Off-Grid Living in Chase County, Nebraska

Chase County, Nebraska is out in the Republican River country, and if you're thinking about going off-grid here, you're dealing with three layers of authority: the State of Nebraska, Chase County itself, and a special-purpose government called the Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD) that controls groundwater. I want to be upfront that I'm reporting what I found in official documents, not giving legal advice, and some specifics simply weren't published where I could find them.

Chase County is confirmed by the Nebraska Association of County Officials as a "zoned county," and the county's Planning and Zoning office (staffed under the Planning Commission) reviews permits for things like solar installations and conditional uses. The county has posted proposed zoning regulations covering site plans and setbacks, but I couldn't confirm specific rules for bare raw-land occupancy, like living in a tent, yurt, or vehicle without a permanent structure, so treat that as an open question for the zoning office.

On dwellings: state law (which binds county zoning) says a county can't ban a manufactured home just for being manufactured, provided it carries the proper HUD or Uniform Standard Code seal, but the county can still require the same foundation, setback, and utility standards as a site-built home. Chase County's zoning text does mention skirting requirements for mobile/manufactured homes. Exact square-footage minimums for the county weren't in what I found.

Building permits run through Chase County's Planning and Zoning office, but I didn't confirm which edition of the IRC/IBC the county has adopted, so ask directly.

Septic and greywater are handled at the state level, not by a county health department (Chase County doesn't appear to run one). The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy's Onsite Wastewater Program sets design, certification, and permitting rules for septic tanks, holding tanks, and small lagoons statewide, and anyone doing the work, from perc testing to installation, must be state-certified. I found no Chase County-specific septic or greywater ordinance layered on top, but that's not fully confirmed either way.

Rainwater harvesting: I found nothing prohibiting it at county or state level, so it looks open, but it's genuinely unconfirmed rather than a clear "yes."

Wells are the big one here. Chase County sits entirely inside the URNRD, which requires permits for nearly all new or replacement wells (domestic and range livestock wells are generally exempted). This district has a notably strict history, including a 1997 well-drilling moratorium, Nebraska's first, and allocations that have dropped substantially since the district began, largely due to groundwater declines and nitrate contamination in parts of northern Chase County. Well construction also has to meet state DHHS standards.

I found no blanket county rule forcing you onto grid power or municipal sewer, so utility disconnection itself isn't banned, but you're still bound by the state septic rules and URNRD well permitting either way.

Bottom line: zoning, dwelling type, and building permits are a county matter here; wastewater is a state matter; and water is a URNRD matter. Confirm the details directly rather than assuming.