Off-Grid Living in Cass County, North Dakota

Cass County, North Dakota is a strange but honestly kind of freeing case study for anyone chasing off-grid land: the county itself has largely opted out of zoning. When I dug into this, I found that Cass County does not regulate land use through zoning at all for most rural parcels. Instead, each of the county's 49 townships (and its cities) has its own zoning authority, generally operating under the state's township zoning statute. That means there's no single "Cass County zoning code" I can point you to. Your rights and restrictions depend entirely on which township your land sits in. Some townships run a single agricultural district that's pretty permissive toward farm and homestead-style use; others may be stricter. The county's own Subdivision Ordinance fills in around the edges, mostly for land outside city jurisdiction, and it doesn't prohibit farming uses.

Because of that, dwelling standards (tiny homes, RVs, minimum square footage) aren't set countywide either. I found an example, Rich Township, requiring buildings to meet the North Dakota Plumbing Code and National Electrical Code, but this is township-specific, not a county rule. Before you build anything, the Cass County Planning Office told me to contact them for a development permit if you're outside city or township control, or contact the city/township directly if the parcel falls under one of those.

Septic is where Cass County actually steps in with real substance. Under its Home Rule Charter, the county adopted its own on-site septic ordinance, administered locally by Fargo Cass Public Health through the Southeast Public Health Council (SEPHC). Any home discharging wastewater needs a licensed, inspected septic system. Encouragingly for DIY-minded folks, self-installation is allowed, but you have to physically dig the system yourself, not hire an unlicensed installer. Systems serving 25+ occupants kick up to state-level review by the North Dakota Department of Health.

Greywater reuse isn't separately addressed anywhere I could find at the county level; I'd assume it falls under the same SEPHC wastewater rules until told otherwise. Rainwater harvesting has no county-specific ordinance either, so it follows the state's generally permissive baseline.

For water, you've got two paths: drilling a private well (state rules apply, licensed contractor required) or hooking into Cass Rural Water District, which serves rural residences and farms, subject to a water users agreement and Board approval based on capacity. Cass County's Water Resource Districts mainly handle drainage and floodplain issues, not well permitting.

Finally, on off-grid utility disconnection, I found no countywide mandate requiring grid electric or public water hookup. But since townships control zoning, one could theoretically impose stricter rules, so check with yours specifically.

Bottom line: in Cass County, "call the township" is the single most important piece of advice I can give you.