Off-Grid Living in Bollinger County, Missouri

Bollinger County, Missouri is about as close to regulatory quiet as you'll find in this part of the state, but I want to be upfront: "quiet" here mostly means I couldn't find official documentation, not that I can promise you a blank check to do whatever you want.

Zoning and land use. I could not locate an official Bollinger County planning or zoning department page. Missouri's non-charter counties (which Bollinger is) only get zoning if voters adopt it by referendum, and everything I found points to this county not having done so. That means unincorporated land is likely unzoned, but Marble Hill, Sedgewickville, and Glen Allen are incorporated towns and could have their own zoning rules inside city limits. If your land is near or in one of those towns, check with the town hall directly.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs, and building codes. Same story, no county building department or building code page turned up in my research. Missouri leaves it to each county to decide whether to adopt the IRC/IBC, and Bollinger County doesn't appear to have. That's good news if you're trying to build unconventionally, but it also means there's no county safety net or guaranteed inspection process, and any of the three towns could impose their own rules.

Septic and composting toilets. This is the one area with clear local teeth. The Bollinger County Health Center issues septic (OWTS) permits and answers private water/sewage questions, operating under Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) statewide standards. Composting toilets aren't specifically addressed in what I found, so if you're planning one, call the Health Center to ask about DHSS's exemption rules.

Greywater. I found nothing, county or state, specifically regulating greywater reuse. That's a gap, not a green light, so I'd confirm directly with the Health Center before setting up a system.

Rainwater harvesting. No county restriction found, and Missouri generally protects landowners collecting rainwater. This looks fine to do.

Wells. Wells are a state matter, not a county one. Missouri DNR's Well Installation Program enforces statewide construction standards under the Water Well Drillers Act, and any driller or pump installer who charges for the work needs a state permit. No added Bollinger County layer was found.

Living off-grid generally. No ordinance requiring hookup to public water or power turned up. Combine a DNR-compliant well with a Health Center-permitted septic system and you're likely in reasonably solid ground, but "likely" is doing real work in that sentence given how thin the official documentation is.

Bottom line: this is a low-regulation county on paper, but low documentation cuts both ways, it means freedom and it means you're on your own to double check with the town and county offices below before you commit money to a project.