Off-Grid Living in Chautauqua County, New York

If you're looking at raw land in Chautauqua County for an off-grid setup, the first thing I want you to understand is that the county itself has no zoning code. Chautauqua County is made up of 27 towns, 2 cities (Jamestown and Dunkirk), and 15 villages, and each one writes and enforces its own zoning law. The County Planning Board's job is advisory: under New York State General Municipal Law Article 12-B (Sections 239-L and 239-M), certain local zoning actions get referred to the county board for review, but the county doesn't have final say. So whether raw-land occupancy, tiny homes, or RVs-as-dwellings are allowed depends entirely on which of the ~44 municipalities your parcel is in. I'd call your specific town or village code office before assuming anything.

Where the county does step in is public health. Building permits are issued locally by each town/city Code Enforcement Officer under the NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, but Chautauqua County law (per the Town of Chautauqua's zoning chapter, which mirrors the countywide requirement) says no permit can be issued until the water system and sewage disposal system have been approved by the Chautauqua County Department of Health. That's the county's real leverage point.

Septic is where the Chautauqua County Sanitary Code gets specific: it requires a minimum lot size to keep wells at least a set distance from septic tanks and further still from other wastewater components, and any construction or alteration of a wastewater system needs a county permit through the Health Department (CCDHHS). Greywater isn't treated as a separate, standalone system here, the county's application materials describe wastewater, including laundry and utility sink water, as needing to connect to the main sewer/septic system, so DIY greywater irrigation setups aren't something I found the county blessing.

Wells fall under the same Sanitary Code setback rules, and the county also runs water-sewage surveys at property transfer, testing well water for indicator bacteria only (not iron, sulfur, lead, or nitrates), so don't assume a "passed" survey means your water is fully safe by every measure.

Rainwater harvesting is the one area where I didn't find any county-specific restriction, so it appears to just follow the state baseline.

Living off the utility grid (no public water/sewer hookup) isn't addressed county-wide either, it's a town-by-town zoning question. The county's only universal ask is that CCHD sign off on your well/septic setup before a building permit is issued.

Bottom line: treat the county Health Department as your gatekeeper for water and waste, and treat your specific town or village office as your gatekeeper for everything else.