Off-Grid Living in Dodge County, Nebraska

I've been digging through Dodge County, Nebraska's official pages and the state statutes that backstop them, and here's the honest picture for anyone thinking about going off-grid there.

Zoning is handled countywide by the Dodge County Zoning/Building Inspection Department, which keeps the official zoning map and processes lot splits and conditional use requests. But if you're inside an incorporated city or village like Fremont, that town runs its own building code separately from the county, that's the standard Nebraska pattern. I couldn't find specific text laying out what's permitted for raw-land or off-grid occupancy in unincorporated Dodge County, so that's a call-the-department question.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs: I found no Dodge County-specific ordinance on this. What I can tell you is the state baseline, Nebraska law bars counties from banning HUD-code or Nebraska Uniform Standards-compliant manufactured homes solely because they're manufactured. Beyond that baseline, Dodge County's own treatment of tiny homes or RVs as full-time residences isn't confirmed anywhere I could find, so ask Zoning/Building Inspection directly.

Building permits come through that same county department, but fee schedules, which code edition is adopted, and how long review takes aren't posted on the official page I reviewed.

Septic is really a state show here. Nebraska's Department of Environment and Energy runs the Onsite Wastewater Program under its Title 124 rules, covering septic tanks, holding tanks, and small lagoons statewide, including Dodge County. Only DEE-certified professionals (or a PE/registered environmental health specialist) can site, build, or repair these systems. I didn't find a separate Dodge County health department septic page, so the state program is your primary authority, though county zoning could layer on additional siting requirements. Composting toilets aren't addressed in anything official I found.

Greywater has no Dodge County-specific rule that I could locate; it falls under that same state Title 124 framework, and I'd call it restricted by inheritance rather than by clear local ordinance.

Rainwater harvesting for basic residential use isn't addressed by any Dodge County or state rule I found, so I'm marking it unclear rather than assuming it's fine or banned.

Wells are where things get more complicated locally. The Lower Platte North Natural Resources District requires a well permit for any new well in Dodge County, on top of state DHHS well-construction standards. Parts of the county sit inside LPNNRD's Restricted Development Areas or Hydrologically Connected Areas, where irrigation wells need a variance before a permit issues. The NRD's own guidance is blunt: wait to hear from them before you drill or buy equipment. That variance rule is aimed mainly at irrigation, so if you're planning a household well, confirm directly with LPNNRD's Dodge County office what applies to you.

Living off-grid overall: I found no law forcing a grid or municipal sewer/water hookup in Dodge County, but going off-sewer still means a compliant, registered onsite system under state rules, and any well still needs that LPNNRD permit. Whether county zoning has its own minimum-dwelling or hookup requirement for occupancy isn't confirmed, so that's another one for the Zoning office.