Depending on where you live, and exactly what you decide to live in, the answer could be yes. In fact, a growing number of city and county zoning agencies around the world are implementing ordinances to crack down on off-grid living, in many cases making it a crime.
Over the years we’ve covered numerous examples of how government officials from around the world have been systematically targeting those who choose to live an off the grid lifestyle.
From targeting self-reliant homeowners with antiquated zoning laws and regulations to forming special zoning boards that are designed to force people back onto the grid, there seems to be a war against self-reliance, and sadly it seems like the government in many cases is winning.
Living off the grid Illegal in many areas of the United States
Throughout the United States, government agencies are forming so-called “nuisance abatement teams” designed to intimidate and force Off Grid homeowners into giving up their land or abandoning their lifestyle. Believe it or not, people are actually being fined and jailed for choosing to live an off-grid existence.
From Costilla County, Colorado trying to ban people from building off-grid homes or camping on their own land to the federal government actually trying to make it illegal to live in a tiny house or off-the-grid RV, there are a growing number of government agencies attempting to regulate this lifestyle out of existence.
While the mainstream media continues to ignore the problem, a couple of independent media organizations and a few reporters have taken notice, and over the years we’ve tried to shine a spotlight on the problem. One of the first cases we covered was the story of how Off Grid enthusiasts in California were being harassed and targeted by their local government officials.null
Off grid Homeowners intimidated into to hooking back into the grid.
There are literally thousands of examples of people who have been harassed, threatened and even fined and jailed for going off the grid. Here are some examples:
The Deserts of Los Angeles County, California
The deserts of Los Angeles County, California used to be a sort of mecca for those looking to live a more self-reliant lifestyle. But just like so many areas of the country, these Off-Grid residents are being targeted, arrested, and intimidated into to hooking back into the grid.
A couple of years back, Reason Magazine took a film crew out to one of these secluded desert towns in California and filmed some of the off-grid residents. From being threatened with jail time if they didn’t hook back into the grid, to actually being thrown in jail because the county didn’t like the look of their homes or land, the people in the deserts of Los Angeles County are being terrorized by their local government.
Instituted in 2006 by Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors’ Nuisance Abatement Teams have been targeting and jailing residents for victimless misdemeanors and code violations.
Code enforcement teams have been hitting unincorporated areas of L.A. County hard, leaving local off-gridders unsure of what the future holds. Residents are scared that they may lose not only their homes but their freedom as well.
The case of Robin Speronis in Cape Coral City, Florida
Robin Speronis tried to go off the grid in Cape Coral City, Florida. She was cited by the city for using rainwater, using solar power, not being connected to an approved water supply, and being in violation of in violation of the International Property Maintenance code. She was eventually thrown in jail and evicted from her home.
Vet who fought for our country, Thrown in Jail for Living ‘Off The Grid’
In November 2016, Tyler Truitt, a veteran, was thrown in jail for violating a city zoning ordinance.
“We live out here off the grid, 100 percent self-sustaining,” Truitt said. “So I basically made all my utilities: I have my solar panels, I have my rainwater collection and stuff. ” took an oath that I would support and defend the constitution and the freedoms that entails, and I really feel like those are being trampled upon.”
Is it really your land? According to most zoning officials, you need to follow their rules!
On top of using size restrictions to limit what off-grid home owners can live in, towns throughout the U.S. are also targeting mobile homes. In many areas, houses are required to built on a foundation and hooked up to public utilities.
Unfortunately, that piece of freedom that you bought might not be so free. If your land is not zoned for recreational vehicle living, off grid living, or camping you may be in for some serious trouble.
It’s a sad day when living off your own land becomes a crime. Please spread the word because cases like this are increasing at an alarming rate.
95% of you folks have it right. The passwords are “control” and “never waste a good crisis”. True, ignorance is no excuse, but teach yourself by reading and discerning like the “Bereans”-to see if things are so. Thanx, Mike for the Federal Land Patent idea. Now here is another folks- go to escapeharassment.com. Invest your FRNs in some constitutional knowledge to escape “corporation” tickets, unjust taxes, court appearances, etc. Remember the “neutral response”. (Soft answer turneth away wrath.) Found this on Pastor Butch.com or Calltodecision.com (Pastor Butch Paugh-Vietnam Vet) “Government … is a dangerous servant or a fearful master.” Gen. George Washington (The Fearful Master(1964) and Creature From Jekyll (or is it really Hyde) Island-G. Edward Griffin) Yes, you can go to Central and S. America and find more freedom for a while, but just remember Old Scratch, Old Nick, Haman, Lucifer, satan has but a short time. Proverbs 3:5&6. The New Millenium will be fabulous w/Yeshua as King. Thank you also, Dr Larry Bates. GB you all.
what da F ?
