Off-Grid Living in St. Joseph County, Michigan

I'll level with you upfront: St. Joseph County, Michigan is one of those places where the county itself mostly steps back and lets its townships run the show. There's no countywide zoning ordinance and no countywide building department covering unincorporated land. The one place the county actually acts as a county is environmental health, septic and well permitting, which it handles jointly with Branch and Hillsdale counties through the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency (BHSJ).

Zoning and land use. Each township (Park, Sturgis, Three Rivers, Constantine, Colon, Mendon, White Pigeon, and the rest) writes and enforces its own zoning ordinance under Michigan's Zoning Enabling Act (P.A. 110 of 2006). I looked at Park Township's ordinance as an example, and it's clear that what's allowed for raw land, dwellings, or accessory structures depends entirely on which township your parcel sits in. There's no substitute for calling your specific township office.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs, and building permits. I couldn't confirm any county-level rule on minimum home size, tiny homes, or RV living. This falls to township zoning and to the state's Residential Code, enforced locally under oversight from Michigan LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes. Again, the township building department (if it has one) is your first call.

Septic and greywater. This is the one area where the county-region agency, BHSJ, clearly has authority. Under the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Environmental Health Code, the Health Officer issues permits for all sewage disposal facilities, and permits can be applied for online. Notably, the code defines "sewage" to include greywater, bath water, laundry, dishwasher discharge, meaning you can't just dump greywater on the ground; it has to go through an approved disposal system. Composting toilets aren't addressed separately in what I found, so I'd confirm directly with BHSJ if that's your plan.

Rainwater harvesting. No county-specific restriction turned up in my research, so this appears to follow the general state plumbing framework, which is generally permissive for rain catchment. I'd still call BHSJ or your township if you're tying a cistern into a household system.

Wells. Also BHSJ's territory, following state well-construction standards administered by EGLE, with permit applications available through BHSJ's portal or its county office contact.

Full utility disconnection. No document I found explicitly bans or blesses going fully off-grid here, but the practical catch is that BHSJ's Environmental Health Code ties occupancy approval to having an approved water supply and sewage system, so "fully disconnected" still has to clear that bar.

Bottom line: figure out your township first, then loop in BHSJ for septic and well work.