Direct answer
Prepare the call. Do not replace the call.
Different offices may handle planning, zoning, building, septic, floodplain, roads, records, tax, and utilities. A checklist helps you ask better questions without assuming approval.
Last updated: May 30, 2026. Educational, screening-grade county-call preparation guide only.
Quick checklist
Quick county call checklist
Parcel identity, APN, tax ID, county, state, map link, and intended use.
Zoning district, allowed use, overlays, minimum lot size, setbacks, road frontage, and density.
Legal access, public/private road status, road maintenance, emergency access, and driveway or culvert permits.
Septic, sewer, perc tests, soil evaluations, health department records, repairs, and reserve-area questions.
Well, public water, electric, internet, gas, utility extension, easements, and connection-cost questions.
Floodplain, floodway, drainage, culvert, wetland, stream, soil, slope, and environmental review questions.
Building permit path, prior permits, open records, inspection steps, and occupancy-related questions.
Mobile, manufactured, tiny-home, RV, temporary living, animals, barns, ADUs, rentals, and home business questions.
Recorder/clerk documents such as plats, easements, covenants, subdivision restrictions, and road agreements.
Assessor/tax records, parcel classification, special assessments, exemptions, and tax-office confirmation questions.
Start here
Start with parcel identity
Have this ready before calling
- Parcel number, APN, tax ID, county, and state.
- Property address if available, plus nearest road or cross street if there is no assigned address.
- Listing link, map link, county parcel viewer link, or screenshots of the parcel location.
- Owner or listing information, if known.
- Your intended use: house, cabin, homestead, animals, mobile/manufactured/tiny home, RV while building, renovation, rental, or recreation.
- Questions about exact parcel boundaries, road frontage, easements, and visible access routes.
Why it matters
County staff can usually answer better when you provide the correct parcel. A parcel viewer or map can help prepare the call, but it does not prove legal boundaries, title, or survey facts.
Planning and zoning
Questions for planning or zoning
What is the zoning district for this parcel?
Is my intended use handled as permitted, conditional, special, accessory, temporary, or not clearly addressed?
What are the minimum lot size, setbacks, frontage, density, and height or structure rules?
Are there overlays, special districts, conservation areas, subdivision rules, or local plans that affect this parcel?
Are manufactured homes, mobile homes, tiny homes, modular homes, ADUs, RVs, animals, barns, home businesses, or short-term rentals treated differently?
What approvals are needed before a building permit or site plan review?
For broader buildability questions, see Can I build on this land?. For mobile, tiny, manufactured-home, or RV questions, see mobile home and tiny home land rules.
Septic and health
Questions for septic / health department
Who handles septic or onsite wastewater permits for this parcel?
Are there existing septic records, prior permits, repair records, or failed-system records?
Has a perc test, soil evaluation, or site review been done?
What is required before building, adding bedrooms, changing use, or placing another dwelling type?
Are there minimum setbacks from wells, streams, property lines, structures, driveways, or water features?
Does the parcel raise size, slope, drainage, soil, or reserve-area questions for septic review?
For deeper wastewater screening, see septic and perc questions before buying land.
Roads and access
Questions for access, roads, driveway, and public works
Is the road public, private, maintained, seasonal, gated, or outside county maintenance?
Who maintains the road, and are there road or maintenance agreements?
Does the parcel appear to have documented legal access, or should title/survey/legal review confirm that?
Are driveway, culvert, address, road-frontage, emergency-access, or road-standard permits required?
Are there known road, drainage, bridge, washout, slope, or access limitations?
For a deeper access screen, see landlocked property and access before buying.
Floodplain, drainage, wetlands, and soils
Questions for floodplain, drainage, wetlands, and soils
Is any part of the parcel in a mapped floodplain or floodway?
Who is the local floodplain administrator for this parcel?
What floodplain development permits, elevation information, or design reviews may be needed?
Are drainage, culvert, grading, stormwater, or erosion-control reviews required?
Are wetlands, streams, ponds, mapped water features, or environmental flags visible in public data?
Would a wetland delineation, environmental review, soil review, survey, or engineering review be needed?
Are soil limitations relevant for septic, driveway, utility routing, or building plans?
For map-risk screening, see flood, wetlands, and soil red flags before buying land.
Recorded documents
Questions for recorder / clerk / records office
Are recorded plats available for this parcel or subdivision?