Move to Nova scotia, Canada where you have the living shit taxed out of you and low wage,s to work with. If it wasn,t for my wife I would be off the grid. The hell with this bullshit.
Wow, I used to pick up the children that lived at this one desert farm in the video. It was the furthest stop out on my school bus route. The Antelope Valley is huge, but it is not all raw desert. Lancaster and Palmdale were booming towns when I was last there, 5 years ago. About 60 miles North of the City of Los Angeles., you had all the modern conveniences, jobs, shopping, restaurants and community recreation. People there refer to Los Angeles (City) as “Down Below”, because most everything you could need is available in Lancaster, Quartz Hill and Palmdale.
The Antelope Valley was also known as Aerospace Valley due to the Lockhead, Skunk Works and other Aerospace industry. Interesting planes were always flying overhead, including the stealth bomber and other military aircraft. Sonic booms were part of everyday life. So are summer temperatures of 120 degrees. You get used to the dry heat and it is easier to deal with than humid heat. You grow to love this place of beautiful Joshua trees, century plants, Yucca and sage. There is nothing quite like seeing 50 or more tumble weeds rolling across the desert, skipping over the roads and hopping fences in the wind!
In the springtime, the mountains surrounding this valley burst into bloom. If there has been a good rain, the mountains will be covered with vivid orange poppies that from a distance look like lava flowing down. This corridor is where the California Poppy Reserve is. Areas are splashed with beautiful purple lupine flowers too. People come there in droves each spring to see and photograph the flowers.
I felt it necessary to give a more full description of the Antelope Valley, since the video paints it as a very bleak place… These people live in the outermost regions where life can be a challenge, but make no mistake about the desert being alive! If you live there, you come to appreciate the plants and animals, the cloudless blue skies, the fact that your pets get NO fleas and the fabulous red – purple sunsets with cool nights.
Personally I have mixed feelings about this article and videos. Nothing is all black and white. I do remember the teenagers who used to get on my bus at this farm. Lovely young people. Well mannered and rarely complaining about the over 2 hour bus rides each day to school. The girl used to sit up front and tell me about her classes and friends. The boys read or napped or we listened to Latino music tapes. Were they damaged by living out in the desert? It sure didn’t seem so. The kids that I worried about were the ones well within the grid. The ones who lived in crowded apartment complexes…
This farm sits pretty far back from the road but as you can see there are no trees to block the view in this area.
If I could be so bold as to encourage you to vote once in your life, let it be in the Republican Primary for Ron Paul!
Ron Paul is for Home Schooling, Non Intervention and Anarchy/Libertarianism… He won’t raid your raw milk supplier or your drug dealer or your desert home!
And what Ron Paul needs is some vote stealing hackers as good as the ones GWB had, or Romney has.
Elections are always vote stealing contests. What counts is not how you vote, but who counts the vote.
Ralph, freedom requires defending. When Ron Paul figures that out I’ll consider voting for him. Until then, all the freedom in the world is useless if you’re not willing, or not able, to recognize and deal with people who want to destroy you. As for this problem, as a Californian I’m not surprised, though I have to say if you’re intimidated by county officials telling you this kind of BS you need to remember where you are. This is America, we don’t stand for that kind of crap here. I suggest the next time someone comes on your land and gives you a ration of crap about it you drag their ass in front of a judge and exercise your rights.
This is very simple people, it is the CRIME called “interstate commerce” and you had better not get in it’s way. Oh, but your local thieves called cops and city workers forgot to mention to you that you are guilty of a crime simply by not participating! Yes, that’s right, you are nothing more than a cog in the machine of “interstate commerce” upon birth and if you don’t fit your role, you are literally destroyed in order to have your spot replaced with some “part” for the “machine” that does. This is NOT human, it is gov’t or systemic. It is a disease that has literally destroyed the body of humanity. You are either willing to stand up and FIGHT for your rights, or you will no longer have them. 2nd amendment anyone? Or are you all so brainwashed by movies and television that you falsely think it’s “crazy talk” to actually fight back against those who endanger your lives? Stand up for yourself against the “good” little thieves and murderers called cops and gov’t agents, because in reality they ARE the very hands of the corrupt gov’t, and it takes a corrupt man to fill their shoes, NO QUESTION! Now enough is enough, get your damn minds right. It’s time to either keep your way of life or create your way of life, or get ROBBED AND IMPRISONED (if not murdered) for being alive and wanting to do something other than shell out every last penny to fools, thieves and murderers.
