Off-grid site report
DeKalb County, AL
34.4389, -85.7597 · 817 ft elevationRead this before you act on anything below. This is my researched starting point for DeKalb County, AL, 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 rulesDeKalb County, AL
Zoning & raw-land occupancy
Unclear - verifyI couldn't find an official DeKalb County, Alabama zoning ordinance or planning webpage. Alabama counties generally lack home-rule zoning power unless specifically authorized, so unincorporated DeKalb County may have no zoning at all, but I can't confirm that from an official source. If your land is inside Fort Payne, Rainsville, Fyffe, or Crossville, that town's own zoning code controls instead. Best move is to call the DeKalb County Commission directly to ask what applies to your parcel. source
Dwellings, tiny homes & RVs
Unclear - verifyNo official county page addresses tiny homes or RV living in unincorporated DeKalb County, so I can't tell you a firm rule either way. This would follow whatever zoning or building authority actually exists there, which itself isn't confirmed, so check with the County Commission or the relevant town hall if you're inside city limits.
Building permits & codes
Unclear - verifyI found no official DeKalb County building-permit or building-department webpage. Some Alabama counties explicitly have no building code in unincorporated areas, but I can't confirm that's true here, so I'd call the DeKalb County Commission office to ask directly before you build. source
Septic & composting toilets
Generally allowedSeptic is clearly allowed and DeKalb County actually has its own state-law provision recognizing the county's sandy, porous soil: if topsoil runs at least 36 inches over sandstone with a fast enough percolation rate, the state health authority can't withhold a septic permit. The DeKalb County Health Department administers permitting and a local Septic Tank Bond Fund that covers certain early failures, so start there. source
Greywater reuse
RestrictedNo DeKalb County-specific greywater rule turned up, so the statewide ADPH greywater rule applies by default, administered locally through the DeKalb County Health Department's environmental division as part of septic/onsite sewage permitting. source
Rainwater harvesting
Generally allowedThere's no county-specific restriction on collecting rainwater for residential use in DeKalb County, so the general Alabama baseline of allowing it applies. Still worth checking with the county health department if you plan to use it for drinking water.
Private wells & water rights
Generally allowedNo DeKalb County-specific well ordinance exists as far as I can find. Well drilling instead runs through Alabama's statewide Water Well Standards Act, with the licensed driller handling filings through ADEM rather than the county.
Living disconnected from utilities
Unclear - verifyAlabama has no statewide mandatory hookup law, and I found no DeKalb County ordinance requiring you to connect to public water, sewer, or power. If a mandatory-connection rule exists at all, it would come from a specific town's code, like Fort Payne or Rainsville, rather than the county, so check locally if you're inside a town limit.
Sun30-year normals
- Peak-sun hours, annual average
- 5.1 hrs/day
- Worst month (sizes an off-grid array)
- 3.6 hrs/day
- Yearly output per 1 kW of panels
- 1,367 kWh
JFMAMJJASOND
Weather1991-2020
- Precipitation
- 54 in/yr
- Heating degree days
- 3,182 (moderate)
How far help isstraight-line
- Hospital
DeKalb Regional Medical Center - 0.3 mi
- Fire station
Hammondville Volunteer Fire Deptartment - 12.3 mi
- Hardware store
Lowe's - 0.3 mi
- Grocery
Walmart Supercenter - 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 35967).
Size a solar systemHeat loss & insulationFirewood per winterRainwater harvestGarden sizePanel tilt
Looking at a specific parcel in DeKalb County, AL?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.