Off-Grid Living in Do̱a Ana County, New Mexico

I've been digging through Doña Ana County's code and county/state resources, and here's the honest picture for anyone thinking about going off-grid in this part of southern New Mexico.

Zoning isn't a free-for-all here. Unlike some rural New Mexico counties that have no countywide zoning at all, Doña Ana County adopted a comprehensive Unified Development Code (UDC), administered by the county's Planning and Zoning Commission under Chapter 350 of the county code. It uses a transect-based zoning system tied to historic community patterns, so what's allowed on your parcel depends heavily on which zone it falls in. If you're near the CRRUA service area, note that zoning administration there is actually handled by the county under an interlocal agreement, not CRRUA directly.

Dwellings: if you're bringing in a manufactured or mobile home, the county requires a Manufactured Home/Mobile Home Installation Permit (MHIP) from Community Development, Building Services, before occupancy, and the unit must connect to an approved liquid waste system first. RVs are treated as campground/park units under county code, not as permanent standalone residences, so living full-time in an RV on raw land is a legal gray zone at best. Tiny homes fall under standard state-adopted building codes; I did not find a dedicated county tiny-home ordinance.

Building permits are required and enforced locally by County Building Services using adopted International, National, and New Mexico codes, with the county's own fee schedule set by resolution.

Septic is actually a state matter: the New Mexico Environment Department's Liquid Waste Program (Environmental Health Division, District III) handles permitting, not the county directly. That said, the county has been actively converting septic users to county sewer in some designated areas, so check whether your parcel is in one.

Greywater and rainwater harvesting have no county-specific rules that I could confirm; both default to New Mexico's state baseline (NMED greywater rule, OSE rainwater harvesting guidance).

Wells are where the county adds a real twist: beyond state OSE well permitting, the county can restrict new domestic wells inside designated county water-service areas, per its Water Systems ordinance citing NMSA § 3-53-1.1. So drilling your own well isn't automatically a way to dodge hookup requirements if you're in one of those zones.

Utility disconnection follows the same logic: in a county-designated service area, mandatory connection rules can require you to hook up to county water/wastewater. Outside those areas, I found no blanket county prohibition on living off-grid.

Bottom line: this is a "check your specific parcel" situation more than most counties, because so much depends on zoning district and service-area boundaries.