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Home » Knowledge Base » Are utilities available for vacant land in Rio Rancho?
There are a wide variety of factors that come into play when determining if a vacant lot in Rio Rancho has utilities. In some cases, it ultimately comes down to the specific lot.
Generally speaking, unless an owner of a particular parcel of land has personally added utilities to the property, it’s safe to assume that there is no electricity, water, gas or sewage system.
The vast majority of vacant land in Rio Rancho will not have any type of utilities in the vicinity of the lot line.
This is because basic infrastructure is focused in the city limits where the largest volume of the population is located.
Your budget will be the biggest factor in determining the distance and cost to connect to utilities. Land priced under $20,000 will most likely only have electricity in the area. As the price increases to $25,000 – $30,000, you can find electricity and gas. Vacant land with electricity, water, gas and sewage at the time can range from approximately $40,000 – $50,000+.
For land that has or is near utilities, there are three primary types of access. In the street, at the line and stubbed in.
Utilities in the street refers to electricity, water, gas or sewer that is located in the street where the property is located on. You would need to contact each utility company in order to determine the actual distance and cost to connect to the service.
Land with utilities at the line means electricity, water, gas or sewer are at the front property line. This allows the owner to simply tie directly into the service without having to bear the cost of bringing it from up or down the street.
The least common type is land with utilities stubbed in directly to the lot. The reason this is not too common is because an owner typically does not have utilities stubbed in unless they are in the beginning stages of building a home.
PNM is the primary service provider in Rio Rancho for electricity. For rural land that is far from power, solar panels could be a possible alternative energy source.
It’s common for potential land buyers to see telephone lines and assume that they are power lines.
We recommend contacting the New Service department at PNM to determine the distance of service to the lot you are interested in buying.
For land without city water in the area, shared or private wells are a common source for H²O. If an adjacent neighbor has an existing private well, you may be able to share theirs. The cost to drill a private well can range up to $40,000 – $50,000+ depending on depth. One other more affordable alternative is a hauled water system. However, if you’re financing a home, the bank may likely only permit common water sources for the area, which may not include hauled water systems.
Similar to electricity, Natural Gas can be a challenge to find in close proximity to vacant land.
The cost to trench a gas line to the parcel may not be practical. An easy and affordable alternative is, propane.
You can purchase or lease an above-ground propane tank. The price for a 500 gallon tank ranges from approximately $2,000 – $3,000.
The most common source for sewage in the city limits of Rio Rancho is the city sewer. Vacant land available in the city of Rio Rancho will likely have direct access to a sewer line located directly in the street. For residents in some areas of the city and in the county, a septic tank is the alternative for sewage. The cost can range from about $6,000 – $8,000 to install a new septic tank.
In the city, it’s not difficult to find competing service providers for telephone (for those who still desire a landline), television and high-speed Internet. In rural areas of Rio Rancho, phone, cable and Internet may not be readily available. If these services are important to you, then you will want to contact the available service providers to learn of their availability.
Call, text or e-mail a real estate broker with over 16 years of Rio Rancho land experience. We are available to answer any questions that you have.
