Off-Grid Living in Randolph County, Illinois

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in Randolph County, Illinois, and I'll be upfront: this is one of those counties where a lot of the specific answers just aren't published online in a clean, consolidated way. Here's what I found, and where the gaps are.

Zoning is handled by the county's Land Resource Management Office, but only in unincorporated areas or in towns that haven't adopted their own zoning code. If you're inside a municipality with its own zoning, that town's rules take over from the county's. Land Resource Management also issues building permits and zoning-compliance certificates, and applications for variances go to a monthly Zoning Board of Appeals meeting.

On dwellings, tiny homes, and RVs, I couldn't find an official Randolph County page that spells out minimum square footage or whether you can legally live in an RV full-time. The county's zoning and subdivision rules cover "any structure built or placed" in unincorporated land, and manufactured/mobile homes get folded into general zoning compliance, but the details aren't public that I could locate. Statewide, HUD-labeled manufactured homes fall under the Illinois Manufactured Home Installation Code, administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), so that's the framework the county would be working from. My honest advice: call Land Resource Management before you plan around a tiny home or RV as a permanent residence.

Building permits are required through Land Resource Management for unincorporated construction, but whether the county has formally adopted a specific building code beyond the statewide code isn't confirmed on their site, so ask directly.

Septic is well-covered: the Randolph County Health Department (RCHD) reviews plans, issues permits, and inspects septic installation and pumping, working under the Illinois Private Sewage Disposal Code plus a county-specific Private Sewage Disposal Ordinance. Worth noting, the county flags that some areas sit on "recessional moraine" soils that can be genuinely unsuitable for standard septic systems, so a soil evaluation matters here. Composting toilets aren't separately addressed locally, so state IDPH rules would apply by default.

Greywater reuse isn't explicitly addressed. The septic application language implies all wastewater (toilets, showers, sinks, laundry) has to route into the approved septic system, which suggests you can't just divert greywater outside that system, but there's no explicit greywater permit or exemption process on the books that I found.

Rainwater harvesting and living fully off-grid utilities (no grid power, no municipal water/sewer) are both areas where I found no county ordinance addressing the question either way. That's not the same as it being illegal, it just means the county hasn't published a clear answer, so it likely falls under general zoning/occupancy review case-by-case.

Private wells are permitted and inspected by RCHD under the state's Water Well Construction Code, with water testing available and required corrective steps if a test comes back unsatisfactory.

Bottom line: septic and wells have real, documented processes through RCHD. Zoning and building permits run through Land Resource Management. But tiny homes, RVs, greywater, rainwater, and full utility disconnection are genuine gray zones here, call before you build.