Off-Grid Living in Cumberland County, Tennessee

I've been digging into Cumberland County, Tennessee for anyone thinking about buying raw land and living off-grid, and the honest answer is: it's a mixed bag of "yes, clear rules" and "not confirmed, call and ask."

Zoning: I couldn't find a countywide zoning ordinance for Cumberland County. What exists is the Cumberland County Regional Planning Commission's subdivision regulations, which govern splitting land into lots, not general land-use zoning. If you're buying one existing parcel and not subdividing it, that subdivision review likely doesn't apply to you. But whether some other county resolution restricts what you can do with raw acreage isn't confirmed from what I found, so I'd call the Planning Commission before assuming anything.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs: The county Codes Department enforces the 2018 International Residential Code, but I found no county-specific page addressing tiny homes, Appendix Q (the tiny-house-friendly IRC appendix), or long-term RV occupancy. Tennessee adopted the 2018 IRC with Appendix Q at the state level, and counties can opt in or out of that appendix; I couldn't confirm which way Cumberland County has gone. Note that before any inspection, the county wants a visible 911 address at the road and a posted building permit on-site.

Building permits: This one's clear. Cumberland County runs its own Codes Department (not a state opt-out situation) and requires separate Building, Plumbing, and Mechanical/HVAC/Gas permits for new residential construction, applied for at their Crossville office or online.

Septic and composting toilets: Septic permitting here actually runs through the State of Tennessee (TDEC), not the county Codes Department, the county's own page says as much. I found no county exemption for composting toilets or a "dry cabin" allowance, so assume the state's standard rules (NSF 41 certified units, no blanket exemption) apply.

Greywater: No county-specific ordinance turned up. Tennessee's plumbing code technically allows subsurface greywater irrigation, but how that's actually permitted and enforced locally is unclear, so I'd confirm with the Codes Department or state before building a system.

Rainwater harvesting: No restrictions found at the county or state level, this looks straightforwardly legal to collect.

Wells: No county well authority was found; well drilling in Tennessee falls under state law and requires a licensed driller. The county's septic application does ask for well location as part of the site sketch, so the two systems are reviewed together.

Off-grid utility disconnection: Cumberland County will require building and septic permits for any newly built dwelling no matter your grid status, so you can't just skip permits by staying off-grid. Disconnecting from the electric grid itself isn't addressed at the county level as far as I found, so the state's general lack of restriction on that would apply.

Bottom line: building and septic permitting is firmly in place and enforced here, but zoning, tiny-home rules, and greywater are genuinely gray areas worth a phone call before you commit to land.