Land due diligence checklist: 30 things to check before you buy land

Pin the exact spot

Get the parcel ID (APN) from the listing or the county parcel viewer, and put the pin where you would build, not on the road. Conditions can change across a parcel.

Ask: County assessor or GIS viewer

FEMA flood zone

Which zone the building spot is in, whether it's in a Special Flood Hazard Area, and whether a digital flood map exists there at all.

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Wetlands and wet soils

Mapped wetlands on or near the land, and soils that pond or drain poorly. Both can limit where you build and where a septic system can go.

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Slope and elevation

How steep the ground is at the building spot. Steep sites cost more to grade, drain and reach with a driveway.

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Soil drainage and shrink-swell

Mapped soil properties that affect foundations, driveways and septic suitability. A first look, not a perc test.

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Wildfire hazard

Mapped wildfire hazard for the area, which can affect insurance and building rules in some states.

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Distance to roads

How far the nearest mapped road and major road are, with names and surface where mapped. Distance is not legal access; see the title items below.

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Power nearby

Distance to the nearest mapped high-voltage line and substation. A sign of grid in the area, not proof you can connect.

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Internet

Whether fiber broadband is reported in the area in the FCC's broadband data.

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Water and sewer

Whether the land is near a public water or sewer service area, and how common private wells are nearby.

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Contamination sites nearby

Listed environmental cleanup and regulated sites within the search radius.

Screen checks this

Zoning and allowed uses

Whether you can build the house, cabin, barn, RV or business you have in mind, and the minimum lot size and setbacks.

Ask: County or city planning and zoning office

Taxes and exemptions

The current tax bill, and whether an agricultural or timber exemption applies. Losing one after a sale can raise taxes or trigger a rollback charge in some states.

Ask: County assessor or appraisal district

A long enough due diligence period

Perc tests, surveys and utility estimates can take weeks in rural counties. Ask for a feasibility period that fits.

Ask: Your agent or real estate attorney

Contingencies that match your plans

Common ones cover the survey, septic suitability, financing, access and title. Without them, a failed check may cost you your deposit.

Ask: Your agent or real estate attorney

Seller disclosures

Past flooding, fill or dumping, buried tanks, boundary disputes, shared driveways and any surveys or elevation certificates the seller already has.

Ask: The seller

Boundary survey

Where the lines and corners actually are, the acreage, and any fences, buildings or roads that cross them.

Ask: A licensed land surveyor

Title search

Liens, easements, rights of way, deed restrictions and covenants recorded against the land. Review every exception in the title commitment.

Ask: A title company or real estate attorney

Legal access

Frontage on a public road or a recorded easement to one. Land with no legal access (landlocked) can be very hard to build on, finance or resell.

Ask: Title company; county road department

Mineral, water and timber rights

Whether any of these were sold or reserved separately. Severed mineral rights can mean someone else may have the right to drill.

Ask: Title company or attorney

Septic suitability (perc or soil test)

Whether the soil can take a septic system, what type, and where. A failed test can make a rural lot unbuildable without a costly alternative system.

Ask: County health department or a licensed soil evaluator

Well water

Typical well depth, yield and water quality in the area, and whether permits are needed.

Ask: Local well drillers; state well records

Power line extension cost

A written estimate from the utility that serves the road, including poles, transformers and any easements.

Ask: The serving electric utility or co-opRead the guide

Driveway and building permits

Driveway or culvert permits, building permits, setbacks and any floodplain development permit.

Ask: County road department and building office

Flood elevation and insurance

If any part of the land is near a mapped flood zone, an elevation certificate for the building spot and an insurance quote.

Ask: A surveyor and an insurance agentRead the guide

Environmental assessment

A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment if the land had commercial, industrial or dumping use, or if your lender requires one.

Ask: An environmental professional

Walk the land

Wet spots after rain, dumping, old wells or tanks, trails or roads neighbours use, and how the land actually drains.

Ask: You, ideally after a rain

Final title commitment

Every exception understood and anything unacceptable cleared before closing.

Ask: Title company or attorney

Insurance in place

Liability cover for vacant land, and flood or fire cover if the checks above call for it.

Ask: An insurance agent

A last walk-through

Make sure nothing has changed: new dumping, cut timber, removed fences or markers.

Ask: You