Off-Grid Living in Washington County, Indiana

If you're eyeing unincorporated Washington County, Indiana for an off-grid setup, here's what I've been able to confirm from official sources, and where the record goes quiet.

Zoning. Unlike a lot of rural Indiana counties, Washington County actually does have countywide zoning, administered by the county's Area Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals. That said, I couldn't confirm the exact permitted-use lists by zoning district from the ordinance text itself, so if you have a specific parcel in mind, call the Planning Commission before you buy. Also worth flagging: the incorporated Town of Salem and City of Washington each run their own separate plan commissions, so this brief only applies outside those city limits.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. The county Building Department requires manufactured tiny homes or cabins to carry a HUD Identification Plate or Indiana Industrialized Building/Modular sticker. More importantly for off-gridders: temporary structures, RVs, and campers will not be assigned a 911 address, which in practice means they can't be treated as a permanent residence in the eyes of the county.

Building permits and codes. The county enforces the Indiana Residential Code with state amendments. Interestingly, Washington County doesn't require contractor licensing generally, except plumbers and mobile home installers, who need state bonding/licensing. A final inspection and Certificate of Occupancy are required before you can legally move in.

Septic. This is where the county gets specific. The Health Department requires a minimum of .75 acre with public water or 1.00 acre with a private well before it will issue a septic permit, plus a soil test from a Certified Soil Scientist and a septic permit fee. All septic design must meet the state's Indiana Septic Code (410 IAC 6-8.3). Composting toilets aren't addressed separately in anything I found at the county level, so I'd assume state code governs and confirm directly with the Health Department.

Greywater. I found nothing specific to Washington County on greywater reuse, no permit process, no prohibition. Treat this as unclear and default to the state baseline, which generally folds greywater into sewage/septic compliance.

Rainwater harvesting. Same story, no county ordinance either way. Indiana's state baseline generally allows it, and I found no local rule contradicting that.

Wells. Private wells are permitted; drillers must be licensed by the state under IC 25-39 and 312 IAC 13. The county Health Department offers water-supply consultation and testing kits, but I didn't find a separate county well-construction permit beyond what's tied to septic siting.

Utility disconnection. There's no mandatory hookup ordinance I could find, so going off-grid on power and water is allowed in principle. But practically, you still need septic and building code sign-off and a 911 address to occupy a home legally, so full off-grid independence with an RV or bare-bones cabin runs into real friction here.

Bottom line: the framework is workable but has real teeth around septic acreage minimums and permanent addressing. Call ahead before you commit to land or a structure type.