Can You Build On Wetlands?

[@renixcharles3826]

What if the wetland is between where the house is supposed to be and the roadway

[@kyawlinthein1983]

Hello, We are start looking for our dream home and what we need to look out when we hire the wetland survey company here in florida ? Thanks...

[@Buffalomodular]

Each state is a little bit of a different animal. Always beneficial to connect with a local expert. In this case the engineering company can guide and direct you through this process. But when you’re buying land, you should always have a contingency time period in your purchase contract for you to review all aspects of the land to ensure that you can do what you’re wanting to doon the site prior to closing on the purchase.

[@Buffalomodular]

What area in Florida are you in? And what modular company are you considering working with?

[@kyawlinthein1983]

@@Buffalomodular I’m in East Volusia. Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach, Port Orange. The idea was loved the Barndo but need to know about re-sales just in case. We been remodeling, fixing and flipping since 2017. Thank you.

[@natrona111]

Thx - great info re. wetlands! What happens if you have to cross over a wetland area to get to the area of the parcel where you can build? Can you put a driveway through the wetland?

[@Buffalomodular]

great question! no you cannot install a driveway on or through the wetlands area. so accessibility is important!

[@giovannidodaro3849]

How about if a culvert pipe is installed can a driveway be installed

[@gost3961]

I have a 2 acre wetland in Pensacola Florida to buy, and I'm not sure before I buy the land, 1. If I can a build a house on it 2. Can I fill it with trucks of gravel/sand These questions the county didn't want to answer for me Thank you if you reply I'd appreciate it

[@Buffalomodular]

Best first step is to hire an engineer to consult with. The short answer is yes you can buy ducks unlimited credits and build on the wetlands by bringing in fill and raising up the grade. The long answer is that it will depend on the engineers report and your overall budget as this will come with some fees for this engineering work and your credits purchase.

[@juliefallesen9835]

Looking at buying land in WNY that has forest Federal Wetlands on it NOT State. Are my horses allowed to graze and move around the wetlands?

[@Buffalomodular]

I haven’t heard of any restrictions for this use. In fact wetlands seek to keep for natural purposes like wildlife. But worth checking with your local town building inspector.

[@WorldClass-z4w]

If the wet land is the only place you have to build how what is the best way to do so

[@Buffalomodular]

You would likely have to pay to have wetlands placed somewhere else. It can get pricy!

[@mrxyooj]

Can a small cabin or shed be build on emergent wetlands in a wooded parcel lot that is part of a private property and not state or fed?

[@Buffalomodular]

where are you located?

[@giovannidodaro3849]

What if I have to install a driveway to cross NYS wetlands. To get to the upland ?

[@manwar7625]

In MA and RI, can one place an elevated modular structure (or a tiny raised structure) over the wetlands?

[@Buffalomodular]

That's a good question. I would talk to your town building department about that and see what they would be ok with.

[@JoseCastro-zc5wz]

I’m not sure if the land is considered wetlands, but I am currently looking to buy a pre-construction home in the Florida keys. When I walked the property, I noticed that the ground is muddy throughout. It’s a small lot by the beach. The builder already has building permits and the army corps is going to be removing some mangroves. They will be filling the land to make it stable to build. My question is, how safe is that as an investment? Outside of the risks associated with buying a house in the keys. Is that something that is going to need regular maintenance or cause me problems down the road? Everyone i ask down here makes it seem like it’s no big deal. Thank you for any feedback you can provide in advance.

[@Buffalomodular]

We have some familiarity with Florida new site built construction and they are very familiar there with the flood plain level and how high your house needs to sit and how deep your pad needs to be. So yes i think you are ok because the town will approve the level of the house and it’s foundation pad, and they are the local experts!! Happy building and what builder are you working with?

[@GlennKelich]

Is it possible to relocate a wetland? We would like to build where the wetland currently is and have heard this is possible. Any experience with it?

[@Buffalomodular]

I haven’t heard this but I’m sure a local engineer can confirm on this.

