/diy/ - Do It Yourself

First of all, is that really possible in the US?
Second, if it is, how does that process progress, start to finish?
Third, how can it be thwarted?

To me, it would be deeply troubling if a government body could actually do this to someone because it should be up to the landowner to judge what is or is not fit for self-habitation on his or her own land.

Another consideration is, landlords are free to cut off services to the houses they own when no one is living in them. So in an eviction situation, the difference must be the assertion that someone is living in the house. Who has the authority to declare whether or not you're living in your house? Is it based entirely on your self-declared current legal address?

As for the UK, I found this bullshit:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-23325.html

in most areas, the city has a local monopoly on the water supply and one power company has a local monopoly on gas and electric services

doesn't that illustrate that the government is strictly enforcing a dubious monopoly and the people suffering from it are the legal landowners?

this is one of the main reasons why I think modern society really is a scam and that the rivers will run with blood before the end of this millennium

The government doesn't even need to say that's it's unfit for habitation, they can just buy the land for whatever they say it's worth and evict you from it. It's called "eminent domain" and it's outlined in the constitution.

>>129845
You're right, assuming they can prove there is a public need that this action would serve, but that's a whole other can of worms. For the purposes of this discussion let's assume the government does not use the eminent domain trump card.

Another way to ask about the process...

By what course of events does a building inspector secure the right to enter your own home on your own land without your permission, to inspect it?

Found another link:

http://www.hb-rights.org/1local/inspect

This is an interesting question and best answered the old-fashioned way, by going down to city hall and asking enough people that you get some kind of an answer, even if the answer is "I don't know but probably nobody is going to give a fuck if the neighbours don't complain."

Seriously. There is someone in the municipalities government that will be able to figure this out for you. And whether you choose to mention your "religious reasons" or not is very situation specific - I wouldn't mention it in Maine, but it would probably fly in California, if you get my drift.

There's one slight hitch though, and that's a little issue of sewage and liquid waste. If you're disconnected from municipal sewers/water supply, you're going to have to figure out an ethical and responsible way to deal with waste. Not impossible, but you should consider it, and that'd be the first thing the neighbours are complaining about.

If you're in an urban area your home will have to conform to building codes etc. If you refuse they will probably force you to comply or lose your home. Obviously, you will have to have a sewer connection if you intend to have a toilet in your home. If you don't have toilet facilities they could make a case for your home being unfit.
If your home is in a rural area, you can do whatever you want. I had a friend in high school who's parents land had an abandoned house on it. It had a well and septic system. He had the electricity connected and moved in there. Great party house.

>>129854
I imagine you're right about the waste disposal being a potential cause for the neighbors to complain. But I think there are still some solutions without resorting to running water. Most traditional of these is the outhouse. Wouldn't that work, as it always did?

>>129856
Correction: they probably wouldn't take your home if they declared it unfit, but they would not allow you or anyone else to live there.

>>129859
>Who has the authority to declare whether or not you're living in your house?

Certainly if you spend 1% of each day to check up on the house to make sure everything is in working order, then proceed on your way, no one could assert that you are living in the house. But then we have a conundrum. 5% of the time, is that living in it? 50% of the time? Maybe you make sure to take a trip to the local convenience store every day to get you out of the house for ten minutes, does that' bring it down below 100% ? Etc.

>>129857
Dumping raw sewage in your back yard in an densely inhabited area would probably be a health hazard. Not so bad if only one person is doing it, but imagine if everyone in the neighborhood was doing it. Even in rural areas people have septic tanks to treat the sewage before draining the liquid into the ground. You then have someone come and pump the solids out of your tank periodically.

>>129863
Good luck with that.

>>129864
How about, "Every single time I have to use the bathroom, I go to the nearest public facility and my needs are met perfectly with no health hazards arising." ???

Something's got to give.

>>129867
It seems this post didn't really answer any questions.

from elsewhere on the internet:

"In this area of NW PA outhouses were/are in use although they are now illegal.Here they were banned not because they thought they were bad for the water but to keep the Amish from moving into the area. They require a sand mound with a pump, these cost thousands of dollars and dont work, but since Amish dont have electric they cant build one so they go elsewhere.
This is just one example of politics using the toilet to control people."

So bureaucrats have ensured that there's no way to legally live completely off the grid, period?

In what sense, then, is the United States of America not a nation where every single citizen is in fact a slave?

hey what about using a johnny on the spot for your toilet, what could they say then

maybe U don't need to physically disconnect the services but just shut them off at the main valve(s). though I bet the utilities will still want to charge a monthly "connection" fee just b'cuz the service is there even if none of the commodity (gas/elec/water) is actually being used.

>>129900
>monthly "connection" fee

yeah they almost always do, sometimes it's also called a "customer charge"

>>129872
Code complaint septic systems do not require a pump or electricity.

