Do Upstate New Yorkers Pay Property Tax When Living Off Grid?
If you pay any amount of attention to the socials, living off-grid is all the rage. More and more content creators are sharing photos and video of their off-grid journeys as first-generation farmers, foragers, survival strategists, and etc.
One may suppose the "off-grid" movement is related to the "tiny home" movement that started well before the pandemic had folks questioning just about everything. According to Forbes (circa 2020), “I think what we’re seeing is a massive self-reliance movement,” says Josh Enyart, a veteran survival specialist and consultant. “The denser a population, the more people there are to potentially participate in social unrest. People instinctively know that the safest bet is to get away from those highly populated viral hot zones, which is why you’re seeing so many folks escape to small towns and rural America.”
And with "self-reliance" --e.g., moving to a forest and living in a converted shed--comes off-grid living. And we're not just talking a camp here. We're talking, full time and for the long haul. Regardless of the logistics, if one considers that a forest doesn't have traditional plumbing for toilets or showers. Or, potentially, municipal electricity. Does one even have a mailing address if one lives in a remote "woods" location? And if yes, where does the mail or Amazon carrier leave deliveries? Can one still order from UberEats?
The question then becomes, if there's no mailbox or plumbing or connection to public utilities in any way (or UberEats)--does one have to pay property taxes? Particularly if the land is purchased outright?
According to this extraordinarily detailed guide by PrimalSurvivor.net, the short answer for New Yorkers daydreaming about a much simpler life where technology truly only serves to connect with social media followers looking to be inspired by content about living more simply--yes.