Alaska
Buying Land in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
Seat: Palmer. Alaska's fastest-growing borough and its second-most populous, driven largely by land and housing that's simply more affordable than neighboring Anchorage. Much of the Mat-Su Valley remains unzoned, giving landowners real latitude -- but that also means confirming a specific parcel's status matters more here than in a borough with comprehensive districts.
Zoning here is genuinely different from Anchorage: much of the borough is unzoned
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough's Planning & Land Use Department handles zoning, platting, permitting, code enforcement, long-range and current planning, flood management, and cultural-resource review across the borough's more than 25,000 square miles. What sets Mat-Su apart from a comprehensively zoned jurisdiction like neighboring Anchorage is that much of the borough's land remains unzoned, meaning individual property owners in those areas have significant latitude over what they build and how they use their land -- no zoning district permitted-use table to check, because none applies there.
That's a real practical difference worth understanding before you buy: it can be a genuine advantage for a buyer who wants flexibility, but it also means you shouldn't assume a use is prohibited (or permitted) based on general zoning expectations from elsewhere. Confirm directly with the Planning Department whether a specific parcel sits in a zoned area (and if so, its district and use table) or in unzoned borough land, and separately check whether the parcel is subject to any subdivision-level restrictive covenant, since private covenants can impose use restrictions independent of -- and sometimes stricter than -- whatever public zoning does or doesn't apply.
Why Mat-Su is growing so fast, and what that means for platting and permitting
Mat-Su's growth is a documented, specific economic story, not a vague trend: the borough's population grew from 107,081 at the 2020 census by about 7.2% (roughly 7,735 people) through 2023, reaching an estimated 118,700 by 2025 -- growth of about 18% since 2015 even as other parts of Alaska have seen population decline. Economists and local reporting point to a specific driver: land and housing that's meaningfully more affordable than in Anchorage, attracting working-age residents who commute to higher-paying Anchorage jobs. The construction numbers back this up concretely -- Mat-Su has accounted for more than half of all new homes built in Alaska since 2010, and the borough now builds more than three times as many new homes each year as Anchorage does.
For a land buyer, that growth rate has a direct, practical consequence: the Platting Division processes a genuinely active pipeline of new residential subdivisions, and preliminary plat approvals (a subdivision granted conditional sign-off pending final conditions and permits) are common. If you're buying a lot in a subdivision that's recently gone through the platting process, confirm the plat has reached final recordation, not just preliminary approval, and separately confirm any subdivision-specific covenants, restrictions, or conditions the Planning Board attached before you assume the lot is fully build-ready.
The Matanuska Colony: a real, documented homesteading legacy
The valley's identity as farmland predates the current housing boom by nearly a century: in 1935, the federal government's New Deal-era Matanuska Colony relocated roughly 200 farm families from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan to the valley, betting on its glacially enriched soil and long summer daylight hours to establish a viable agricultural community in the territory. That history is still visibly alive today -- most famously in the Alaska State Fair's renowned giant-vegetable competitions (cabbages and pumpkins that regularly set U.S. size records, a direct product of the valley's unusually long summer daylight), and in a real, if now smaller relative to the borough's overall economy, base of working farms.
For a buyer specifically interested in agricultural or homesteading-style use, Mat-Su's combination of unzoned land in many areas, historically farm-oriented soil in parts of the valley, and an established agricultural community and fair culture makes it a genuinely distinct option among Alaska's organized boroughs -- worth weighing against the tradeoffs of faster growth and rising land competition in the borough's more residential-focused corridors.
Septic, water, and general due diligence
Onsite wastewater permitting runs through the statewide DEC framework under 18 AAC 72, as everywhere in Alaska, with the standard waterfront setback rule applying to any parcel near the valley's numerous lakes, rivers (the Matanuska and Susitna, among others), and streams. Given the pace of new subdivision development in the borough, a site-specific septic evaluation is worth getting even for a lot in an established subdivision, since soil and drainage conditions can vary meaningfully across the valley's glacial and floodplain terrain.
For any water use beyond ordinary household needs -- irrigation for a farm operation being a realistic scenario here given the valley's agricultural base -- confirm existing water rights and permitting requirements with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources' Division of Mining, Land and Water before counting on a specific water source.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Direct WebFetch to matsugov.us was not attempted this pass; findings rely on WebSearch-indexed content, including the borough's own growth-figure press materials and Matanuska-Susitna Sentinel reporting. This pass did not confirm the borough's current areawide zoning-map coverage percentage or a complete current list of zoned vs. unzoned areas -- verify directly with Planning & Land Use for a specific parcel.
Planning & Zoning
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning & Land Use Department
Zoning status (zoned vs. unzoned), platting, subdivision approvals, permitting, and flood-management questions.
Other
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Platting Division
Preliminary and final plat status for a specific subdivision.
Septic / Onsite Wastewater
Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Division of Water
Statewide onsite wastewater (septic) permitting and setback rules under 18 AAC 72.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
Alaska Recorder's Office, Palmer Recording District
Recorded deeds, easements, and plats for Matanuska-Susitna Borough parcels.
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Get local guidanceSources
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough - 101,095 new population figure, Mat-Su — Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska (accessed 2026-09)
- How many people live in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK? — USAFacts (accessed 2026-09)
- Affordability is driving Mat-Su boom, new data shows — Matanuska-Susitna Sentinel (accessed 2026-09)
- Mat-Su Borough Zoning Guide for Home Buyers — Alaska Home HQ (accessed 2026-09)
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough - Planning & Land Use — Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska (accessed 2026-09)
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)
- 18 AAC 72 Wastewater Disposal — Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09