Parking an RV on a small plot of land....Any issues??

Hi all, been a while since ive been on here so hello from wet and windy England UK!!  We are looking at retiring in a couple of years and want to tour your wonderful country for a year or 2.  We will return to the UK and our retirement home in Turkey a couple of times a year to comply with visa regulations in the USA.  I wanted to know if anyone knows of any legal reason why we couldnt buy a small plot of land to park the RV on when we leave the USA, after touring we may build a house on the plot as a winter retreat (we are looking at the Florida area).

Thanks as always in advance  ;D

All depends on the location and its local zoning laws.

I like your plan and other than the zoning issues mentioned above I see no problem with it.  In fact, I've often wondered about it myself.  Depending on where you buy, it should be relatively inexpensive to put in hook ups if you decide you want to spend some time there and/or live there in the RV while building.

good luck...

Rick

There are 1,000's of RV lots for sale in Florida from very basic to very expensive. Prices are now low and selection is high due to the economy.

Lindsay Richards said:

There are 1,000's of RV lots for sale in Florida from very basic to very expensive. Prices are now low and selection is high due to the economy.

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Are you referring to the type of lot he could someday build a custom house on?

I would try to find a burned mobile home or house in an area which allows the RV to be parked and used there. Preferably not in a mobile home park. All of the utilities should be present and the foundation could probably be used for another mobile home or a house.

My uncle's mobile home burned last year and he replaced it with a small 2 bedroom house at a good price.

Hi.  Thanks for the replies 

Can anyone tell me if i need any kind of permit or license to park an RV on an empty plot?  How do i go about getting mains water and electric connected and do i need permits etc for the service connections?

If i buy a plot with permission to build a house on it is it then ok to park the RV on it for a couple of months at a time over a couple of years and then build the house or do I need to start to build the house pretty much straight away?

Just trying to get it straight in my head before we start looking or wasting anyones time with silly questions.

Thanks again !!

dazzer said:

Hi.  Thanks for the replies 

Can anyone tell me if i need any kind of permit or license to park an RV on an empty plot?  How do i go about getting mains water and electric connected and do i need permits etc for the service connections?

If i buy a plot with permission to build a house on it is it then ok to park the RV on it for a couple of months at a time over a couple of years and then build the house or do I need to start to build the house pretty much straight away?

Just trying to get it straight in my head before we start looking or wasting anyones time with silly questions.

Thanks again !!

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It's like politics, it's all local.  You will have to check with local zoning to see if it is legal.  Then you will have to check with local utilities to see what is available.  Depending on your choice of spots, there will be a broad range of answers to your questions.

It all depends on the local zoning regulations or codes (akin to what used to be called planning permission in the UK). They vary significantly from one town or county to the next, and also between areas of the same town. We have a couple of empty (p)lots on our street, but the owners wouldn't be allowed to park any kind of RV on them.

Oops, Tom beat me to it.

Oh right, so its a case of find a plot you think will be ok and then ask the relevent authorities what can be done on it??

Nothins ever easy is it  :

Thanks for the help though 

Yes and no. There are some areas in some towns that are "zoned" for RVs. A good example would be a couple of areas in Yuma, Arizona where several forum members own, or have owned, lots. The lots are in areas zoned specifically for RVs. You can drive through one of these neighborhoods and all you see is RVs and empty lots.

dazzer said:

Oh right, so its a case of find a plot you think will be ok and then ask the relevent authorities what can be done on it??

Nothins ever easy is it  :

Thanks for the help though 

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Yeah, I hear you... but the only way to be able to give a standard answer to this question that would be accurate across the entire US would be to have federal laws covering this and I don't think there would be much support for that.    You'll most likely begin working with a realtor and if you just tell them up front what you're looking for they'll do the sorting out for you.

Rick

I second the idea of contacting a realtor in an area of a particular state that you might be interested in. One caveat. Realtors don't get much commission on a small patch of dirt so it might be appropriate to find one who deals in land sales. I assume, that since you would be traveling the US in the RV, that you would start looking when you got here in a couple years. You might find in your traveling around the US that states other than Florida would be of interest. Altho, there is nothing wrong with FL.

I and a friend each bought land on which to build a house in an area that was somewhat rural. I was able to park my RV on it for a year before I started to build, but he wasn't. Different zoning laws. I had no problem with the electric and water company putting in those utilities altho if you found a place that already had them then it's a non issue. In order to get a septic tank installed, I was required to submit plans and get a permit.  If you just want an interium "storage lot" for your RV, then the farther you get away from a city or town the less restrictions you will have. I suspect that you will have a tough go of it in buying a piece of property in a housing area and then be allowed to park the RV there for any length of time.