And stop worshipping and loving the lying, thieving scumbag cops and federal agents already! Their ACTIONS determine WHO they TRULY are! And they are throwing people in prisons for simply producing their own food and power! Now what does that tell you about WHO they truly are? Duh! We’re dealing with literal organized crime here, if we were not, I wouldn’t have to be writing this right now and the majority of people in America would not have to be living in denial!
Start inspecting the city. Fire station is a good place to start. That double cylinder lock on their front door, requiring a key to exit, is a violation of fire code. It doesn’t matter if the door is never locked, buildings open to the public are required to have keyless egress. Take it from there.
It’s obvious that to live off the grid, you have to flee the United States. But trying to leave is getting more and more difficult by the day.
God bless these Americans! And, shame on these county officials!
I suppose that it would be OK if some Muslims occupied the desert in this way, – or, some Amish and blacks………
Pastor? You are the antithesis of off grid living. Blacks were the first whose rights the government took away. Or do you think some people deserve to loose their rights? Well its that kind of thinking that created this situation in the first place. Injustice to any one person unopposed, breathes injustice to all people. You pea brain.
Sickening what the people of America have swallowed. Treason all around and nobody says anything til it affects them personally. It’s been too late. It’s very sad what we have become. Keep paying for all the murder in the world. Because America is the biggest murderer. Whether you agree with it or not you finance it. Register to vote? You’ve just committed treason against the REAL United States of America. Educate yourself. Spread the word.
If anyone is wondering why all this is happening to them Read UN Agenda 21 it will answer alot of your questions
part 10 of Agenda 21
-Integrated approach to the planning and management of land resources
What does “self sufficient” really mean. Obviously these people depend on a vast web of people, organizations, corporations and government that contribute to their ability to live.
1. They all wore “store bought clothes”. So somewhere someone other than them made these clothes, packaged them and shipped them using oil that other people processed, on roads that tax payers paid for.
2. I didn’t see anyone riding horses. They were all driving automobiles made by licensed corporations, driving them on roads paid for by taxpayers and maintained by tax payers.
I doubt that a single one of them could actually live independently of the vast web of society that provides most of what they have. They aren’t living in caves.
So people can’t live as they wish, because they don’t live up to your idea of what some other person chose to label them as, with the degree of absolute adherence that you require? I don’t think this is an accurate representation of your position.
Everyone is dependent on others to some extent. This is why the rules of commerce and trade have been handed down from pre-history, and are what is known as common law, of which the UCC is a copyrighted version, and both of which are beyond government power to circumvent.
“These people” are just trying to get by, and in the process, using less fuel and water than the mainstream — issues the oligarchy is supposedly concerned about. The 7th Day couple were growing their own food. The harassment is not helping them to be more self reliant. These people are also the tax payers paying for the roads, and for the govt agents to come out and harass them. As for the clothes, how come you assume they’re not second hand?
Wow. So Commiefornia really does live up to its name. Kinda sad that the counties are coming and acting as Nazis. My disabled veteran husband and I looked at putting in a solar plant here in the desert and the county tried to tell my husband he was too young to be a veteran so our request for information on disabled veteran help from the county was denied. Then we were also denied access to transmission line maps or the county land developer because we needed to pay for all the copies of paperwork it was going to take to get the maps to us. The bill for the county to get us copies magically came to about a grand. So we are now being driven to go to Nevada or Arizona. When we went out to take a look at what land was for sale we were stopped by a few men in black clothing with side arms and asked us to step off the “For Sale” property we were looking at. California has become a horrible communist state. THey don’t support the people or business or anything that is related to helping the communities in Commiefornia either.
Nazis…men in black? Ok…WTFFFFFF!
“The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.”
Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
This i why our founders had a second ammendment, I would die before i moved from my homei have work for all my life. Yours is up to you. You better believe its for profit. Ive been to our land lang ago, personaly, i wouldn,t live there, but its yours. freedom is not free people. good luck
I live on the East coast of the US. I am a simple man myself, growing up by following the social norm. Volunteering for my county, state, and now a private company…that upon a disaster the federal government will pay me to help with my knowledge and skills to those that are in the disaster zone. After serving in the disaster of 9/11, Katrina, Haiti, and other local disasters. I have for the past 4 years, gained a new thought process of living: Preparedness and self sufficiency of my own life. Not knowing that there are others out there like myself. Just seeing how large the numbers are out there recently, has spawned my movement in a direction to live off the grid.
My background other than emergency medicine, was construction. My passion and hobbies to learn as much as possible of D.I.Y ( Do It Yourself) mentality has been taught to me since I was a little child. Now by seeing this video and website… I stop and wonder:
The government has always wanted us under their grasps..the US government is a business. We the people are just numbers working and paying taxes.. We are working for the US government and by our numbers ( social security numbers) we are accounted for…to pay taxes, which is the governments money (paycheck). Now the way I see things, is the government get money from the water company, the power company, fuel, transportation, communication, etc…. if we the “off Gridders” are to live without these things “GREEN”, then others will follow us, because times are hard, and we want to have our freedom back, so we will go towards the least resistance.
So if we live off grid, supplying our own water, sewer, food, fuel, power, thus only paying taxes and car insurance. We are in turn taking money away from the biggest business of them all, the US government.
Now. The government wants us to recycle, reuse, and go GREEN..dont they? They say they do… but under their ways only… Buying solar panels that tie into the grid…Why should I do that, when I can spend less money and live with less, and have less impact on man and the earth?
I have also ran into a problem on the East coast…I bought a 2 acre track of land, it is undeveloped, and I have the skills to build a structure on this land… the knowledge to provide my own power, sewer, food, and water. Be self sufficient. I am agreeing to build to code. I am agreeing to build my sewer to code.. But am still being harassed by county officials about every little thing.
If other countries are able to live off the grid, than why can we not? I thought that the federal government was going bankrupt? If so..then why dont the government look at us ” the off grid people” and ask us how the US states can be more productive, eco friendly, self sufficient, and help save our finances and all live happily, putting our money where we need it the most. Into preparedness for our future, our children’s future, our government protection..” Hell..the electrical infrastructures protection” which is our countries weakest link… Wake up people!
I am sure that this is not laid out grammatically correct. Though this is my “thinking” on this matter… lets go back to being simpler and practical. (Thank you for your time.)
This is what happened to me in Kagel Canyon, CA except NAT brought in child services and said we were endangering our child because we were living off the grid, had too many cars, code violations, blah blah blah, etc. We lived at the top of a mountain, hardly any neighbors on a dead-end dirt road. We had a well and NAT didn’t like the fact that we didn’t pay for water. We bought the house in 1997 and we forced out in 2008. Now we live in rural Kansas.
I was wondering where in Kansas you were able to live off the grid. I also live in Kansas and will be wanting to do this someday.
I’m speechless, this really makes my blood boil. With such a screwed up government and economy, those with the means to get by without begging for welfare, living off the land, basically being FREE, like what I thought this country was all about.
I hunt and grow food for myself, recycle and process oils and chemicals for fuel. I tan and process my animal hides and produce my own leather products, for me. Among other Earth friendly habits, I do it all within a major city, where I pay high taxes, and for what?, I’m surrounded by ignorance.
This country is going to hell in a handbasket, I am not the violent type, but would not put up with that crap, revolution is imminent, its how this country was made. I hope the government wakes up before anarchy breaks out
this is bulllshit america is actin like every otha country with dictations we are suppossed ta be a free country but name one thing thats free here u have ta pay ta live in this country if not u got ta jail how is this a free country NOW DONT GET ME WONG I LOVE MY COUNTRY ND GIVE THA UP MOST RESPECT FOR ANY MILITARY SOILDERS CAUSE THEY FIGHTIN FOR SOMTHING WERE NOT BUT THERE ALSO FIGHTIN FOR A COUNTRY THAT DICTATES US
shocking! Stories like this make me sad. It’s difficult to believe in the great lie. Freedom where is it? If those people were rich, i bet know one would be saying ish to them.
The revolution will not be televised… God Bless America.