Off-Grid Living in Mineral County, Montana

Mineral County, Montana is about as light-touch as it gets in terms of formal land-use control, but that doesn't mean there's zero oversight. Here's what I found digging through official sources, and where the gaps are.

Zoning: Mineral County has not adopted countywide zoning, as far as I could confirm. What it does run is a subdivision regulation program, jointly covering the county and the towns of Alberton and Superior, through the Mineral County Environmental Health and Planning Department. That's a subdivision review process (how you split land), not zoning (what you can do with it). If you're eyeing a specific parcel, especially anything inside Alberton or Superior town limits, call the county Planning office to ask whether any zoning applies there, because that wasn't settled in the documents I reviewed.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs: I found no Mineral County ordinance specifically addressing tiny homes or RV living. That means you're likely working off Montana's state baseline: Appendix Q of the IRC applies statewide for foundation-built tiny homes, and RVs are generally treated as vehicles, not dwellings, for occupancy purposes. Confirm current thinking with the county before you buy or place anything.

Building permits: Montana's Department of Labor & Industry runs a Building Codes Program that counties and towns can opt into for enforcing building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical codes. I found no confirmation that Mineral County itself has become a certified local enforcement jurisdiction, so the state program, or possibly Alberton/Superior individually, may be your default authority. Ask the county Commissioners' office or DLI directly.

Septic: This one is clearer. The county's Environmental Health and Planning Department administers septic permitting, and the county Board of Health acts on things like septic variance requests. Site evaluations follow the state DEQ framework (a Licensed Site Evaluator does soil, percolation, and groundwater testing under DEQ's minimum standards). Composting toilets aren't separately addressed at the county level that I could find.

Greywater and rainwater: No county-specific rules turned up for either. Rainwater collection for personal, non-potable use follows the state default and appears unrestricted. Greywater reuse falls under statewide administrative rule; ask the same Environmental Health office if you want a local read on it.

Wells: Mineral County doesn't appear to run its own well permitting program. This falls to Montana DNRC's exempt-well framework at the state level.

Utility disconnection: I found nothing requiring or prohibiting grid hookup for a private home here. If disconnection questions intersect with your septic or well permit, the county Environmental Health office is the one to ask.

Bottom line: Mineral County keeps its footprint small on land use, but septic is genuinely regulated, and everything else quietly defers to state rules until proven otherwise.