Off-Grid Living in Crook County, Wyoming

Crook County, Wyoming is about as light-touch as county government gets when it comes to off-grid living, but "no zoning code" doesn't mean "no rules at all." Here's what I found digging through the county's own pages.

Zoning and land use. Crook County has never adopted a countywide zoning ordinance. There's a Land Use Planning & Zoning Commission that advises the County Commissioners and is working on an updated Comprehensive Land Use Plan, but that plan is a policy roadmap, not an enforceable code. Where the county does draw hard lines is land division: a Large Acreage Subdivision Regulation governs splitting land into 35 to 140 acre parcels outside town limits, and there are separate minor/major subdivision rules too. If you're buying raw land to build off-grid, check with Crook County Planning before you subdivide anything.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I couldn't find any county rule that singles out tiny homes, mobile homes, or RVs for restriction. That said, this is a county-level look only, incorporated towns like Sundance, Moorcroft, Hulett, and Pine Haven are their own jurisdictions with their own rules, so don't assume county leniency carries into town limits.

Building permits. There is no countywide building code and no building permit requirement on unincorporated land, and no building inspection either. The Planning Department's website does list building-permit and structural-design-load information as a courtesy, but I found nothing making it mandatory. Note that Wyoming still requires an electrical wiring permit statewide, and septic work is separately permitted (see below).

Septic and greywater. This is where the county gets hands-on. Crook County was delegated septic permitting authority by the state effective 2019, and Crook County Planning reviews applications and inspects systems before they're covered. Holding tanks for seasonal use have their own permit. Greywater systems also require a county application, coordinated with Wyoming DEQ oversight. Composting toilets specifically weren't addressed in anything I found, so ask Planning directly.

Rainwater harvesting. No county ordinance turned up on this. It falls back to the Wyoming state baseline, where I found no statewide ban or State Engineer rule targeting residential rainwater collection.

Wells. Entirely a state matter here. Wyoming's State Engineer requires a permit (Form U.W. 5) before you start drilling, wells must be drilled by a licensed contractor, and pumps installed by a licensed installer. No Crook County-specific well rule layers on top of this.

Utilities. No county rule requires hooking up to electric, gas, or municipal water/sewer. This matches the state baseline and the county's overall lack of a building code. Wyoming law also waives the licensed-electrician requirement for owners wiring their own non-resale property, which matters if you're doing your own solar or generator setup.

Bottom line: Crook County is genuinely permissive on building and zoning, but strict about septic, holding tanks, and greywater. Confirm anything town-related separately, and call Planning before you assume a county-level "no rule" answer applies inside Sundance, Moorcroft, Hulett, or Pine Haven.