Off-Grid Living in McCone County, Montana

McCone County, Montana is about as rural as it gets, roughly 1,700 people spread across a huge stretch of eastern Montana, with Circle as the county seat. If you're eyeing off-grid land here, the biggest thing to understand right now is that the county has no adopted zoning ordinance. McCone County is actively drafting its first zoning regulations (funded in part by a Montana Department of Commerce planning grant), but until that's adopted, unincorporated land in the county isn't subject to county zoning districts. That's a real opportunity for off-grid buyers today, but it also means the rules could tighten once the new regulations are in place, so I'd check the county's progress before you commit to a long-term plan.

On dwellings, tiny homes, and RVs, I couldn't find a McCone County-specific ordinance. What I can tell you is the state baseline: Montana adopted Appendix Q of the International Residential Code back in 2019, which covers tiny homes on permanent foundations (under 400 square feet, with specific ceiling-height minimums). Tiny homes on wheels are generally treated as RVs, which typically limits them to seasonal or temporary occupancy rather than full-time living, unless local rules say otherwise. Since McCone County hasn't published its own stance, I'd confirm current practice directly with the county before assuming either way.

Building permits are another area where the county appears to fall under state jurisdiction. Montana law lets counties opt into running their own certified building code program, but I found no evidence McCone County has done so, which means the Montana Department of Labor & Industry's Building Codes Program likely covers permitting here. Importantly, state law exempts most single-family residential buildings (under five units) and private garages/storage buildings from needing a state building permit at all, which is good news for a lot of small off-grid setups. Confirm your specific project with the state Building Codes Program.

Septic is where McCone County is clearly hands-on: the county's Health Center administers its own wastewater permit application, requiring a site plan, well-proximity data, a percolation test, and water quality testing, all coordinated with state DEQ design standards. This is not optional, and it's the one area I'd treat as certain rather than "figure it out later."

Greywater and rainwater harvesting have no county-specific rules I could find, so state baseline applies, generally permissive for basic indoor greywater reuse and rooftop rainwater collection, with subsurface greywater irrigation systems facing more scrutiny similar to septic review.

Private wells fall under state DNRC water rights administration, not county authority, though well data does get folded into the county's septic permitting process. And on utility disconnection, I found no county requirement forcing a hookup to grid power or public water, though your septic permit is still mandatory regardless of grid status.

Bottom line: McCone County today is unusually open due to the zoning gap, but confirm everything directly since a real ordinance is coming.