Solo research without academic backing — can I do survey-based human subjects research without an IRB?

As a PhD student/researcher thinking about doing a solo research project outside of formal academic backing. The project would likely involve human-subject survey data, but it would be low-risk: adult participants, voluntary participation, no intervention, and ideally anonymous responses.

I’m trying to understand the ethical and practical process before doing anything. My questions are:

1.	If I am not conducting the study through a university or institution, do I still need IRB review for survey research?

2.	If the study would likely be “exempt” under the Common Rule survey/interview categories, can I make that determination myself, or should an independent IRB make the exemption determination?

3.	Has anyone here used a commercial/independent IRB for solo research? If so, what was the process and approximate cost?

4.	If I eventually wanted to submit the paper to a journal or conference, would lack of IRB/exemption documentation be a problem even if the survey was anonymous and minimal-risk?

5.	Are there best practices for consent language, data storage, and recruitment when doing this outside a university?

I’m not trying to bypass ethics review — I’m trying to understand what the responsible path looks like when there is no home institution providing an IRB.