Layer 3 · Economy
Land Allotment Protocol
- Layer: 3 — Economic & Resource System
- Status: Present
- RCOS reference: §5.1, §5.4
Community Area
RCOS definition5.1.1, 5.1.2, 5.1.4
- 5.1.1 All resources within the declared governed scope MUST be explicitly classified as either **commons** or **private**.
- 5.1.2 The community MUST maintain a single, explicit, and versioned registry of governed resources, including at minimum:
- 5.1.4 For commons resources, the community MUST explicitly define:
Why define the community area first?
Shared land is the part of the property where informal assumptions can most quickly become conflict. Naming the community area before private allotments makes the shared baseline explicit: this is the land and infrastructure governed for collective use rather than individual discretion.
The community area consists of the area with the existing community house, additional structures such as bathroom/shower, tool shed, and any area of the property that is not allotted to trustees as their private homestead lot, except for areas allotted as “Nature Reserve”.
Residents and guests (based on their membership/residency status) may utilize the community area and its shared infrastructure in accordance with the Community Area Manager guidelines.
Private Homestead Areas
RCOS definition5.1.1, 5.1.2, 5.4.1, 5.4.2
- 5.1.1 All resources within the declared governed scope MUST be explicitly classified as either **commons** or **private**.
- 5.1.2 The community MUST maintain a single, explicit, and versioned registry of governed resources, including at minimum:
- 5.4.1 Internal economic systems MUST prevent unbounded concentration of internal influence or control through resources, credits, or financial obligations.
- 5.4.2 If internal units exist, the community MUST define one or more accumulation-limiting mechanisms, which MAY include:
Why separate private homesteads from shared land?
Trustees need enough autonomy to steward and develop their own homestead areas, while the community needs clear limits where private use affects neighbors, shared infrastructure, or the project purpose. Separating these areas prevents both overreach by the community and unchecked private impacts on the commons.
Each trustee shall receive an area considered their “private homestead area”.
- Trustees have almost complete sovereignty over their private homesteads.
- They can develop this area, plant it with fruit trees, and perform similar homestead/permaculture tasks.
- They can use it for commercial purposes (retreats, etc.) provided they do not violate access guidelines or legal contracts.
- They may not engage in activities that the community finds disruptive to other residents.
- Trustees are required to maintain a general cleanliness and positive appearance of their property (e.g. no rotting houses, large piles of scrap metal, unkempt fencing).
Nature Reserve
RCOS definition5.1.1, 5.1.2, 5.4.4
- 5.1.1 All resources within the declared governed scope MUST be explicitly classified as either **commons** or **private**.
- 5.1.2 The community MUST maintain a single, explicit, and versioned registry of governed resources, including at minimum:
- 5.4.4 The community MUST define reviewable indicators of economic concentration risk and an explicit mechanism to adjust constraints when such risks are detected.
Why reserve land from use?
Some land is governed best by being protected from ordinary development and extraction. Declaring a Nature Reserve creates a clear ecological boundary inside the resource system, so preservation is not treated as leftover space after other land claims are made.
An area of the primary forest area on the property will be considered “Nature Reserve”.
- It will remain undeveloped and unplanted.
- Exception: planting hardwood canopy trees, or understory trees, in areas where primary forest trees have previously been felled for lumber by previous owners.
- Wood will not be harvested from the Nature Reserve area.
Ratification Record
- Adopted: 2019-05-17 (Original Bylaws), 2026-05-19 (RCOS adaptation)
- Decision type: Strategic
- Version: v1.0.0
- Decision record: proposals/passed/2019-05-17_fh1-bylaws.md