Key Takeaways
A complete 22-point checklist to inspect any raw parcel before you buy, so you catch deal-killers before they cost you.
- The three items that sink most land deals are no legal access, no septic feasibility, and an undisclosed flood zone or wetland.
- Confirm clear title, liens, and the exact legal description first, because everything else is worthless if the seller cannot convey ownership.
- Legal access is not the same as physical access, so verify a recorded easement or road frontage, not just a driveway.
- Most checks are free using county records and federal tools like the FEMA flood map, the wetlands mapper, and the soil survey.
- Do due diligence during your contingency period, and keep your earnest money protected until every item clears.
Buying raw land is simpler than buying a house in most ways, except one: the problems are invisible until you dig. A parcel can look perfect and still be landlocked, unbuildable, or sitting in a floodplain. This raw land due diligence checklist walks you through 22 specific things to verify before you buy, grouped by category, with the exact free tools to check each one. Work through it before you remove contingencies, and you will never be surprised at closing.
Quick verdict: Never buy raw land without written contingencies and time to run this checklist. Start with title and legal access, because those two failures cannot be fixed after closing. If a parcel clears title, access, zoning, and buildability, most other issues are just price adjustments. When something serious surfaces, renegotiate or walk away while your earnest money is still protected.
What Is Raw Land Due Diligence?
Due diligence is the investigation you run between signing a purchase agreement and closing, to confirm the land is what the seller claims and fits your plans. On raw land, it is the single most important part of the deal.
Unlike a house, a vacant parcel has no inspection report, no disclosures about the roof or wiring, and often no obvious clues about what lies beneath the surface. You verify ownership, access, zoning, utilities, and physical condition yourself, mostly through public records. Buyers can start by screening listings on a vacant land marketplace that shows parcel data upfront, then confirm every detail independently before removing contingencies.
How Much Time Do You Have for Due Diligence?
Your due diligence window is the contingency period written into your purchase agreement, commonly 30 to 60 days for land. Protect it in the contract.
Make your offer contingent on satisfactory due diligence, and keep your earnest money refundable until the period ends. That way, if the checklist turns up a deal-killer, you can walk away without losing your deposit. Never waive contingencies on raw land to win a deal, because the risk is entirely on you once you do.
The 22-Point Raw Land Due Diligence Checklist
Work through every item below before you close. They are grouped into six categories, from ownership to physical condition.
Ownership and Title (Items 1 to 4)
Nothing else matters if the seller cannot deliver clean title, so start here.
1. Confirm the seller owns clear title. Order a title search from a title company to verify the seller legally owns the parcel and can convey it. This protects you from the most common and costly surprise. A basic understanding of title insurance helps you read what the title company finds.
2. Check for liens, back taxes, and judgments. The title search should surface any mortgages, tax liens, mechanic’s liens, or judgments attached to the land. These must be cleared before or at closing.
3. Verify the legal description and APN. Confirm the parcel’s legal description and Assessor’s Parcel Number match the deed and the land you think you are buying. A mismatch can mean you are buying a different or smaller parcel.
4. Review the deed type and any deed restrictions. Know whether you are getting a warranty deed or a quitclaim, and check for deed restrictions, covenants, or an HOA that limits what you can do with the land.
Access and Easements (Items 5 to 7)
A parcel you cannot legally reach is nearly worthless, so verify access carefully.
5. Confirm legal road access, not just physical access. A driveway or trail is not legal access. Verify the parcel has road frontage on a public road or a recorded access easement. Landlocked parcels without recorded access are a classic trap.
6. Check for easements across the land. Look for utility, access, or drainage easements that let others cross or use your parcel, since they can limit where you build.
7. Ask who maintains the access road. If access is over a private or shared road, find out who maintains it and whether a road maintenance agreement exists, because that cost falls on owners.
Boundaries and Survey (Items 8 to 9)
You need to know exactly what you are buying and where it sits.
8. Get or review a boundary survey. A current survey confirms the boundaries and the actual acreage. Tax records and listings are often approximate, and acreage errors change the value.
9. Check for encroachments and setbacks. Confirm no fences, structures, or roads cross the boundary, and check the county’s setback rules, which dictate how far from the edges you can build.
Zoning and Allowed Use (Items 10 to 12)
Zoning decides what you can legally do with the land, so confirm it directly with the county.
10. Verify zoning and allowed uses. Call or check the county planning department to confirm the zoning designation and what it permits. Do not rely on the seller or listing.
11. Confirm your intended use is allowed. Whether you plan a home, a mobile home, hunting, farming, a short-term rental, or a business, confirm the zoning and any zoning overlays actually permit it.
12. Check minimum lot size and building requirements. Some areas set a minimum buildable lot size or require specific permits, which can block your plans on an otherwise fine parcel.
