Off-Grid Living in Ontario County, New York

Ontario County, New York is one of those places where the county's role is mostly advisory, and the real decisions get made town by town. I want to be upfront about that structural quirk before anything else, because it changes how you should use this whole guide.

Zoning and raw land. Ontario County has no countywide zoning code. The Ontario County Planning Department (per the county's own Planning page) provides technical support, maps, and reviews referrals from municipalities, but actual zoning authority sits with the county's 16 towns and 2 cities. If you're eyeing a parcel, you have to pull up that specific town's code (often on eCode360 or Municode) to know what's allowed.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I didn't find a county-level rule here either. This is a town building/zoning code question, administered under the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code (Title 19 NYCRR, adopted under Executive Law Article 18). The Town of Ontario's code is one example of how a town implements this, but every town does its own thing, so check locally.

Building permits. Permitting and code enforcement happen at the town or city level, through local Code Enforcement Officers who apply the NYS Uniform Code. There's no county building department to call. The county's Complaints, Permits and Licensing page is a decent starting point to get routed to the correct town office.

Septic. Ontario County is a "partial-service" health department, meaning septic plan review and approval authority actually sits with the New York State Department of Health's Geneva District Office, not a county health division. Separately, the county administers the state's Septic System Replacement Fund (tied to the 2017 Clean Water Infrastructure Act), which offers grants for replacing failing septic systems near priority lakes like Seneca, Canandaigua, Honeoye, and Canadice. I saw an independent (non-official) claim that some property transfers in the county trigger septic inspections, but I couldn't confirm that on an official county page, so verify directly with NYSDOH Geneva or the county before relying on it.

Greywater and rainwater. No Ontario County-specific ordinance turned up for either. Both default to New York State's baseline sanitary code framework, with NYSDOH or the local health authority weighing in as part of overall wastewater or water-system approval.

Wells. Private wells are permitted, and Ontario County's Well Water program (run through the Water Resources Council) mainly points residents to state resources: certified testing labs, fact sheets, and Cornell Cooperative Extension guidance. Under state law, well construction deviations need local health department sign-off, and any water well contracting requires DEC registration under Environmental Conservation Law §15-1525. Also worth knowing: new statewide freshwater wetlands rules (6 NYCRR Part 664) expanded wetland definitions starting in 2025, which could affect well or septic siting near wetlands.

Utilities. No countywide law forces a grid connection. Whether you can legally live off-grid, unconnected to electric or municipal water, depends entirely on your specific town's zoning and building code.

Bottom line: in Ontario County, "check with the town" isn't a cop-out, it's the actual answer for zoning, dwellings, and building permits, while septic and wells route through the state health office and DEC.