Owning land usually takes large amounts of time and resources. If you bought some land – or are thinking about it – you need to know how to make money with your land to offset costs.

How to Make Money with Your Land Quickly

Below are several fast ways to make money from your land without having to do much (or any) work yourself.

Host a Billboard

If your vacant land borders a busy road, having a billboard could put a substantial amount of money in your pocket. Advertising companies are always looking for new locations and might be interested in your location. Payments to landowners vary wildly, depending on the size of the sign, current advertising rates, traffic counts, and numerous other factors.

Harvest Timber

Lumber companies are often looking for new locations to harvest wood. Prices paid for timber vary depending on what's grown and the age of the trees.

To give you one example, thinning a young pine forest (less than 15 years old) can pay about $250 per acre, while harvesting a mature pine forest (more than 35 years old) can pay $2,500 an acre. For more information, contact your state’s Department of Conservation and ask them about selling timber.

Provide Storage

If you have the right to put a structure on your land, you can provide indoor storage. People need a place to store heavy machinery like farm equipment, RVs, and boats – and they’ll pay for it. Just make sure you have the proper insurance for storing valuables on your land.

Open a Campground

If you have vacant land close to hiking or outdoor attractions, you could make some money by opening a campground. Make sure your land has water and some kind of toilet system in place first.

Make Money From Your Land by Leasing It

If you are willing to lease or rent it out, there are plenty of ways to make money off your land.

Offer to Rent Your Land as Pasture

If you have a pasture, you can easily rent vacant land for livestock like cattle or horses. Just remember: Animals may cause long-term damage to your land.

Host Bees

If your land is less than ideal for grazing animals, consider renting it out to beekeepers. Beekeepers in certain regions will pay to keep their colonies on your land. The land may be especially desirable if it borders an orchard or has a particular type of flora (like blackberries) which provides a specific flavor and makes honey more marketable.

Lease Land to Hunters

If you own a large tract of land that’s also home to wild game, you could earn a hefty sum by allowing people to hunt on your land. Arrangements vary from situation to situation, but having some accommodations (such as a cabin with running water and electricity) will make it more attractive to prospective hunters.

Always check the local restrictions for hunting with the local wildlife department. Don’t forget to check whether guests have hunting permits before they arrive.

Allow Farmers to Lease Land

Many landowners with property near farms have had success leasing it to farmers. The farmers will care for the land and harvest crops. All the owner has to do is set up a lease agreement. The larger your plot of land, the more attractive it will be to interested farmers.

Rent Plots to Local Gardeners

Community gardens are becoming increasingly popular. If your land borders residential neighborhoods or apartments, you may have luck renting plots of land to community members for their own personal gardens.

How to Make Money Buying Land: Subdividing

While the ideas above represent ways to profit while keeping ownership, the most money you can make from land is from selling it – and in more than one piece.

Selling your land in multiple pieces is called subdividing. By subdividing your plot, you could earn more from pieces of your land rather than if you sold it as a whole (unless the land is in an undesirable/isolated section). You have the option to sell all or a few of the plots to keep a portion of the land for yourself. It’s important to remember that selling a portion of your property will make the remaining acreage less valuable.

To check on the zoning laws for subdividing, go to your county’s planning and building department website.