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looked at 70 acres in NW Ga to build a cabin on this weekend. property had a stream and backs up to a national forest.

odd thing is that you have to cross a shallow stream to get to the property. guy had a bigger parcel and sold off the land in front of the stream. there remains a road back to the remaining 70 acres but the 70 acres start at the stream.

the land is available at a really good price so I have to think that there is some legal issue with the stream that prevents you from building on the land. anyone ever hear of issues related to a stream. he said he had a timber company take some timber about 10 years ago and they had to post a $50,000 bond because its a trout stream.

Talk to a lawyer. Not just any lawyer, but one who specializes in real estate.

Been thinking of buying something like that for a while now. I grew up in North Georgia and there are some really nice areas but you have to be careful around these streams. Flooding happens in those areas very quickly and if you are close to a stream, you may see your cabin float away.
As far as the stream, loggers are required to purchase bonds to mitigate any problems with runoff and silt that might occur during their logging operations. They are also required to leave a SMZ or buffer area by the stream. There are different levels depending on the county/state requirements. The trees within this area can never be cut. The trout streams are highly protected from silt runoff and anything that might change the water temp. Hope that helps. Good luck with the purchase if you go through with it. I hope to buy something up there in the next year or so also.

what is an SMZ?

i think there is some sort of buffer where they cant harvest timber within 50 or 500 feet of the creek.

Lemon Thrower wrote:what is an SMZ?

i think there is some sort of buffer where they cant harvest timber within 50 or 500 feet of the creek.

Streamside Management Zone

The stream may have just been a good place to cut the land at. A nice natural line.

Around here the road back into the 70 AC has to be a set size to build X houses on it. If he did not keep enough land for the road then the land back there Is "worthless" for the big developers.

what i have figured out is the following:

1. you really needed a recorded easement to get to the property.
2. if you don't have road access, your "drive way" will pass through some ugly property.
3. stream means complicated permits to build a bridge.
4. stream means bottom land that floods and is less usable.

Around here, a stream means salmon breeding, and crossing with any sort of motor vehicle is a big fine. "Culverts" are a dirty word, even though they can be done correctly. Good luck on Georgia, and get something across that crick quick before the animal rights groups and condo-conservationists get laws or regulations passed.

A Railroad flat car could be your cheep bridge depending on the banks height?

The land use Lawyer is a good solution before the purchase Thank you EPA et all