The thing that’s really sinister is that you’ll actually get in trouble for going off grid in a lot of places.
Like, you could be producing all the food all the water all the electricity that you would ever need and then the state will step in and tell you that that’s not acceptable. It’s literally illegal to not have grid power.
This sort of thing is stuff that you don’t think about, because most of us live on grid, but it’s kind of messed up when you think about it. You are being forced to pay for a service that you don’t want.
This is a great site that discusses the laws per-state by service type, and several states make it illegal to disconnect from the grid. Besides state laws, there’s also local codes and zoning laws requiring connection to the electrical grid.
I’ve also seen stories where parents living off the grid with children could have issues with social services if the local authorities consider grid electricity, city water and city sewer to be basic services and a lack of them may constitute neglect. That being said, I suspect that while that may legally be the case, social services probably aren’t going to spend a lot of time seeking out otherwise idyllic families that happen to have some solar panels and a battery bank, and a well and a septic field.
The thing that’s really sinister is that you’ll actually get in trouble for going off grid in a lot of places.
Like, you could be producing all the food all the water all the electricity that you would ever need and then the state will step in and tell you that that’s not acceptable. It’s literally illegal to not have grid power.
This sort of thing is stuff that you don’t think about, because most of us live on grid, but it’s kind of messed up when you think about it. You are being forced to pay for a service that you don’t want.
I know this for water and sewerage (for which there are some good reasons), but grid power? Can you give an example where this is illegal?
https://www.primalsurvivor.net/living-off-grid-legal/
This is a great site that discusses the laws per-state by service type, and several states make it illegal to disconnect from the grid. Besides state laws, there’s also local codes and zoning laws requiring connection to the electrical grid.
I’ve also seen stories where parents living off the grid with children could have issues with social services if the local authorities consider grid electricity, city water and city sewer to be basic services and a lack of them may constitute neglect. That being said, I suspect that while that may legally be the case, social services probably aren’t going to spend a lot of time seeking out otherwise idyllic families that happen to have some solar panels and a battery bank, and a well and a septic field.