It's who ever in the area issues building permits for that parcel and there will be restrictions when dealing with wetlands.

Has a percolation test been done? Do you know how large a home (how many bedrooms) a perc test will allow? Are there utilities hooked up? A well? Lots of things to inquire about. Any easements? Does selling agent have any info? Your agent, if you have one, should be helping guide you through. And yes, wetlands can be a real issue.

We went through this buying our place, although it's only 7 acres.

We had a perk test done before buying. There are alternatives- very expensive.

We researched various properties on the local GIS site- see if your area has one. It was a good way to look for flood zones, soil types, topography, even crime statistics. You can investigate the surrounding areas to make sure you're not going to be down wind of a sewage treatment plant or hog farm.

For our needs, we wanted to make sure there weren't restrictive laws or covenants. Some places we looked at had home size minimums that were twice the size we wanted. Also- make sure you can work with the local building department. In some parts of the country, permits are a few hundred dollars, or sometimes not even required. In other places, it can run 10's of thousands of dollars. Some have far-reaching draconian laws about clearing and building; some are very accommodating.

It would be a good idea to have a local builder look at the land, at least where you intend to build. They should be able to give you a rough idea of what it would cost to clear and get a driveway in, and any other issues you might come across. There can be some serious costs in just getting a place ready to build.

All that being said- it sounds like a great plan building a big family house with room to roam. What a great place to raise a family! Just make sure you do your due diligence, and not just follow your heart.

Some of this will depend upon your location.

Things to consider:

Do you need a driveway permit? Can you get one?
Is there water on the property?
Do you need a well? How deep are typical wells in your area? (this is no guarantee)

Do you need a septic permit? Does one currently exist or do you need to go through the process of getting one?

Are there any utilities on the property? How close is the nearest electric? The availability of natural gas is less important as there are alternatives. What about internet and TV? Are you willing to use satellite for these two items?

(Having used satellite internet in the past, I can tell you it's slow!)

Do you plan a basement? You may want to do some testing prior to the purchase.

I'm sure we are in a much different area than you are...but, after we bought our lot the first thing we did was come up with a site plan. We already had our house plans. We drew out on paper where we wanted the house, driveway and shop to be. Then we had someone clear the lot. Then I went to the parish (county) courthouse and spoke to some people who told us we needed a permit for a driveway before we could get a culvert put in. So, we got the permit and had that done (a culvert or slab had to be in place to get an address). Then we went to the 911 office and filled out the paperwork to obtain a 911 address (we had to have this address before we could get temporary electric). Then we got with a builder who gave us an estimate and we signed a contract with him. Then we went and got our building permit. We are GCing our build so every step of the process has been done by us. If you don't plan on being that involved, it would probably begin by you getting bids from general contractors and let them do everything. Also, go to the website for your county and they might have a step by step guide for you to follow. We live in a rural area and I was surprised to see that we had a website. Good luck with your build. It sounds like a nice piece of property.

Wow thank you so much for all of the helpful responses! A bit more information
- There is a short driveway (we would want it to be longer eventually) and culvert in place
- We received a copy of a scoped environmental impact statement which said the building site is about 26 m away from the start of the wetlands at the closest point
- We have a survey of the property
Today I will work on finding out about the perk test, what size house is allowed and contact the local permit office.
I anticipate spending a lot of time here!
One of my concerns is that there seems to be some rocky areas on the property near the building site. We were planning a basement but I suppose the rock might dictate otherwise?

Dynamite beats rock in any game of rock, paper, scissors. Of course, $$ beats everything.