Off-Grid Living in Pembina County, North Dakota

I'll be upfront: Pembina County, North Dakota, way up in the northeast corner bordering Manitoba, is one of those places where I could not find a published countywide zoning ordinance or a dedicated Planning & Zoning department on the county's own website. That's different from some neighboring ND counties, and it matters, because it means a lot of what governs your project here depends on whether your land sits inside an incorporated city (like the City of Pembina) or out in unincorporated county land.

Zoning and dwellings. The City of Pembina has its own municipal ordinances, including a zoning/land-use chapter and a separate building code chapter. If you're inside city limits, that's your rulebook. Outside city limits, I could not confirm whether Pembina County itself has adopted a countywide zoning ordinance, so I'm calling that unclear. North Dakota's state baseline doesn't mandate a minimum dwelling size, so absent a confirmed county rule, that baseline likely applies on unincorporated land, but you should verify before you build or park a tiny home or RV.

Building permits. Same story: confirmed at the city level in Pembina (building and electrical code chapters exist), not confirmed at the county level. Start with the County Auditor's Office if you're unsure who has jurisdiction over your parcel.

Septic. This one's cleaner. The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality licenses onsite wastewater system installers statewide, and installers need a permit from the local public health unit before starting work. Locally, Pembina County Public Health lists a regional environmental inspector as the relevant contact, though the county page doesn't spell out a step-by-step permit process.

Greywater. Genuinely unclear. I found no state DEQ or county page addressing residential greywater reuse specifically, so treat this as a gray area and ask before you build a greywater system.

Rainwater. No county ordinance was found, so I'm inheriting the state's general position that rainwater harvesting is legal, with a building permit possibly needed for bigger or underground cisterns.

Wells and water rights. The state Department of Water Resources handles water appropriation permits for permanent projects, and locally the Pembina County Water Resource District coordinates on water management and has partnered on groundwater studies in the county. Domestic well specifics weren't detailed on the county page, so lean on the state framework and confirm locally.

Off-grid power. No county rule requiring grid connection was found, so the state baseline (no law forcing you onto the grid, off-grid solar is legal) should apply, but again, this is inherited rather than confirmed at the county level.

Bottom line: Pembina County is thin on published local ordinances compared to some ND counties, which cuts both ways. It could mean more flexibility, or it could just mean you need to call and ask before you assume anything.