Ill tell you why its okay and why it would not be okay.

Its okay if you keep your yard clean and good looking and dont have a bunch of weird non-permit stuff built all around to "collect water" or whatever or a bunch of wind turbines in a suburb. If you have a yard that is unkept and looks to have junk laying all over the place, theyll probly fine you for it. Just have a good case if they ask you about it, cite reasons, and be able to back it up by showing no detriment to your property or land value.

Also: See the social contract. You are sacrificing certain things by living within modern society and under the rule of the US government. Its ignorant to think you arent. If you want to live off the grid, then go buy some land in the woods. If you are in a neighborhood, you are INHERENTLY IN THE GRID NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO.

You don't need electric or gas, maybe you have solar or firewood or whatever.

If you live in a city you can't drill your own water well, nor can you have your own septic system

>>129886

the only thing you "have to do" is pay your property taxes, other than that you're free

>>129839
It depends on the state and county building codes and the type of building (home, factory, business, etc). They may require x number of windows, x length of grass, x number of toilets per square foot, x availability to emergency communication (ie. telephone for 911), x whatever bullshit they decide to think up that no one challenged when the law was shat out in the first place. This is used to land grab in any places.

Basically, check your local codes, if you have local codes. Some places are still code free.

this is what jesus freaks actually believe

holy christ op is dumb

you live in a stable nation, a nation secure from international threats, a nation without the threat of civil war, a nation that guarantees freedoms to a degree most of the the world cannot match, etc

all of this and you think you are their slave? personally it sounds as if you are a leech on society. our security costs money, the same security you enjoy while complaining.

go read maybe 10 basic books on government, start with platos republic and work your way up to contemporary authors. you clearly are ignorant of basic political concepts

>>130175
sounds like feudalism to me.

hurr durr, pay taxes and get protection. Try to leave our system and we'll arrest you.

i would be another person who says "it depends on your local laws"... there are places in teh USA where all you have to do is own the land, but those are usually rural areas

>>129864
there was a newspaper story a few years back about a local guy who lived in a camper-pickup truck on his own property. he lived in East St Louis or one of the slum towns around it.....

he got evicted by the city because he used a bucket as a toilet and dumped it on his own property. the city ordinances didn't say you had to have running water or electricity to a dwelling, they didn't even say you had to have a permanent dwelling (living in the parked camper was legal) but there was regulations about the minimal sewage disposal methods that were allowed.

>>130175
Wow, you sure bought the propaganda hook, line, and sinker.

Sewage: There are regulations regarding the minimum land required for a septic system (the soil couldn't handle it if every townhouse on a 25 foot lot had it's own septic tank!). So, if your lot is too small, you are required to use the city's sewage system.

Electricity: Even if you generate your own electricity using solar (which is generally allowed), it's beneficial to stay on the grid. 1. the grid acts like a battery, saving you expensive batteries, and 2. the grid can provide backup power during the night or non-windy days.

>>130177
The problem with feudalism is that the landlord fucks your wife. Did Obama fuck your wife? No? Then shut the fuck up. The Taxes you pay go to that useless things like public health, education, security and cleaning the streets you dense motherfucker.

>>130207
>The problem with feudalism is that the landlord fucks your wife. Did Obama fuck your wife? No? Then shut the fuck up. The Taxes you pay go to that useless things like public health, education, security and cleaning the streets you dense motherfucker.

I think that anon understands how things work, anyone with half a brain understand how taxes work, but he doesn't like the idea that he is required to rely on their system.

Both of you anons are pretty dense and stupid though.

>>130186
Yes yes. Now go sit in the corner with your tin foil hat and mumble about NWO and how gubbament gonna take your guns

So I see you finally decided to pursue the Amish way of life.

OP your question is a common type here. It has to do with zoning laws.

There is no one zoning law which can be applied within the U.S.

Usually if you are in a neighborhood you will be required to meet basic standards that the neighbors adhere to. But with that you get fire, police response (if they aren't on break) roads, access to services and goods.

If you want to go live in the boondocks then you can pretty much do anything you want.

OP, you can use your urine to grow spirulina and your shit to make fertilizer, you just have to treat the poo first in a tank

Why does your power have to be cut off? You can just not use it and your home is still completely hospitable

So you want to live a life without access to water? Dont worry you'll be dead long before the big bad government comes to get you

Yeah OP who needs water and electricity when you have Ayn Rand books?

If it really is due to your religion and it is a valid religion accepted by the government then you are permitted special exceptions (such as the amish and some native americans have)

In the more likely case that this is just some half assed straw-man argument you made to rant about the government forcing you to have such ridiculous things as water and electricity in order to keep your house then you're pretty much SOL