Off-Grid Living in Roosevelt County, New Mexico

I've been digging into Roosevelt County, New Mexico for anyone thinking about going off-grid out there, and the short version is: this is about as light-touch as county land use gets in the Lower 48, but "light touch" doesn't mean "no rules" - it just means the rules mostly come from the state, not the county.

Zoning. Roosevelt County doesn't run a general zoning code for its unincorporated land. That's not me guessing; the county attorney told the county commission plainly that the county "doesn't have a zoning code and has no zoning classifications throughout the county." So if you buy raw land outside Portales or another incorporated town, you're not fighting a zoning map. That said, subdivision plat conditions and the county's Rural Addressing/Planning office (which assigns physical addresses for emergency response) can still shape what you can do with a parcel, so check in with them before assuming a blank check.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I found no Roosevelt County ordinance addressing tiny homes or full-time RV living. That leaves you under New Mexico's statewide minimum construction standards, enforced through the Construction Industries Division (CID), since the county doesn't run its own building department. Confirm specifics with CID and Rural Addressing before you commit to a structure type.

Building permits. Because there's no home-rule building department here, permitting for unincorporated Roosevelt County runs through the state's CID system. Get your rural address sorted first; that's a prerequisite step locally.

Septic and composting toilets. Septic is permitted and state-regulated. New Mexico Environment Department's (NMED) Liquid Waste Program handles applications, and I saw evidence of active discharge permits in the county already. Homeowners can potentially self-install after passing a qualification exam at their local NMED field office, which is a nice option if you want to do the work yourself.

Greywater. No county-specific rule turned up, so the statewide NMED greywater rule is what governs, and it's generally permitted within that framework.

Rainwater harvesting. Same story: no county restriction found, and state policy is generally supportive of catchment.

Wells and water rights. This is where I'd slow down. Any water use, including a household well, needs a permit from the Office of the State Engineer (OSE), and Roosevelt County sits inside the actively administered Portales Underground Water Basin. Recent OSE public notices for that basin confirm the state is actively managing groundwater rights here, so don't assume you can just drill.

Utility disconnection. No countywide rule requiring hookups was found, consistent with the lack of zoning, but any such requirement could hide in subdivision covenants tied to your specific plat.

Bottom line: Roosevelt County gives you unusual freedom from local zoning, but nearly everything that matters, wells, septic, and building minimums, still funnels through state agencies. Call ahead before you buy or build.