[@briancrink]

so generally speaking, there shouldn’t be any problems with tiny houses on wheels on land with wetlands considering there is no permanent foundation built?

[@jeremybates716]

I would say other than the ground may be wet you should be good.. But i would, at minimum, check in with your local building inspector to review your plans.

[@babyetoys4715]

What does 30' buffer and 40' setback and also area to be replicated mean when you are building around wetlands.

[@Jamesocop]

How do you determine if the wetlands is Federal or State? And is it possible for a surveyed wetlands to not be classified as wetlands by Fed or State? They clearly don't agree on what is wetlands.

[@Buffalomodular]

state and federal wetlands are registered in their database so the local surveyor can plot them on the survey so we can see what our build-able area is..

[@sammiller7509]

@@Buffalomodular thanks for your help here! Is this a good source for Federal, or would you recommend checking elsewhere? fwsprimary.wim.usgs.gov/wetlands/apps/wetlands-mapper/ And do you have recommendations for New York State's as well?

[@suraphic]

Thank you for the info! I'm in WNY and looking at an acre that is considered wetlands.

[@Buffalomodular]

Glad it was helpful! Reach out for whatever you need!

[@santoshdl]

do you know PE1MF type of wetland ?

[@zibtihaj3213]

11.5 acres and 4 acres is only buildable cause of wetland issues. BUT can we build parking LOT on the rest of the area ? property in NJ

[@Buffalomodular]

did you connect with a local engineer?

[@zibtihaj3213]

@@Buffalomodular i was advised to do that and spoke to them briefly ... is a process and they have a waiting list. What has been your experience..... have you seen any building build on Wet Land ... even if they seem dry lands ! I am thinking of building like a simple parking Lot part of the wetland if I can

[@Buffalomodular]

@@zibtihaj3213 when you take wetlands you'll typically need to by offset credits from Ducks Unlimited so they can purchase new wetlands somewhere else to preserve.

[@lennytorres75]

What if the wetalnds are at the back of the property and I want to backfill to gain more yard and possibly landscape?

[@Buffalomodular]

there are restrictions on doing this kind of machine work on wetlands. essentially you can't do that with a machine. there are allowances for working on wetlands with hand tools though..

[@avaaaaaaaa]

I’m in Canada and I really want to make a tree house but the trees are so skinny and I’m on like a marsh land where every year the ground gets like a little pond

[@Buffalomodular]

you definitely need a solid tree for a tree house!

[@groomoskjasonsbarbershop9502]

Can you build a house on stilts in or on wetlands?

[@Buffalomodular]

I believe you can in a floor plane but not wetlands. For wetlands, i believe this would still be considered disturbing the wildlife habitat so you would still need to buy these back with credits from Ducks Unlimited. But to be sure, it would be good to consult with a local engineer.

[@groomoskjasonsbarbershop9502]

@@Buffalomodular thanks for the info.

[@yoankyhernandez2384]

Can you build a small lake on your wetlands?

[@westcoastorbust2462]

My question or a rain garden?

[@Buffalomodular]

I suppose you could but since using heavy machines is not allowed then it may be a bit of a challenge :🤔😃🏡👀

[@johnnyc6769]

Hi can you build a drive way to acces the back of your property on a wetland

[@Buffalomodular]

i don't believe your driveway can impact the wetlands boundaries. if you want it to, you may find approval for this is fairly straightforward if it's only a small impact on the overall square footage of the lot.

[@King45Moses]

Thank you for the video, can the area that’s considered federal wetlands change over time? Say the stream has re routed, do they still deem the old area as wetlands? Also are you able to take trees down?

[@Buffalomodular]

Yes these maps do change over time and the army corp can come out and inspect and make these changes.

[@belovedshername]

What about mosquitos, flooding, drainage?

[@Buffalomodular]

Mosquitoes is definitely something that would processed unless you had the land sprayed. Regarding flooding and drainage there are solutions for those too.

[@nextstar55]

i got permit to mitigate our wetland from the state and we would be able to build on it

[@Buffalomodular]

Awesome!

