Off-Grid Living in Stone County, Arkansas

If you're looking at raw land in unincorporated Stone County, Arkansas and dreaming of going off-grid, here's what my research turned up, and where the gaps are.

Zoning. I could not find any evidence that Stone County has adopted a countywide zoning ordinance. The county's official site lists nine elected offices and the Quorum Court as the legislative body, but no planning or zoning department shows up anywhere in the county's published Code of Ordinances chapters. Arkansas law (A.C.A. § 14-17-209) leaves county zoning optional, and many rural counties simply haven't adopted it. So my working assumption is that unincorporated Stone County has no zoning to speak of, but this is not confirmed, and you should call the County Clerk's office to ask the Quorum Court directly before you buy or build. Note that Mountain View and Fifty-Six, the incorporated towns, may have their own city zoning that would override this if you're inside city limits.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. Same story: no county ordinance found addressing these. Absent a zoning ordinance, there's likely nothing stopping full-time RV or tiny-home living in the unincorporated county, but I can't confirm that as a positive right, just an absence of a found rule.

Building permits. Arkansas has a statewide building code baseline, but I found no evidence of a Stone County building department or permit process. That doesn't necessarily mean no code applies, just that enforcement at the county level isn't confirmed.

Septic. This is the one area with real teeth. The Stone County Health Department administers septic permitting for onsite wastewater systems under Arkansas Department of Health rules, and every new, repaired, or replacement system needs a permit. Permits are valid for one year from issuance, so don't sit on one. There's a narrow exemption from needing the permit itself (not from meeting construction standards) if you're on ten or more acres with the whole system at least 200 feet from every property line, including roads.

Greywater. No separate county rule; it gets folded into the same septic/absorption field permitting through the Health Department.

Rainwater harvesting. Nothing found restricting it, at county or state level.

Wells. No county well ordinance found. Arkansas doesn't require a permit to use a private well, but ADH sets construction standards.

Utility disconnection. No ordinance found requiring hookup to electric, gas, or municipal water/sewer, but your septic must still go through the Health Department permit process regardless of grid connection.

Bottom line: Stone County looks like light-touch territory for zoning and building, but septic permitting through the local Health Department is real and mandatory. Confirm the zoning question with the County Clerk before you commit to land.