Last updated: June 7, 2026. Screening-grade checklist only; not legal, engineering, survey, title, septic, or permit advice.
80/20 checklist
Can the parcel support the intended use under zoning, setbacks, overlays, lot rules, slope, flood, wetlands, and access constraints?
Is public sewer available, or does the parcel need a perc test, soil evaluation, septic permit, reserve area, and health-department review?
Is public water available, or would a well, shared well, hauled water, cistern, or water-quality review be needed?
Can electric, internet, gas or propane, and other services actually reach the parcel, and what extension or easement work may be required?
Does the parcel have public road frontage, recorded easement access, private-road rights, driveway permission, and emergency/service access?
What do county zoning, subdivision rules, covenants, deed restrictions, HOA rules, mobile-home rules, or short-term-use limits say?
Could FEMA floodplain, USFWS wetlands, soil drainage, steep slope, drainage, or protected-area constraints change the usable area?
Which county offices, providers, seller disclosures, plats, permits, surveys, and recorded documents need to be checked before an offer or inspection period ends?
Red flags
County and source checks
APN, parcel boundaries, acreage, road context, nearby parcels, assessed use, map layers, and clue-level screening.
Allowed uses, overlays, setbacks, minimum lot rules, manufactured-home rules, and subdivision questions.
Septic, perc, soil evaluation, well/septic separation, repair records, and wastewater approval path.
Building-path questions, prior permits, driveway or grading requirements, and inspection records.
Deeds, easements, covenants, plats, road agreements, restrictions, and recorded access documents.
Driveway, culvert, right-of-way, private road, road maintenance, and emergency access questions.
Electric, water, sewer, gas, broadband, provider territory, extension path, deposits, and timing questions.
Floodplain, wetland, drainage, slope, soil, and site-constraint screening that still needs local/pro review.
Buyer script
Use-case routes
Start with the free checker for buildability, septic, water, utility, access, and restriction questions.
Use this when sewer is not confirmed and onsite wastewater may decide whether the parcel works.
Use this when road frontage, private roads, or recorded easements are unclear.
Use this when electric, water, sewer, broadband, or provider service is uncertain.
Use this when the intended use is manufactured, mobile, tiny, RV, cabin, or off-grid.
Use this to organize county calls and public-source checks before you spend more money.
Guardrails
FAQ
Start with buildability, septic or sewer, water or well, electric and utilities, legal access, zoning and deed restrictions, flood/wetland/soil/slope constraints, and county/provider questions tied to your intended use.
No. GIS is a starting point for parcel identity and map clues. It does not prove permit approval, legal access, septic approval, utility availability, or final buildability.
No. Nearby lines or provider maps are only clues. Ask the provider whether the exact parcel can be served and what extension, easement, trenching, deposit, or timing issues may apply.
If public sewer is not confirmed, septic or onsite wastewater screening is one of the first checks. Soil, slope, setbacks, reserve area, water source, and intended use can all matter.
Treat it as a serious access question. You may need recorded easement documents, private-road agreements, maintenance terms, driveway permits, and legal review before relying on access.
Maybe, but local rules matter. Counties may treat mobile, manufactured, tiny, RV, cabin, and temporary living uses differently. Verify the exact use before buying.
No. This is a screening checklist. Use county offices, providers, surveyors, title professionals, engineers, septic professionals, and local counsel where needed.