Homesteading Requirements
The Homestead Acts had few qualifying requirements. A homesteader had to be the head of the household or at least twenty-one years old. They had to live on the designated land, build a home, make improvements, and farm it for a minimum of five years. The filing fee was eighteen dollars (or ten to temporarily hold a claim to the land).
Immigrants, farmers without their own land, single women, and former slaves could all qualify.
Read more about this topic: Homestead Act