• Rural property in California offers an independent lifestyle.a lone barn and shed on a california hillside image by David Smith from Fotolia.com
  
  Moving to a rural setting from an urban one offers multiple advantages for people needing to get away from crowded city life. But moving to the country involves more than finding a piece of property and building on it. Issues that affect rural property owners in California include water resources, access to utilities, wastewater issues, land use and protected habitats, access and a host of other issues. Living in a rural setting affords benefits as well through reduced noise and traffic, living close to nature, fresh air and the opportunity to define an independent lifestyle.
  
  

Utilities

• Buying a piece of rural property for future development must include the consideration of how close electrical utilities exist to the land. People who live in the city take these amenities for granted, as these services are everywhere. This is not always true in a rural California setting. When planning a rural property purchase, ensure utilities are nearby; otherwise developing the property incurs the added high cost of bringing electrical services to the property.
  
  

Water

• Public water services do not exist for most rural landowners. Finding water requires a well-drilling permit from the local county or city and the services of a well driller at several dollars cost per foot. This does not include the price of a well pump, the needed pressure tank or an insulated building to house these items. Besides the cost of drilling the well, gallons per minute determines the viability of water for the planned development. Check with local ordinances to determine the gallons per minute required for operating a well for property development use in California.
  
  

Wastewater

• Sewage services must be considered when purchasing a piece of rural property for development in California. As with water services, wastewater services don't exist in most rural settings requiring the need of a developed septic system. To develop a septic system requires ground percolation to ensure the land dissipates the wastewater effectively. This requires a permit and a "perc" test conducted by a business or person licensed by the state to do so. After the test is satisfactorily completed, an engineered system must be submitted along with the perc test results for a septic permit to build a septic system on the rural land.
  
  

Access

• Some rural property in California may be land-locked. Without access or easement rights through another's property, purchasing a land-locked piece of rural property offers no benefits. Most rural property exists off county or city roads, which often means to get to the land requires crossing someone else's property. Make sure easements exist that provide access by checking with the local recorder's office or a real estate agent.
  
  

Land Use and Protected Habitats

• The state of California requires all 56 counties and incorporated cities to ratify general plans, which delineates land-use and zoning within each county or city. Before purchasing a piece of rural property, check with the local real estate office or the county in which the land sits to determine land usage. Some rural property found in California does not allow development because of endangered species, riparian corridors and biological habitats. Some rural property also comes without mineral and water rights. Without water rights, developing a well becomes a problem.