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Comment by lettergram | Hacker News Reader

> TikTok’s “Tunnel Girl” has focused fresh attention on the amateur excavators who build their own underground infrastructure — often in defiance of local laws.

Gotta love we’re at the point where digging a tunnel on your own land, which you own, is illegal lol

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Except she’s digging it in 200sqft of urban housing backyard in Herndon, VA USA. If you have 10 acres and want to dig a hole, go for it. But if you want to dig a tunnel in your backyard and your two neighbors houses are 100ft or less away… yeah, I would think twice.

Even if you're in the middle of nowhere, people expect to be rescued if something goes wrong... sort of like that Titan submersible. In the abstract it's fine to take huge risks, but it sucks when people implicitly turn those costs over when something goes wrong.

You can say the same about any hobby that is more dangerous than sitting in the sofa. We would need to make it illegal to do any type of diving, climbing of mountains, skiing off-pist etc.

Or instead of illegal, limit mandatory rescuing, or have people to pay for it themself. Btw. no one will rescue you, if you need help above 7000 m. (unless you made special arrangements with somebody)

Or, just don't change much. And as far as I know, in many states around the world, you will have to pay for helicopter rescue, unless your insurance covers it (but the insurance fee is really not that much).

Yes, I agree. Same with boating just for fun. Let the people drown or pay to be rescued. They took a risk choosing to be on the water. They should pay the price for that risk.

You need permits to dig a tunnel in Herndon (VA), so it’s not illegal. Similar to any major construction on your home. She didn’t secure them beforehand.

If it is in a suburban area (as is the case with the creator mentioned in your quote) a collapse would put surrounding properties at risk

Right, in a sense, we all own the infra they're endangering.

Now out on the farm, maybe do what you want.

Not just that but part of why planning exists in the first place is so they can verify things like that there aren't buried unmarked sewer lines or gas mains back there.

Yes, I'd totally hate my house collapsing over me and my family because the neighboor excavated the rocks that were keeping my house's foundations stable in place.

I assume heavily changing the water infiltration/leaking paths could also have significant effects on how the ground behaves even outside of the area that is worked on.

PS: My dumb brain 30min after waking up: "surrounding properties" + "value" + "at risk" was the phrase I first read from your comment.

A badly-dug tunnel can be a huge risk to your neighbors' properties, as well as to any underground infrastructure in the area.

And to the poor people who have to risk their lives getting you or your corpse out.

> “At the point”

There are many things you cannot do on your property, and that has been true for a long long time.

Modifications to structures and land in almost all developed economies is subject to planning law. Even something as apparently free as rainfall collection can be subject to regulation. It can be encouraged or discouraged, depending.

Digging can affect utilities, water drainage, cause subsidence… of course it’s illegal, unless you get a permit. If you want to dig without a permit go to some place in the middle of nowhere.

it's for a good reason; many people who tunnel don't know how to make tunnels safe, and there's lots of collateral damage when they fail.

wait until you find out what happened when the temple of damanhur was discovered

Building regulations exist for thousand of years and for good reasons ...

lol

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