Off-Grid Living in Lincoln County, Wyoming

Lincoln County, Wyoming is a bit of an outlier among rural Wyoming counties: instead of leaving land use unregulated, the County has adopted its own countywide zoning and land use ordinance, and it runs its own delegated septic (small wastewater) permitting program through the Office of Planning and Development in Kemmerer, with a satellite office in Afton serving the Star Valley side. If you're used to reading about "unzoned" Wyoming counties, don't assume that applies here.

Zoning and raw land. The County's Planning & Development office administers a zoning map with designated zones (I've seen references to a "Rural Zone" and "Mixed Zone" in recent Planning & Zoning Commission hearings), and what you can do with a parcel, including off-grid habitation, depends on which zone it sits in. Rezones and conditional uses go through the County Planning & Zoning Commission.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. The county issues building permits for new 1- and 2-family dwellings and additions, plus a discretionary Land Use Permit that covers things like residential use, driveway access, and temporary uses. I could not confirm specific rules on RVs or tiny homes as permanent residences in the county's public documents, so treat that as an open question for the Planning office.

Building permits. Yes, they're required here, which is different from many rural Wyoming counties that require little to none. One detail worth flagging: the county enforces a seasonal digging ban, no digging (including for septic systems or anything in the county right-of-way) from November 15 through April 1.

Septic. Lincoln County has its own Small Wastewater Land Use Regulations (Appendix E) and its own permitting process, patterned on the statewide Wyoming DEQ small wastewater program but administered at the county level. You'll need a percolation test and site plan. Confirm with the Planning office whether your parcel falls under county jurisdiction or the DEQ District Engineer.

Greywater. The county's own regulations echo the state permit-by-rule approach: greywater can't leave your property, no ponding or runoff, and no systems in a delineated floodplain. Greywater used for surface irrigation needs disinfection to a stated fecal coliform standard, and you're expected to notify Wyoming DEQ's Water Quality Division before building the system.

Rainwater. No county rule specifically addressing residential rainwater harvesting turned up in my research; this follows the state baseline, where Wyoming's State Engineer's Office doesn't regulate residential collection.

Wells. These run through the Wyoming State Engineer's Office under the state's prior-appropriation system. You need a permit before you start construction, and there are setback rules (a 10-foot minimum from property lines, per SEO regulations). No county-specific well ordinance appears to exist on top of that.

Utilities. I found no countywide rule forcing a hookup to electric, gas, or municipal water. Off-grid power like solar or wind seems to fall under standard building/electrical code review rather than any mandatory-connection rule, but incorporated towns inside the county (Kemmerer, Afton, Thayne) may have their own municipal rules that aren't covered here.

Bottom line: call the county Planning office before you buy or build. Zoning, septic, and the digging season restriction are all things this county actually enforces.