Off-Grid Living in Union County, Oregon

If you're eyeing unincorporated Union County, Oregon for an off-grid setup, here's what I found when I dug into the county and state rules. A quick but important caveat: this brief covers unincorporated county land only. La Grande, Union, Cove, Elgin, Imbler, North Powder, Summerville, and Island City all run their own zoning and building rules, so if your parcel sits inside any of those city limits, this guide doesn't apply.

Zoning. Unlike some Oregon counties that skip countywide zoning, Union County has it. The Union County Zoning, Partition, and Subdivision Ordinance (UCZPSO), administered by the Planning Department, implements the county's Comprehensive Plan and Oregon's Statewide Planning Goals. What you can build or do on a parcel depends heavily on its zone (Exclusive Farm Use, Rural Center, etc.), so I'd confirm your parcel's zone with Planning before making any plans.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. This is one area I couldn't pin down at the county level. The UCZPSO defines dwelling types (single-family, duplex, multi-family) but I found no official county page spelling out RV-as-permanent-dwelling rules or tiny-home standards. Oregon gave counties the option to opt into an RV-rental-dwelling program (SB 1013), and it's not confirmed whether Union County did. Call Planning directly before assuming an RV or tiny home counts as a legal residence.

Building permits. The county's Building Division, under Planning, issues permits and reviews construction for unincorporated land, applying Oregon's building code. Some applications go through Oregon's statewide ePermitting portal or by email.

Septic. Here's a genuine quirk: Union County doesn't run its own septic program. It contracts that out to Harney County's Environmental Health Program, which handles applications, inspections, and permit issuance for Union County properties. You still start with Union County Planning for a Land Use Compatibility Statement (LUCS) before Harney County processes the septic permit itself.

Greywater and rainwater. I found no Union County-specific ordinances on either topic. Both default to Oregon's state programs, DEQ's tiered greywater permitting and the state's rooftop rainwater catchment exemption from water-rights permitting. It's not confirmed whether the Harney County septic contract adds any local greywater conditions, so ask if you're planning a reuse system.

Wells and water rights. Well permitting and water rights are strictly a state matter here. The Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) issues well-construction permits and manages the exempt-use domestic well volume cap. I found no county-added restrictions.

Going off-grid. Nothing in county code outright prohibits disconnecting from utilities, but you'll still need a building permit and an approved septic system (proof of legal water source and wastewater disposal) before occupying a dwelling. Whether the county has any grid-tie mandate or other off-grid-specific rule isn't confirmed, so run your plan by Planning first.

Bottom line: Union County's zoning is real and countywide, its septic program is outsourced to a neighboring county in an unusual arrangement, and several dwelling-type and greywater details simply aren't published anywhere official. Call before you buy or build.