wildly by state.
- Cottage food laws. What you can legally sell from your kitchen without a commercial license. Every state draws this line somewhere different.
- Raw milk. Legal in some states, gray in others, banned in some. Know yours before you buy the cow.
The move: call your township clerk and your county health department before you spend a dollar. Ten minutes on the phone beats a $5,000 mistake.
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