You might even find an owner of a farm or ranch who would allow you to store the rig there for a nominal fee while you sorted it all out. 

Good luck.

dazzer said:

Hi all, been a while since ive been on here so hello from wet and windy England UK!!  We are looking at retiring in a couple of years and want to tour your wonderful country for a year or 2.  We will return to the UK and our retirement home in Turkey a couple of times a year to comply with visa regulations in the USA.  I wanted to know if anyone knows of any legal reason why we couldnt buy a small plot of land to park the RV on when we leave the USA, after touring we may build a house on the plot as a winter retreat (we are looking at the Florida area).

Thanks as always in advance  ;D

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Here's a advert from the Family Motor Coach Association Magazine Nov 2010 Issue

FLORIDA - Moore Haven Yacht Club. Put a modular or mobile home on 100x60 lot in this over 55 community. Located on the Caloosahatchee River, it has a clubhouse, rec hall, pool and laundry. Utilities present on lot: electric, central sewer,water. Great fishing area, reduced to $10,500, 989-389-3489, [email protected].

It may be just what you want

PHESPE

That sounds pretty good, but the only problem i can see is the over 55s bit!!  I will be about 47 when i retire so i guess im to young!!!

dazzer said:

That sounds pretty good, but the only problem i can see is the over 55s bit!!  I will be about 47 when i retire so i guess im to young!!!

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Who knows, the over 55 may not be a hard and fast rule.  If this sounds like something you could use, I'd contact them and ask.

Molaker is correct about over 55 not being a hard and fast rule.  We live in an over 55 development, but by law they have to allow a certain percentage of under 55'ers in, to avoid discrimination suits.  And we now have a few of them living here.  Most still work and have no children though, and they don't appear to be that much below the 55 year mark.  Just contact and ask.  All they can say is NO!

Daisy 

dazzer said:

Hi all, been a while since ive been on here so hello from wet and windy England UK!!  We are looking at retiring in a couple of years and want to tour your wonderful country for a year or 2.  We will return to the UK and our retirement home in Turkey a couple of times a year to comply with visa regulations in the USA.  I wanted to know if anyone knows of any legal reason why we couldnt buy a small plot of land to park the RV on when we leave the USA, after touring we may build a house on the plot as a winter retreat (we are looking at the Florida area).

Thanks as always in advance  ;D

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As others have said the issue difficult to generalize.  Let me as an old ex local gov't bureacrat add some generalizations.

If you buy rural, undeveloped land, you can do most anything you want in terms of RV storage and addition of a residence built under county building and safety codes which a local contractor will navigate for you.  The hitch lies in security.  If you  plan on leaving your RV and future residence unoccupied and unused for significant time it will be wide open to vandalism or theft.  Rural law is thin on the ground almost by definition. 

If you buy in a suburban or urban area, you will be subject to all sorts of local municipal and community restrictions.  Storage of RVs on site are particularly common.  Navigating them will be up to you.  Good luck on that. 

There are alternatives.  One is to buy into a time-share or cooperative RV resort or development in your favorite US area.  That slays all the legal dragons tho you do have the problem of  sorting out the good operations from the bad (scams, shaky management, etc.)

Another is to initially come over to buy your RV and to line up long term, secured RV storage for it convenient to your airport of arrival/departure.  This will allow you to leave the rig in a secure facility and return home.  Use your holiday time and your RV to further explore the US and look for future options.  You might even find yourselves falling in love with some other part of the US, like our Southwest, or the Great Lakes.

Don't plan on doing it in Madison County.

Man Being Evicted Off His Own Land For Living Too Simply

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http://patdollard.com/2010/12/man-being-evicted-off-his-own-land-for-living-too-simply/

He lives in his own trailer, on land he bought and owns, his taxes are paid, and he is [has been] evicted because he refuses to be hooked up to county services. Bears poop in the woods, horses pee on his land, but for some reason he isn't allowed to.

BruceinFL said:

All depends on the location and its local zoning laws.

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As he said, Zoning laws and local covenents often get in the way of what should be a reasonable act of storing an RV.

You might consider membership camping here in the us.. Many membership campgrounds have an empty field where you can park your RV (or where they will park your RV) for a few hundred dollars a year.. Very low storage rate.

I suspect many "INdependent" CG's have simular lots (Know for a fact some do) as well... I'd shop for storage.


On edit: A thuought occurs to me....

Call up Garages-r-us (the local garage company) and have 'em build you a garage on the property... Say "By By" to "You can' not park an RV here.. Also much nicer way to store it while you are out of town.