Off-Grid Living in Tillamook County, Oregon

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in Tillamook County, Oregon, and the short version is: it's doable, but not a free-for-all. Here's what I found, level by level.

Zoning. Outside the incorporated cities (Tillamook, Bay City, Garibaldi, Rockaway Beach, Wheeler, Manzanita, Nehalem) and their urban growth boundaries, Tillamook County's Department of Community Development (DCD) runs the show through the county's Land Use Ordinance (LUO). Rural-zoned land generally carries minimum lot sizes (often at least two acres in zones requiring it outright), and the LUO governs how you can site and use a property. You can't just park on raw land and call it home; the county requires zoning approval before development, and Oregon's statewide land-use goals (administered by DLCD) set the outer boundary the county's plan has to respect. If your parcel sits inside a city's limits or UGB, that city's planning department takes over zoning review instead of the county.

Dwellings, tiny homes, and RVs. This is where Tillamook County is stricter than a lot of rural counties. The county's own ordinance and a LUBA land-use appeal both confirm that RVs cannot be used as permanent, year-round residences unless they're in a licensed RV or mobile home park. Any RV, mobile home, or manufactured home placement still needs an application approved by DCD beforehand, with sanitation, building, and planning sign-off. Tiny homes on permanent foundations get treated like standard manufactured homes and have to clear the same building and sanitation hurdles. RVs and yurts are also explicitly barred from serving as accessory dwelling units.

Building permits. The county Building Division issues structural, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical permits countywide (and inside some cities by agreement), and permits lapse if inspections stall too long. Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work each need separate state permits too, and it's on the property owner to make sure those get pulled.

Septic and composting toilets. Septic (on-site wastewater) systems are permitted but regulated by DCD under Oregon DEQ setback rules. Composting or self-contained vault toilets are allowed under a separate state rule that the county applies, with maintenance requirements like routine odor-control additives.

Greywater. Permitted under the state DEQ construction rule for greywater sumps, which the county hosts and administers. I didn't find anything stricter at the county level.

Rainwater and wells. I couldn't confirm any Tillamook-specific ordinance on either rainwater harvesting or private well construction. Both appear to default to Oregon's state baseline (Oregon Water Resources Department for wells), so confirm specifics with the county or state directly.

Utilities. Going off-grid on power looks feasible, but going off-grid on sanitation without an approved septic/OWTS or composting system is not, since DCD requires proof of compliant sanitation before signing off on any building permit.

Bottom line: the county controls land use and building, the state (DEQ, DLCD, Water Resources) sets the floor underneath it, and RVs-as-permanent-homes are the biggest trap for off-grid dreamers here.