[@davek7348]

Hi, I have 6 acres of land in Florida, is it possible for the whole land to be 100% wetland and not be buildable? its in an HOA where people are building homes in the area

[@aarongerber3388]

Thanks for the video. Wondering if u can help me. I just bought some rural/residential land. Septic design is approved already. However no soil tests have been done on the prepared homesite of the property. The ground is a little wet and there is a creek down a slope from homesite. It is not considered wetlands but will I have an issue digging and pouring a concrete slab here? Or due to the wetness would I have to do a post and pier foundation?

[@Buffalomodular]

You probably won’t need to do a soil bore test. A soil bore test is only required in some townships. You more than likely will be able to determine your footer requirement and how wet the actual ground is when you excavate for the basement (see penetrometer test). Remember that top ground water doesn’t always reflect the ground water. Once you regrade your site after building you can better manage top water. Also with the stream so far below your site I’d be surprised if that water source becomes an issue for you. But have a conversation with your basement company and excavator. You can also employ an engineer to do a soil bore test if you want that as well but likely not necessary. What township are you in?

[@aarongerber3388]

Thanks for the response. I’m in Sharon Vermont. There is no zoning so don’t need building permit. I should of described the parcel better: The homesite From the road it slopes down about an acre long (there is water coming from the road which has culverts draining down the slope onto my property. House site is at bottom of slope where it levels off then another slope down to stream. So the water is coming from up top I think. Yesterday I went out there to homesite and dug down with shovel about a foot and hit water. Not good right?! I’m worried there is a high water table on this land making it impossible to pour concrete without removing and importing soils etc.

[@Buffalomodular]

@@aarongerber3388 Are you sure you don't need a building permit? It may be worth while to have the excavator scoop into the ground a few feet to double check on what's down there. PS we do provide the factory direct option to Sharon VT.

[@Buffalomodular]

check out this video for deets! kzbin.info/www/bejne/rV6TgIKJeL6CZ6M

[@DrAkhan]

How to find the high lands in the area of wetland

[@Buffalomodular]

The area needs to be flagged by an engineer who uses a gps system

[@gofasttrucking5644]

do you also need to stay 100 feet from federal wetlands? or only state

[@Buffalomodular]

only state... federal you can be right next to it.

[@nymcbikers6400]

Yes one wetlands for tress fall down easier I’m thinking it’s rocky soil so probably also I’m guessing it depends on the trees I’m guessing willows and swamp ash can handle wetlands better

[@zerotoinfmath]

In Canada, you can't build within 60m / 180 feet of wetlands boundaries. That makes the situation much worse than you thought.

[@GorFX420]

I live in canada and i live on a floodplain somone paided for a pice of small land beside me that is or was a wetland from the creek that runs through my property now they have cut over 100 trees down and killed mass anount of turtles and the list gose on anyways wonder what u think if he builts there ill get flooded every time it rains im on the banks of the ottawa river in the middle of a floodplain any idea what u think it should do i got minsrty invaded and they are taking so li g to get back its all going to be gone and they are cutting dow. 300 year old butternut trees huge healthy ones im at a loss for words 😔

[@MattsTruckLife]

Can you remove wetlands from state and federal? Is it possible if money was not a issue?

[@Buffalomodular]

Yes it’s done all the time. There is a type of swap where your fees to remove go to ducks unlimited so they can theoretically buy new protected lands. I believe it’s typically 90k per acre.

[@MattsTruckLife]

@@Buffalomodular ducks unlimited? 🤣🤣🤣

[@Buffalomodular]

@@MattsTruckLife i know right www.ducks.org/

[@scottschaeffer8920]

No. Everybody wants low density housing, green space(s), flowing traffic, parks, wildlife, small town charm, etc. and all of the sudden, it’s gone. The developers made their money, and your left with urban sprawl, and splatter. “Gee, there’s a nice woods, let’s put a house in the middle of it”, OMG.

