Off-grid site report
Yolo County, CA
38.6777, -121.7760 · 59 ft elevationRead this before you act on anything below. This is my researched starting point for Yolo County, CA, not legal advice and not a guarantee. Rules change, and the deciding facts on any specific parcel (setbacks, perc results, overlay districts, deed restrictions, road frontage) live at the county or town office, not in any database. Before you buy land or build, confirm the current rules directly with the local zoning and health offices - the sources on this page tell you exactly who to call.
The local rulesYolo County, CA
Zoning & raw-land occupancy
Varies locallyYolo County's Title 8 Zoning Code, administered by the Community Services Department Planning Division, sets minimum parcel sizes, setbacks, and allowed uses by zone. There's no countywide allowance to simply occupy raw or vacant land without an approved dwelling and required permits, so what you can do depends heavily on your specific parcel's zoning. source
Dwellings, tiny homes & RVs
RestrictedThe county zoning code allows manufactured or mobile homes on individual lots in agricultural zones (and elsewhere if permitted) but with siting standards and compatibility requirements. Temporary trailer or RV occupancy is tightly capped, generally not more than six months on the same site, with narrow exceptions like watchman use in industrial or public zones. source
Building permits & codes
RestrictedYolo County's Community Services Department Building Division administers the state's Title 24 California Building Standards Code locally, and I found no dedicated off-grid exemption in county sources. Beyond that state baseline, any Yolo-specific variance is not confirmed, so check directly with the Building Division. source
Septic & composting toilets
RestrictedYolo County Environmental Health runs its own OWTS program with a detailed county manual covering site evaluation, soils profiles, and permits for installing, modifying, or abandoning septic systems. Alternative systems like aerobic units or mound systems are allowed but need an annual operating permit, and composting toilets specifically aren't addressed in the official sources I reviewed, so ask YCEH directly. source
Greywater reuse
Generally allowedI didn't find a Yolo-specific greywater ordinance, so it appears to fall back to the state's California Plumbing Code Chapter 15 baseline. Whether the county has adopted any supplemental standards is not confirmed, so it's worth asking Environmental Health or the Building Division to be sure.
Rainwater harvesting
Generally allowedNo Yolo County ordinance restricting rooftop rainwater collection turned up in my research, meaning state law such as Water Code section 10574 and AB 1750 appears to govern by default. Any additional county-level restriction is not confirmed.
Private wells & water rights
RestrictedYolo County Environmental Health is the state-designated agency for permitting water wells, and new or altered agricultural wells now require written verification from the Groundwater Sustainability Agency in most cases, though small domestic wells under 2 acre-feet a year are generally exempt from that extra review. The county has also imposed temporary moratoria on new agricultural wells in designated Focus Areas, so status can shift, meaning you should verify current rules directly with YCEH or the Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency. source
Living disconnected from utilities
Unclear - verifyI couldn't find an official Yolo County page that directly addresses living off-grid or utility disconnection as its own category. It seems to be governed indirectly through the zoning code's dwelling and mobile-home standards plus building and OWTS/well permitting, so whether there's a specific habitability rule requiring utility hookups is not confirmed, best to ask the Planning or Building Division.
Sun30-year normals
- Peak-sun hours, annual average
- 6.0 hrs/day
- Worst month (sizes an off-grid array)
- 3.6 hrs/day
- Yearly output per 1 kW of panels
- 1,652 kWh
JFMAMJJASOND
Weather1991-2020
- Precipitation
- 21 in/yr
- Snowfall
- 0 in/yr
- Heating degree days
- 2,353 (mild)
- Frost-free season
- Jan 28 to Dec 12
How far help isstraight-line
- Hospital
Shriners Hospitals for Children - Northern California - 19.3 mi
- Fire station
Woodland Fire Station No 1 - 0.4 mi
- Hardware store
Harbor Freight Tools - 1.0 mi
- Grocery
Nugget Markets - 0.2 mi
From OpenStreetMap. Road miles will be longer, often much longer in hill country.
Plan this spot
These open with this location's real numbers already filled in (ZIP 95695).
Size a solar systemHeat loss & insulationFirewood per winterRainwater harvestGarden sizePanel tilt
Looking at a specific parcel in Yolo County, CA?The rules above are the jurisdiction. The land check runs the parcel itself: flood zone, soils and septic suitability, wetlands, slope, access, climate, and these verdicts, from a parcel number or coordinates.
Check a parcel →Share or save this report:New report
Sources: US Census Bureau geocoder; NLR PVWatts v8 (solar); NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 climate normals (nearest station) or Open-Meteo (ZIP-centroid) for weather; Open-Elevation; OpenStreetMap contributors. Public data retrieved Aug 22, 2026; agencies update their layers on their own schedules. Planning data, not a survey or legal advice.
New here, or not sure where this fits? Start here walks through the whole thing in order.