Off-Grid Living in Daniels County, Montana

Daniels County sits way up in northeastern Montana, sparsely populated, agricultural, and it's one of the relatively few counties in the state with a countywide zoning resolution on the books instead of no zoning at all. That matters if you're eyeing raw land here for an off-grid setup, so let me walk through what I found, and where I hit dead ends in the public record.

Zoning. The county's Planning Board, which advises the County Commissioners, references a "Zoning Resolution 1983" as a governing document, adopted under Montana's state enabling law that lets county commissioners establish zoning by resolution. So Daniels County isn't a zoning-free zone, unlike some rural Montana counties. If your land is inside Scobey or another incorporated town, town zoning takes over instead of the county resolution. I'd call the Planning Board to actually read the resolution text before you buy or build, since I couldn't verify its specific dwelling-type provisions.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I could not find a Daniels County page addressing tiny homes or RV living directly. Absent that, the state baseline applies: Montana uses IRC Appendix Q for foundation-built tiny homes, and wheeled units are generally treated as RVs, not permanent dwellings. Confirm locally, since the 1983 resolution or the county's newer growth policy may say more than what's publicly posted.

Building permits. No Daniels County building department page turned up. Montana exempts single-family homes from the state building code program unless a county opts in, and I found no evidence Daniels County has opted in. The state Building Codes Program is the authority to check with directly.

Septic. This one's handled locally: the Daniels County Health Department is the environmental health authority for wastewater systems, operating under the statewide DEQ rule (ARM 17.36) that governs placement, sizing, and permitting based on a site evaluation. Composting toilets aren't separately addressed in what I found, so I'd assume the state standard applies and confirm with the Health Department.

Greywater and rainwater. No county-specific rules found for either. State rule permits in-home greywater reuse without a permit if it goes through a compliant disposal system, with more requirements for subsurface irrigation use. Rainwater harvesting for personal, non-potable use appears unrestricted at both state and county level.

Wells. No Daniels County well ordinance found. Wells fall under Montana DNRC's statewide exempt-well program, and DNRC actually owns a notable chunk of the county's land, so it has an outsized local presence. File the standard DNRC notice of completion for exempt wells.

Utility disconnection. I found nothing in Daniels County records that either requires or bans staying off-grid for utilities. It's simply not addressed publicly, though septic siting rules could indirectly shape your options.

Bottom line: Daniels County is workable for off-grid living, but several pieces (dwellings, building permits, greywater, disconnection) rely on state defaults rather than confirmed local text, so a few phone calls before you commit will save headaches.