Off-Grid Living in Divide County, North Dakota
Divide County has its own county-wide zoning ordinance and has adopted the state building code, so a permit and zoning check are needed for structures. Septic, greywater, and tiny-home/RV rules for the county specifically are not confirmed in official sources, so direct contact with the county is essential before building.
Is it legal to live off-grid in Divide County, North Dakota?
There is no outright ban on living off-grid in Divide County, North Dakota - it is legal but regulated. Zoning and land use are set locally and vary by area, putting a cabin, tiny home, or RV on raw land is not clearly documented online, so confirm it locally, and building permits are restricted. Plan around septic/wastewater (set locally and vary by area) and disconnecting from utilities (set locally and vary by area). Because these rules are set locally, confirm the specifics with Divide County before you buy land or build.
The verdict for Divide County
- Zoning: Varies locally
- Dwellings, tiny homes: Unclear - verify
- Building permits: Restricted
- Septic: Varies locally
- Greywater reuse: Unclear - verify
- Rainwater harvesting: Generally allowed
- Private wells: Generally allowed
- Living disconnected from utilities: Varies locally
Divide County at a glance
Who to call in Divide County
- Zoning Divide County Planning and Zoning Commission
- Building permits Divide County Board of County Commissioners
- Environmental North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality (Septic Systems Program)
- Wells and water North Dakota Department of Water Resources, Water Appropriation Division 701-328-2754
- Septic and health North Dakota State Plumbing Board 701-328-5237
Offices named on official pages during research. Phone numbers appear only when the official page showed one; confirm hours and jurisdiction before you drive out.
I dig into county-by-county off-grid rules for a living, and Divide County, North Dakota is a good example of a place where the state gives you a lot of running room, but the county has actually stepped in with its own zoning, so you can't assume it's wide open just because it's rural.
Zoning. Unlike some North Dakota counties that leave zoning entirely to individual townships, Divide County has a county-wide zoning ordinance, first adopted in 1996 and updated as recently as March 2024, administered by the Divide County Planning and Zoning Commission. If you want to do something not explicitly allowed in your district, the Board of County Commissioners can issue a conditional use permit with its own conditions attached. Good news for homesteaders: the ordinance explicitly protects agricultural use of land and buildings.
Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I could not find a Divide County-specific minimum dwelling size or a rule on tiny homes or RVs as permanent residences. North Dakota has no statewide minimum house size, so whatever applies here would be a local call. This one is genuinely unclear, so call Planning and Zoning before you buy a tiny home or park an RV to live in.
Building permits. The county has adopted the North Dakota State Building Code as its construction standard, and the Board of County Commissioners enforces it, with room to add local requirements. Assume any structure you build needs a permit.
Septic. North Dakota's Department of Environmental Quality licenses installers statewide, but the actual permit for installing or repairing a septic system comes from your local public health unit. I found the First District Health Unit's coverage area, and Divide County is not on their list, so I could not confirm which health unit actually issues Divide County septic permits. This is a call-and-confirm situation.
Greywater. No state or Divide County rule specifically addresses residential greywater reuse in the sources I found. Treat it as a gray area and ask before installing a separate system.
Rainwater harvesting. Nothing in state law or the county ordinance prohibits it. If you're putting in an underground storage tank, that could trigger a building code review since the county has adopted the state code.
Wells and water rights. Well drillers must file reports with the State Board of Water Well Contractors, and larger permanent water uses need a conditional water permit through the state's Department of Water Resources. I didn't find added Divide County well restrictions.
Utilities. No provision in the ordinance excerpts I reviewed requires connecting to grid electric, water, or sewer. Off-grid living appears legal here by default, but I haven't confirmed every zoning district in detail.
Bottom line: Divide County is more regulated than the "no zoning at all" counties you'll find elsewhere in rural North Dakota, so don't skip the phone call to Planning and Zoning.
Divide County in numbers
- Worst-month sun
- 2.9 peak hours/day (4.8 annual average)
- Heating degree days
- 8,650
- Precipitation / snow
- 19.59 in / ? in a year
- Elevation
- 1,847 ft
Open the full site report for this spot →
30-year climate normals for the nearest ZIP and distances from the town center; a specific parcel will differ. Run the site report on an address for its own numbers.
Sources
Primary sources (statutes, agencies, municipal documents)
- 1 | P a g e DIVIDE COUNTY ZONING ORDINANCE Effective Date: January 27, 1996 deq.nd.gov
- ZONING ORDINANCE RICH TOWNSHIP CASS COUNTY, NORTH DAKOTA Amended MARCH 2018 deq.nd.gov
- Septic Systems deq.nd.gov
- NDPDES Permits Program deq.nd.gov
- North Dakota NPDES Permits epa.gov
- Department of Water Resources Water Resource Districts Page www.swc.nd.gov
- Department of Water Resources Maps And Data Resource Page www.swc.nd.gov
- Department of Water Resources Water Permits Page www.swc.nd.gov
- General Water Resource MapService - swc.nd.gov www.dwr.nd.gov
- North Dakota NPDES Permits | US EPA www.epa.gov
Secondary sources (universities, regional bodies)
- 1'10. 1150 AE-1156 ," •• ~ ,. :l ... s..ov, ,. \''U In library.ndsu.edu
Only government, statute, municipal, university, and regional-planning sources are listed. Pages used to find an issue but not to substantiate it are not cited. See how this database is researched.
Live here? Help keep Divide County accurate.
Residents, landowners, builders, and town officials: confirm what is right or tell me what is wrong. Every note is checked before it appears. Two minutes, no account.
FAQ
Common questions about off-grid living in Divide County
Does Divide County have zoning, or is it wide open like some ND counties?
It does have county-wide zoning, adopted in 1996 and updated as recently as March 2024, run by the Planning and Zoning Commission, which is different from counties that leave everything to townships.
Can I live in a tiny home or RV full-time in Divide County?
I could not confirm a specific rule on this; there's no statewide minimum dwelling size in North Dakota, but Divide County may have its own view, so ask Planning and Zoning before committing.
Who issues septic permits in Divide County?
I could not confirm which local public health unit covers Divide County for septic permitting; it isn't the First District Health Unit, which covers neighboring counties, so you'll need to ask the county directly.
Is off-grid solar and disconnecting from utilities legal here?
I found no rule in the reviewed zoning materials requiring hookup to grid electric, water, or sewer, so off-grid living appears allowed, though this wasn't checked against every zoning district.