What Can You Do With Unusable Land?

There’s no shortage of advice on how to make money with vacant land. But what most miss is that just because something sounds like a good idea doesn’t mean it’s allowed where the land sits.

Before buying and getting excited, you need to look at the zoning to find out what is allowed vs not permitted.

A Planning Department may tell you that a lot is “buildable,” but that doesn’t mean it’s usable. Anything can be buildable with the right amount of money. For instance, if the zoning requires public water and sewer but those lines aren’t anywhere nearby, the cost to make that land usable can be far beyond its the cost of building a home in some instances.

That’s where many landowners get stuck. It's exciting to have the hopes and dreams, but downright upsetting to find you can't do a thing with it.

It’s not just zoning, either. Water availability, utility policies, and environmental conditions all play a role. In some areas, a well and septic system might be possible if water rights exist, the depth isn’t extreme, and the soil supports it. Rocky terrain or regulatory limits can shut those options down entirely.

While alternative solutions like hauled water, cisterns, or advanced wastewater systems do exist, whether they’re allowed often depends on local rules, not whether they’re safe or proven.

That’s the reality of “unusable” land:  It’s not that nothing can be done, it’s usually what can be done isn’t always permitted. And this can be a long battle with the county to change the land use options.

So the question becomes: "Do you work within the limits… or work to change them?"

For some, that means selling and moving on. For others, it means digging deeper, asking better questions, exploring permits or variances, or even pushing for changes that allow land to be used responsibly.

Because land, at its core, is potential. But whether that potential can be realized… often comes down to policy. When land holds potential but no legal path to use it, it’s not a failure of the property; it’s a failure of the system around it.

If you own land and find yourself in this situation whereby it's deemed unusable but still taxed, then it should be usable. There needs to be something in exchange for the property taxes you pay on that land. Or there must be a lawful path to make it so. 

Across the country, more landowners are realizing that change doesn’t happen alone; it happens when people come together and push for the zoning solutions their communities need. And they must continue to stand up for their rights, or lose them all together. If you'd like help on how to find others in the same area affected by such crisis, feel free to contact me above, and I'll be glad to share with you some tips and insight on reaching others to stand with you.

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