Off-Grid Living in Maury County, Tennessee

I'll be upfront: Maury County, Tennessee is a genuinely interesting (and slightly moving-target) place to research off-grid living right now, because the county is in the middle of writing its very first comprehensive zoning ordinance. If you're weighing land here, that transition matters a lot.

Zoning. Historically, unincorporated Maury County has had little to no countywide zoning, which is common in rural Tennessee. That's changing: the Maury County Regional Planning Commission, with support from the county's Building & Zoning Office, is actively drafting a Unified Development Plan, and the first module (covering zone districts and use regulations) has already gone through draft review. If you're buying raw land with off-grid plans, I'd call the Planning Commission before you close, because the district your parcel lands in could affect what you're allowed to build.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I couldn't find a Maury County page that specifically addresses tiny houses on wheels, Appendix Q, or living in an RV full-time. This is squarely the Building & Zoning Office's call since they administer adopted codes locally, so ask them directly rather than assuming the state's default code language applies.

Building permits. The county does require permits for new residential construction in unincorporated areas, run through the Building & Zoning Office. Here's the detail that off-grid folks need to know: the county's own building permit application asks for proof of a septic permit (or recertification) from TDEC AND proof of a water tap or water source before it will issue a permit. That closes off any "dry cabin, no permits needed" workaround for new construction.

Septic. Septic permitting in Maury County runs through the state, specifically TDEC's Columbia field office, not a county health department. Composting toilets don't get a documented local exemption, so I'd assume the state's NSF-41 standard applies until you hear otherwise from TDEC.

Greywater. No county-specific rule turned up in my research. This appears to default to Tennessee's state subsurface sewage disposal rules administered by TDEC, so confirm specifics with their regional office.

Rainwater harvesting. Nothing in Maury County's records restricts collecting rainwater, which lines up with Tennessee's general hands-off state stance. If you want to tie a system into household plumbing, though, check with Building & Zoning for any code interplay.

Wells. No county ordinance against private wells; drilling falls under Tennessee's state licensed-driller program. Many unincorporated residents instead use the Maury County Water System or Columbia Power & Water Systems.

Utilities. Going off-grid electrically isn't restricted. Water is trickier for new builds: since the building permit application demands proof of a water tap or source, a fully off-grid new home needs to document a private well or comparable source rather than skip that box entirely.

Bottom line: Maury County is workable for off-grid living, especially on existing structures, but the zoning rewrite in progress and the building-permit water/septic documentation requirement mean you should call ahead before committing to a plan.