[@Buffalomodular]

That’s always the problem with moving to lower populations; The more people move there, the higher the population! there can be up sides too. At one point in time none of this land was developed at all. That’s where we got all these small towns from!

[@sajza1728]

Hi, I just have 2 questions: 1) will it be ok to construct or restore a wetland in a catchment where the bedrock is chalk? 2) how can I restore an already existed wetland which is super polluted?

[@Buffalomodular]

Great questions! This isn’t something we tackle too much. I would think you may need to strip the contaminated area and bring in new soils. But this is something that you would need a consultant for :-) I’d love to hear how you get on with this project!

[@Buffalomodular]

Btw what area are you in?

[@sajza1728]

@@Buffalomodular Luton, England.

[@KellyK387]

I own 40 lots of wetlands in Texas coast. Was told I had to deal with core of engineers and could never build on them. I have no clue what to do with them I get t scammers wanting them that don’t understand they’re worthless

[@Buffalomodular]

For a larger parcel like you’re describing you’ll need to buy credit ls which have to be factored into the over development costs. They will also consider creations of permanent ponds in place of less desirable types of lands. I would recommend connecting with an engineer who specializes in this type of work as it can be a little bit involved but ultimately can be worth while. Hope this helps! Jeremy Bates, Modular Home Builder Buffalo Modular Homes

[@peaches3384]

Very good information!!

[@Buffalomodular]

thanks!!

[@OpeningsOpenings]

1. How long can you expect your home on or near wetlands to hold up? Is it less longevity than homes not in these environments? What is the percentage, if so? 2. Is it often that mold sets in? How do you mold proof the home in wetland environments? 2. Does your company build near the lake placid area?

[@Buffalomodular]

Designated wetlands area doesn’t necessarily have a specific soil density. The soil density for footing bearing requirements still needs to be measured whether you’re on or near wetlands or not. A lot of times areas are designated wetland, simply for top water accumulation, and may not indicate weak soils below grade. But regardless of where you’re building assessing the soil bearing requirements for your foundation, footers and loads is typically always required for town and engineering requirements. Water management is always an important thing to consider wherever your building. Drain tile sump pump and drainage Conductors from rainwater is always a part of any new home building planning requirements. It’s important to take water away from your house through these means and with final grading. Yes, we build in the Lake Placid area and we’d be happy to chat with you about your specific project. Feel free to reach out anytime and we can have a conversation about your specific project and how we might be able to be of service to you.

[@TheCrazy88tony]

Wow 😮

[@Buffalomodular]

wowzer is right!

[@WCGwkf]

Glad I avoided a property I was looking at cheap. Practically the entire parcel is wetlands in a small community. There's a tiny portion that's not but it's up on a hill (of course) and then you'd have to be able to get there. Hard pass, the owner will be stuck with that piece. Maybe if I was the neighbor and wanted land control of the next door parcel for cheap.

[@Buffalomodular]

makes sense..

[@MattBunch]

If you do build on wetlands, expect a ~4% value reduction.

[@leogonzales2070]

Just like to know if you also deliver in London, Ontario, Canada?

[@Buffalomodular]

yep!

[@lizzankirotek.5252]

​@@Buffalomodular I am in Kenya. I would most sincerely wish to hear your expert advice on some land bordering a seasonal swamp

[@Buffalomodular]

@@lizzankirotek.5252I would recommend having a soil test done to test the weight bearing capacity. Connecting with a local engineer is a good idea. I hear Kenya is beautiful! Please send pictures!! God bless!

[@redstripeblueboat1840]

You didn't answer question. No you can't actually build on wetlands

[@Buffalomodular]

it's easiest if your site has enough space to build your house so that it doesn't encroach on the delineated wetlands. But the feds allow for you to encroach (at no cost) into the wetlands a certain amount (usually less than 10%) as long as you provide your proposal to the army corp. Encroaching beyond this small amount is where you need to buy credits, which can often make it not affordable for most residential building lots. Hope you have success with your project and let us know if you need anything from Buffalo Modular Homes!!