Off-Grid Living in Goshen County, Wyoming

I've been digging into Goshen County, Wyoming for anyone thinking about buying land here and living off-grid, and the short version is: this is about as light-touch as county government gets in Wyoming, with two big exceptions (wells and septic).

Zoning and land use. Goshen County's own Planning & GIS office states plainly that the county has no zoning regulations and no building inspections. That's an explicit local choice, not an oversight, and it's more permissive than counties that have adopted zoning. Land use is guided informally by subdivision regulations and a county land-use plan, and the Planning Commission is working on topic-specific rules (like CAFO siting and wind turbines) as they come up. If the parcel you're eyeing is inside Torrington, Lingle, or LaGrange town limits, though, all bets are off, those towns can and do run their own zoning and building codes, which I haven't researched here.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. With no zoning or building code at the county level, there's nothing stopping you from putting a tiny home, manufactured home, or RV on unincorporated land. Just watch for subdivision covenants if you're in a platted subdivision, those can impose restrictions the county itself doesn't.

Building permits. The county doesn't inspect or permit construction. It does point people to the state-adopted 2024 IBC as informational guidance, but that's not mandatory county enforcement.

Septic. Here's where things get real. Goshen County isn't one of the five Wyoming counties (Campbell, Carbon, Niobrara, Platte, Weston) where the state DEQ directly issues septic permits, so Goshen handles its own permitting locally using a county application (a "Conventional Septic System Application" available through Planning & GIS), built on the state's small wastewater general permit framework for systems under 2,000 gallons/day. Composting toilets probably fall under this same umbrella based on how neighboring counties handle privies and holding tanks, but I couldn't confirm Goshen's specific treatment of composting toilets, so ask Planning & GIS directly.

Greywater and rainwater. I found no county-specific rules for either, so both default to Wyoming's general state framework. Not confirmed whether the county layers on anything extra.

Wells. Every well in Wyoming needs a State Engineer permit before you start construction, no exceptions, and Goshen adds a wrinkle: the LaGrange Aquifer area in southern Goshen County is under a special State Engineer order closing the area to new large-capacity well permits, part of an effort to sort out unadjudicated groundwater rights. Small domestic and stock wells are generally exempt from that closure but still need the standard state permit.

Utilities. No county requirement to hook up to the grid, and no state law mandating it either. Solar, wind, generators, and off-grid water/septic setups are all fair game, though wind turbines specifically may fall under the county's developing siting rules.

Bottom line: Goshen County gets out of your way on zoning and building, but don't skip the septic application or the well permit, those are real and enforced.