Off-Grid Living in Davis County, Utah

If you're eyeing off-grid land in Davis County, Utah, the first thing I need to tell you is that "Davis County" isn't one rulebook. The county's unincorporated zoning code applies only outside city limits. Inside Bountiful, Layton, Kaysville, Clearfield, Clinton, Farmington, and the county's other incorporated towns, that city's own zoning and building code takes over, and it can be stricter or laxer than the county's. Always figure out first whether your parcel sits in unincorporated Davis County or inside a municipal boundary.

For unincorporated land, zoning is organized into zones like Agriculture Estate (AE) under the county's Title 15.20 ordinance, administered by Davis County Community Development. Some agricultural zones allow a conditional-use dwelling for farm employee or security housing, but I didn't find anything addressing informal occupancy in a tent, yurt, or similar structure while you build. Treat that as unresolved and ask Planning directly for your zone.

On dwellings, the county ordinance sets a floor of 600 square feet for any detached dwelling and allows only one dwelling structure per building lot. I could not confirm that tiny homes on wheels or RVs are authorized as a primary or secondary residence anywhere in the county; that gap means you should not assume it's fine without checking with Planning.

Building permits run through Davis County Community Development under the statewide construction code, applied for and paid online. Septic systems (called onsite wastewater systems, or OWS) need a permit from the Davis County Health Department's Environmental Health Division, following the state's R317-4 rule, with location approval and inspections required. If your land sits within 300 feet of a public sewer line, the city or county can require you to hook up instead of using septic. Composting toilets aren't addressed separately in what I found, so don't assume one substitutes for a permitted OWS without asking Environmental Health.

Greywater has no Davis-specific page; it falls back to the state rule (R317-401) administered by the same Environmental Health office. Rainwater harvesting appears to follow Utah's statewide law (Utah Code 73-3-1.5) with no county-level restriction found.

Private wells go through the state Division of Water Rights for drilling permits, but if that well is going to feed a permitted septic system, it has to be approved before the county issues the OWS permit. Davis County Health only recommends (not requires) testing wells for things like arsenic, nitrate, and coliform bacteria.

Finally, whether you can legally live fully off-grid, no utility hookup, no municipal sewer, is not clearly spelled out in county code. The clearest lever I found is that 300-foot sewer rule; beyond that, ask Community Development and Environmental Health directly before you commit to a plan.