Utilities and Buildability (Items 13 to 16)
If you plan to build, confirm the parcel can actually support it. This is where many rural deals fall apart.
13. Check electric availability and hookup cost. Find out if power is at the road or how far it must run, since extending a line can cost thousands of dollars per pole.
14. Confirm water: public or well. Verify whether public water is available or whether you would need a well, and ask neighbors or the county about well depth and success in the area.
15. Confirm sewer or septic feasibility. Check for public sewer, or whether the soil can support a septic system. This requires a percolation test, and a failed perc test can make land unbuildable.
16. Check internet, cell coverage, and gas. Confirm broadband or cell service and any gas availability, which matter for both living there and resale.
Environmental and Physical Condition (Items 17 to 20)
Use free federal tools to catch environmental issues before they catch you.
17. Check the FEMA flood zone. Look up the parcel on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center to see its flood zone. A high-risk zone raises costs and limits building.
18. Check for wetlands. Search the National Wetlands Inventory mapper to see if wetlands are present, since they restrict development and require permits.
19. Review soil quality and drainage. Use the NRCS Web Soil Survey to check soil type, which affects perc tests, foundations, and farming potential.
20. Assess topography and contamination risk. Note steep slopes, drainage, and any signs of dumping or contamination, especially near former industrial or agricultural sites.
Rights and Financial (Items 21 to 22)
Finally, confirm what rights come with the land and what it will cost to own.
21. Check mineral and water rights. Confirm whether mineral and water rights convey with the sale or were severed by a prior owner, because that changes both value and use.
22. Verify property taxes and true value. Check current and past property taxes, confirm no back taxes are owed, and compare the price to recent sales of similar parcels so you do not overpay.
The 3 Deal-Killers Most Buyers Miss
Every item matters, but three failures cannot be fixed after closing and end more land deals than anything else. Treat them as pass or fail.
First, no legal access: a landlocked parcel without a recorded easement can leave you unable to reach or use your own land. Second, no septic feasibility: if the soil fails a perc test and there is no sewer, you may not be able to build. Third, a floodplain or wetland: these limit building, raise insurance costs, and shrink your buyer pool later. If a parcel fails any of these, walk unless the price and your plans truly account for it.
What to Do If Due Diligence Finds a Problem
Finding a problem is a win, not a setback, because you found it before closing. You have three moves.
Renegotiate the price to reflect the issue, ask the seller to fix it before closing, or walk away and keep your earnest money if your contingencies are intact. Honest sellers expect due diligence and will often work with you. The only bad outcome is discovering the problem after you own the land, which is exactly what this checklist prevents.
Due diligence is what separates confident land buyers from regretful ones. When you are ready to browse verified parcels on an AI-powered land marketplace built for land buyers, you can create a free account and start with cleaner listings.
Many land buyers are also investors who resell. If you plan to flip or sell later, it helps to know how to list your land and what the seller plans cost.
Once a parcel passes every check, you can move forward with confidence, or start free today to line up your next one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most important thing to check when buying raw land?
Legal access and clear title. A parcel with no recorded road access or easement can be impossible to use or resell, and a clouded title means the seller cannot legally convey the land. Verify both first through a title search and the county records, because neither can be fixed after you close.
How long does due diligence take on raw land?
Typically 30 to 60 days, matching the contingency period in your purchase agreement. Simple parcels with clear records go faster, while rural land needing a survey, perc test, or well research takes longer. Always secure enough time in the contract to complete every check before your earnest money becomes non-refundable.
Can I check a parcel’s flood zone and wetlands for free?
Yes. Use the FEMA Flood Map Service Center to check the flood zone and the National Wetlands Inventory mapper for wetlands, both free. For soil and perc potential, use the NRCS Web Soil Survey. These federal tools let you screen a parcel’s biggest physical risks before spending money on a survey or perc test.
What is a perc test and why does it matter?
A percolation test measures how fast soil absorbs water, which determines whether the land can support a septic system. On rural parcels with no public sewer, a failed perc test can make the land unbuildable for a home. If you plan to build, make your purchase contingent on a passing perc test.
Do mineral rights come with raw land?
Not always. In many areas, especially the West and energy states, a prior owner may have severed and kept the mineral rights, so the surface and minerals are owned separately. Confirm during your title search whether mineral and water rights convey with your purchase, because it affects both value and use.
Resources & Further Reading
- The FEMA Flood Map Service Center lets you check any parcel’s flood zone for free.
- The National Wetlands Inventory mapper from the US Fish and Wildlife Service shows mapped wetlands.
- The USDA Web Soil Survey provides soil data that affects septic, foundations, and farming.
- This overview of easements explains access rights and rights of way for land.
- This explainer on zoning covers how allowed land uses are determined.
- This background on title insurance describes how land closings confirm clear ownership.