Are easements, access agreements, road agreements, maintenance agreements, or utility easements recorded?
Are restrictive covenants, subdivision restrictions, HOA/POA documents, or deed restrictions recorded?
Are there deeds or prior documents that should be reviewed by a title professional?
Where should a buyer or title company search for recorded documents?
Recorded documents may need title, survey, legal, or other professional interpretation. This page does not confirm title clarity or legal effect.
Assessor and tax
Questions for assessor / tax office
What parcel number and tax account should I use?
Are taxes current according to the tax office, and how can that be confirmed before closing?
Are there special assessments, exemptions, agricultural/timber classifications, rollback questions, or other tax-account notes?
Is the property classified as agricultural, timber, residential, vacant, improved, commercial, or another category?
Could a sale or use change affect tax status, and who should confirm the tax consequences?
Ask the tax office or a tax professional to confirm tax obligations. This page does not provide tax advice or confirm tax clearance.
Utilities
Questions for utilities and service providers
Is electric service available nearby, and which provider confirms extension requirements and cost?
Is public water or sewer available, or would the parcel likely need a well and septic system?
Are internet, gas, trash, emergency services, or other utilities available in the area?
Are easements, road crossings, deposits, design work, or permits needed for utility extension?
Who confirms connection feasibility, timing, and cost for this exact parcel?
Nearby service does not guarantee availability, cost, easements, timing, or connection approval for a specific parcel.
Use-case blocks
Questions by buyer plan
Building a house
- What zoning, setbacks, frontage, septic, driveway, floodplain, and building-permit steps apply?
- Which office reviews site plans or building permits?
- What must be verified before spending money on plans or studies?
Homestead or animals
- Are animals, barns, wells, gardens, fencing, accessory buildings, and agricultural uses allowed?
- Are there nuisance, stocking, setback, or waste rules?
- Do septic, water, utilities, and access support the plan?
Rural home with acreage
- What septic, well, access, permit, outbuilding, flood, soils, and future-use records should be checked?
- Are prior improvements reflected in public records?
- Are there county issues outside a normal home inspection?
Mobile, manufactured, or tiny home
- How does the county classify the structure type?
- Are foundation, HUD-code, minimum size, septic, utility, inspection, and placement rules different?
- Are RVs or temporary living handled separately?
RV while building
- Is temporary living allowed while building?
- Is there a time limit, active permit requirement, septic/wastewater rule, or utility requirement?
- Which office confirms temporary occupancy conditions?
Inherited land
- What parcel, tax, recorder, zoning, access, and title-adjacent records should be checked first?
- Who should review title, taxes, probate, survey, or ownership questions?
- What would a buyer likely ask?
Cabin or recreational use
- Is recreational, seasonal, cabin, camping, driveway, utility, septic, or temporary-use activity regulated?
- Are flood, road, emergency access, and private-road questions relevant?
- Which office confirms the use category?
What screening can prepare
What public-source screening can prepare
Organize parcel identity, APN, tax ID, county, map links, and source categories before calling.
Point to likely offices: planning/zoning, building/permitting, septic/health, floodplain, roads/public works, recorder/clerk, assessor/tax, and utility providers.
Flag visible zoning/GIS indicators, flood/wetland/soil signals, access and road questions, septic/well/utility questions, and prior-record questions.
Create a next-step checklist so the county call is more focused and less intimidating.
This prepares the call. It does not replace the call.
Limits of screening
What public-source screening cannot do
Public-source screening can organize county questions, but it cannot answer on behalf of the county or replace professional review.
- Answer on behalf of the county or guarantee what a county office will say.
- Approve permits, building plans, septic systems, perc tests, floodplain development, driveway access, or utilities.
- Confirm legal access, title clarity, tax clearance, recorded-document interpretation, or survey boundaries.
- Confirm final buildability, zoning/use approval, wetland clearance, soil suitability, lender/insurance acceptance, or a final buy/no-buy decision.
- Replace county, title, survey, legal, engineering, septic, utility, tax, lender, insurer, or other professional review.
Script
Simple county call or email script
Phone script
“I’m considering buying parcel [APN] at or near [location]. I’m trying to confirm [intended use]. Which office should I ask about zoning, access, septic, floodplain, driveway permits, building permits, utilities, and recorded restrictions?”
