Before You Buy Raw Land in Costilla County, Check These Four Things

I get asked the same questions a lot, so here's the honest version up front.

Power: most parcels out here have no grid power at the lot — that's normal for this area. Most owners run solar with battery storage, often with a generator as backup. If power lines are nearby on a particular parcel, I'll say so for that parcel — I won't promise a hookup I haven't confirmed.

Roads: dirt roads, honestly. Most parcels are reachable by car in good weather, but winter snow and summer rains can make some routes rough, and high clearance helps. I encourage you to go drive it yourself with the GPS coordinates before you commit — you're welcome to walk any parcel anytime, no appointment needed.

Water: no municipal water on these parcels. The usual options are a permitted well, a cistern with hauled water, or rainwater collection where allowed. Well permits and what a well can be used for depend on the parcel and the county's rules, so check with the Colorado Division of Water Resources and the county for the parcel you're looking at, and test water quality.

Camping and building: you can camp on the land up to 14 days in any 3-month period with no permit. Longer stays need a county camping permit — permits for up to 180 days are available, and up to a year with an active building permit. I won't promise unrestricted camping or full-time living on a parcel while it's being paid off — check the current rules with Costilla County Planning & Zoning before you plan around a longer stay. For building, site-built homes need to meet the county's 600 sq ft minimum on a permanent foundation, and manufactured homes need to be 1976 or newer, state-certified, and on a permanent foundation. There's no deadline to pull a permit — you can buy now and build when you're ready.

And please verify everything independently — check with the county, visit the land, confirm utilities yourself. If you go out to the property in the first 90 days after paying the down payment and doc fee and decide it's not for you, we'll refund you, except the doc fee.