Off-Grid Living in Blount County, Tennessee

If you're eyeing unincorporated Blount County, Tennessee for an off-grid setup, the first thing I want you to know is that this county is different from a lot of rural Tennessee: it actually has countywide zoning, administered by the Blount County Planning Commission and enforced through Development Services. Many rural TN counties skip zoning entirely, so don't assume Blount works the same way as a neighboring county. Note also that Maryville, Alcoa, Townsend, Friendsville, and Rockford run their own separate departments; this guide is strictly for unincorporated county land.

Zoning and land use. The county's zoning resolution sets up rural districts meant for "moderate to low density" development, per Blount County's own resolution language tied to Tennessee Code Annotated authority. Rural districts do permit single-family homes, manufactured homes, and accessory structures, but the resolution is explicit that other county or state rules can impose stricter standards on top of zoning.

Tiny homes and RVs. I couldn't find an official Blount County page that spells out how tiny houses on wheels or long-term RV living are treated. The zoning code allows one or two single-family or manufactured dwellings per lot, but that's not the same as confirming RV/tiny-home occupancy. Call Development Services before you commit to this route.

Building permits. The county adopted the 2012 International Building and Fire Codes (plus 2010 ADA standards) by commission resolution, and Development Services handles all the permitting, inspections, and occupancy certificates. Zoning permits are required separately from building permits.

Septic and composting toilets. Blount County's Environmental Health department enforces Tennessee's (TDEC) subsurface sewage disposal rules, issuing septic layout permits and doing final inspections. I found no dry-cabin exemption or composting-toilet carve-out at the county level, so plan on the state NSF-41 standard applying and confirm specifics with Environmental Health.

Greywater. This one's genuinely murky. The county only describes its environmental health role in terms of septic systems and, on request, well water testing, no dedicated greywater program shows up anywhere official. Don't guess here; call Environmental Health before installing anything.

Rainwater harvesting. Good news, I found nothing restricting this at the county level. Tennessee's baseline is permissive, and Blount's stormwater program is aimed at development runoff, not harvesting.

Wells. Well drilling and pump work is licensed at the state level under Tennessee's Water Wells Act. Locally, Environmental Health will do bacteriological testing on your private well water if you request it.

Utility disconnection. No county rule forces you to hook up to electric service. But septic permitting requirements apply to any habitable structure regardless of grid status, there's no dry-cabin loophole that I could confirm.

Bottom line: Blount County is more regulated than the "no zoning, do what you want" counties you may have heard about elsewhere in Tennessee. Confirm the gray areas (tiny homes, RVs, greywater) directly with the county before you buy or build.