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The original was posted on /r/offgridcabins by /u/kokanee-fish on 2025-05-27 17:15:40+00:00.

I just bought a 450 sq ft off grid cabin perched above a river, bordering a national forest in Washington State. The cabin has been there since the 60s. It’s part of a small community of primarily vacation cabins with a small HOA which maintains the bridge that provides access to the neighborhood. There are no utilities on this side of the river, and the bridge can’t be crossed without a key to the gate (so there aren’t any prying eyes other than the other cabin owners). The county knows about my cabin - it has been assessed, photographed, and described on the county website. But it is entirely unpermitted, like most if not all of the cabins in the neighborhood, I suspect. I can’t find any permits in the area on the county website, though I’m not sure I trust that info.

The thing is, the foundation of this cabin is underbuilt and in shambles. I want to tear the cabin down and rebuild it on a better foundation, slightly higher and father back from the river. With the cabin being in a geographically and ecologically sensitive location on the river, I’m quite positive that going through all of the proper processes would push the project out of financial feasibility, or it would be declared unbuildable due to setbacks, etc.

My question is this: as I weigh the risks, does the fact that the county already knows about an existing unpermitted structure help or hurt me? Am I relatively safe because the county has demonstrated a willingness to turn a blind eye, or should I avoid taking risks with permitting since the property is on the county’s radar?

Update: so it’s not a question of the county turning a blind eye; it’s a question of what the regulations were at the time the cabin was built. It looks like my best is to do an extensive remodel without ever actually demolishing/removing the cabin, which would cause it to lose its status as an existing nonconforming structure. Thanks very much for the help!