Email checklist
- Parcel/APN: [insert parcel number or tax ID]
- Location: [road, nearest town, county, state]
- Intended use: [house, homestead, cabin, mobile home, RV while building, renovation, animals, etc.]
- Main questions: zoning, access, septic, floodplain, driveway, permits, utilities, and recorded restrictions
- Ask: Which office handles each question, and what records or applications should I request before buying?
Keep it plain. Ask which office handles each issue and what records you should request before buying.
Public sources
Source categories to check before calling
County planning / zoning source category
Zoning district, allowed use, overlays, setbacks, frontage, density, and future-use questions.
County building / permitting source category
Building permit path, prior permits, inspections, address, occupancy, additions, and improvement records.
County septic / health department source category
Septic permits, perc tests, soil evaluations, sewer, wastewater, repair, and reserve-area questions.
County floodplain administrator / planning source category
Floodplain, floodway, drainage, elevation, development permit, and local flood-review questions.
County road / public works source category
Road status, maintenance, driveway, culvert, emergency access, drainage, and public works questions.
County recorder / clerk records source category
Deeds, plats, easements, covenants, road agreements, restrictions, and recorded documents.
County assessor / tax source category
Parcel number, tax account, classification, tax status indicators, assessment, and exemption questions.
County parcel / GIS source category
Parcel maps, boundaries, roads, layers, flood context, access clues, and map references.
FEMA Flood Map Service Center
Flood map context for floodplain and floodway screening.
USFWS Wetlands Mapper
Wetlands screening indicators that may need field or agency follow-up.
NRCS Web Soil Survey
Broad soil, drainage, slope, hydric soil, and septic limitation clues.
Utility/provider source category
Electric, water, sewer, internet, gas, easements, extension, connection, and cost questions.
Related checks
Use the right page for the risk you are checking
Vacant land due diligence checklist
Use the broader checklist before making or finalizing an offer.
Rural home with acreage due diligence
Use this when the property already has a home, cabin, or improvements.
What to do with inherited land
Use this when ownership, taxes, records, or family decisions are part of the question.
FAQ
FAQ
What questions should I ask the county before buying land?
Ask about zoning, allowed use, lot size, setbacks, frontage, access, septic, water, floodplain, wetlands, drainage, driveway permits, building permits, recorded restrictions, taxes, and which office verifies each item for the exact parcel.
Who should I call before buying land?
Start with the county planning or zoning office, then ask who handles septic/health, floodplain, road/public works, building permits, recorder/clerk records, assessor/tax records, and utilities for that parcel.
Should I ask zoning before buying land?
Yes. Zoning can affect allowed use, setbacks, frontage, density, structure type, animals, RV use, rentals, and future plans. Zoning still needs parcel-specific confirmation from the local office.
What should I ask about septic before buying land?
Ask who handles septic, whether records exist, whether perc or soil evaluation has been done, whether there are repair or failure records, and what is required before building or adding bedrooms.
Can the county tell me if land is buildable?
The county may answer parts of the buildability question, such as zoning, permits, septic, floodplain, driveway, and records. It may not replace survey, title, engineering, septic, utility, lender, or professional review.
Should I ask about floodplain before buying land?
Yes. Ask whether any part of the parcel is in a mapped floodplain or floodway, who the floodplain administrator is, and what development permits or reviews may apply.
Can county staff confirm legal access?
County staff may point to road status, maps, permits, or recorded documents, but legal access often needs title, survey, legal, or recorded-document review. Do not treat map visibility as legal access confirmation.
What should I ask before buying land outside city limits?
Ask about county zoning, septic, well or water, legal access, private roads, driveway permits, floodplain, wetlands, soils, utilities, recorded restrictions, emergency access, and building permit steps.
Source and methodology
County-call preparation, not a county determination
LandCheck-style screening organizes parcel identity, zoning, septic, access, floodplain, road, recorder, tax, utility, flood, wetland, and soil source categories into a focused county-call checklist.
The goal is to make the county call more specific, not to replace county verification.
Scope and disclaimer
Educational screening guide
This page is educational and screening-focused. It is not legal, tax, title, survey, zoning, septic, engineering, utility, insurance, lender, county, or permit advice.
Next step
Prepare your county call before you spend more money
Sample report
See how LandCheck separates public-source clues from verification questions.