List of Towns Giving Away Free Land

Kansas has a problem: its population is declining at the fastest rate in its history. And most of this decline is happening in rural areas of the state. In the decade between the 2010 and 2020 census, for example, 16 of Kansas’s 105 counties lost more than 10% of their population.

To counter this population decline, at least 27 towns in Kansas have offered “free land programs” to draw in new residents. Unfortunately, few of these programs have had much (or any) success. Only four towns that offered free land in Kansas had their populations increase. Thus, a lot of the programs have been retired.

Below, I’ll go over which towns in Kansas still offer free land, as well as the terms and how to get more information.

Also see: How to find free land in the USA

Towns Offering Free Land in Kansas

Lincoln

Lincoln, Kansas, has had a free land program for decades now. Despite this, the town has still seen its population decline.

Requirements for the free land include:

• Residential land only
• No animals or livestock allowed
• Required to connect to utilities, including electric, water, sewer and trash (can’t be off-grid home)
• Home must have a footprint of at least 1,300 square feet for one-story home or 900 square feet for two-story home
• Home must have a 2-car garage and be on a permanent foundation

You can get more information here and here

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Mankato

The small city of Mankato in Jewell County has approximately 26 free lots available for new residential homes.

Requirements for the free land include:

• Single-family home
• Construction must be completed within 2  years
• Minimum footprint of 1,200 square feet
• Minimum three bedroom
• Minimum two-car garage

You can get more information here.

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Plainville

Plainville in Rooks County in northwest Kansas has some free land available for new constructions. The land is in the “Plainville North Addition” and lots are 155’ x 93’. At the time of writing, there was one lot available in the “North Town Addition” project as well.

In addition to the free land, Rooks County also has a Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, which offers rebates on property taxes for new home builds. Under this plan, homeowners would get a 50% savings on property taxes over a 10-year period.

Requirements for the free land include:

• Must submit plans to city council for approval and meet with them in person
• Single-family home
• Home must be on a full foundation
• Must enter into a contract with a building contractor within 6 months and construction must begin within 12 months
• Construction must be completed within 18 months
• A $500 deposit must be paid for the lot, which will be refunded when construction is complete
• Must meet covenants

Get more info here and here.

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Osborne

The city of Osborne, Kansas has approximately 1,300 residents. It has a free land program which offers free lots in the “Sunset Addition” on the western part of the city.

Requirements for the free land include:

• Must sign with a contractor within 6 months of application approval
• Construction must be completed within 12 months of application approval
• Must occupy the home within 24 months
• No mobile homes
• Minimum 1,400 square feet footprint
• Required to have a foundation with a crawl space or basement
• A $500 deposit must be paid for the lot, which will be refunded when construction is complete

You can get more info here and in this PDF

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Marquette

In 2003, Marquette, Kansas started a free land program. Under the program, the town set aside 60 free lots. Approximately 20 of the lots are still available.

Requirements for the free land include:

• Must start build within 6 months
• Construction  must be completed within 1 year
• Required to pay for utility hookups

It’s worth noting that the elementary school in Marquette closed due to a falling population. The town’s webpage about the free land program is also no longer live. I attempted to contact town officials via email and got no response.

You can find the town’s website here.

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Peabody – for Businesses Only

The town of Peabody has a free land program, but it is only for businesses which relocate to the town and not for residential properties. You can get more info in this PDF.

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Ellsworth County – No Longer Active

Despite what some other articles say, Ellsworth County does NOT have a free land program anymore. It seems that the town’s program wasn’t successful so it was retired.

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Other Incentives for Moving to Kansas

In addition to towns in Kansas which offer free land, the state also offers incentives for people to move to “Rural Opportunity Zones.”  A Rural Opportunity Zone is defined as a county with a population of 40,000 people or less (which is 95 of 105 counties in Kansas).

These incentives include tax credits as well as student loan repayments up to $15,000. You can find more info here.

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