Homesteading: Land from the U.S. Government — Then & Now
Original Homesteading: Getting "Free" Land from the U.S. Government
I remember hearing the stories of how my grandfather was able to acquire some "free" land through homesteading. In those days the U.S. government was interested in transferring land from the public domain to private ownership. Several Homestead Acts were passed in the 1800's. By far, the most famous dated from 1862. My grandfather got in on the last decades of the program, in the early part of the Twentieth Century.
Generally, the required procedures for homesteading a parcel of public land included:
1. To build a house on a parcel of unclaimed land, usually not exceeding 160-acres (although the size changed depending on the individual's marriage status and time-period the homesteading occurred);
2. To determine and describe the land's boundaries;
3. To live on the land for a prescribed length of time;
4. To pay the applicable fees; and
5. To record the Homestead with the applicable Government Land Office.
Where are the public lands made available?
The great majority of all public lands available today are in the Western States of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. There are also small sections in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin.
There are no public lands managed by the BLM in Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Is any of this land available free to the public for homesteading?
No. Congress has repealed the Homestead Act.