Off-Grid Living in Carbon County, Wyoming

I've been digging through Carbon County, Wyoming's official documents, and I want to flag something up front: unlike a lot of rural Wyoming counties, Carbon County actually has countywide zoning. That changes the off-grid calculus quite a bit compared to counties that let you do whatever you want on raw land.

Zoning. Carbon County's Planning & Development Department administers a Zoning Resolution (last amended in 2020, with more recent amendments too) plus a Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Subdivision Regulations. This means your parcel's zone classification matters for what you can build and how. I'd call Planning & Development before assuming you can do anything on your land.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. This is genuinely murky. The county's building-permit intake mentions height limits and use classifications that vary "depending on the zoning classification," but I could not find official county text spelling out specific rules for tiny homes or RVs as permanent dwellings. I've seen claims online that Carbon County has "no building codes," but that's not something I can verify from an official source, so treat it as unconfirmed. Ask Planning & Zoning directly how they'd classify your specific structure.

Building permits. The county requires a permit for new buildings and structures, though there are some carve-outs, like shorter fences and ag water tanks. Notably, any building for human occupancy needs an approved water supply, either through a DEQ-compliant system or a State Engineer's Office permitted well, and electrical work has to meet Wyoming's state minimum electrical code under state statute.

Septic. Here's the unusual part: Carbon County is one of only five Wyoming counties where the state DEQ, not a local health department, directly issues septic permits. So if you're planning a septic system, you're dealing with Wyoming DEQ's Water Quality Division and their Small Wastewater Facility General Permit process, not a county health office.

Greywater and rainwater. I didn't find any county-specific ordinances on either topic. My working assumption is that the state's general baseline applies (DEQ's permit-by-rule approach for greywater, no state prohibition on rainwater catchment), but I can't confirm the county hasn't layered something on top, so double-check with the county and DEQ.

Wells. Wells are regulated at the state level by the Wyoming State Engineer's Office, and the county's own building permit paperwork points applicants there directly.

Utilities. I found no countywide rule forcing a hookup to public utilities. Off-grid power looks workable in practice, but you'll still need to satisfy the building permit's water and electrical conditions if you're putting up an occupied structure.

Bottom line: Carbon County isn't a free-for-all. It has real zoning and a real permit process, with the state stepping in directly for septic and wells.