# Building your own Rollercoaster

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/building-your-own-rollercoaster/295409>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 20, 2005, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/building-your-own-rollercoaster/295409 "2005-03-20T10:22:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![NathanForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/fbc32d/32.png) [@NathanForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NathanForce)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/building-your-own-rollercoaster/295409/1 "2005-03-20T10:22:53Z")

</div>

Is this something that can be done? What is considered to be the upper limit of home-grown coaster design, and even if you did make one, would it be legal to let people ride or charge them to do so?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/building-your-own-rollercoaster/295409/2 "2005-03-20T14:05:04Z")

</div>

Anything is possible. [Just ask this guy in rural Indiana who built a roller coaster in his backyard.](http://home.comcast.net/~chrisgeiger/tribute.html)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MC\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@MC\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_E)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/building-your-own-rollercoaster/295409/3 "2005-03-20T15:47:16Z")

</div>

I would say you would have to get all the licenses, permits, and inspections that any amusement park or carnival would have, if you were charging people to ride. I doubt standard homeowners insurance would cover the coaster either, even if you didn’t charge.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/building-your-own-rollercoaster/295409/4 "2005-03-20T20:00:51Z")

</div>

- 
  - 
    - What you build for your own use is one matter, with not-much-restrictions in most rural areas–however–once you start charging admission and letting customers ride, in most first-world countries you are assuming a huge amount of liability.

- I think there’s only 2-3 major companies left now in all of the US and Europe that produce large-scale amusement park rides _that are considered safe enough for the US and West-European market_. If I remember right, one is German. There used to be more but insurance costs have driven the rest out of the business.  
~

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![NathanForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/fbc32d/32.png) [@NathanForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NathanForce)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/building-your-own-rollercoaster/295409/5 "2005-03-20T23:47:05Z")

</div>

Thanks. I guess you have to refrain from charging for it if you want to be able to do it. Charging for rides is just too expensive from a liabilty/insurance standpoint.