Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-07-01
5 of Indiana's 92 counties — 5% — require no residential building permit and have no county-wide zoning in their unincorporated areas. That is the 19th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Greene County (80/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.
Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 623 counties nationwide → Indiana: no building codes → Indiana: no zoning → Full Indiana profile →
5 of 92 Indiana counties · sorted by Index score
Greene County states that the only permit required from the County to build residential or commercial property is a septic permit; it does not issue a county residential buildin…
Greene County, Indiana - FAQ (Planning/Zoning/Permits) ↗The county's official department listing shows no building department or building commissioner and the Indiana 15 RPC hosts building codes only for incorporated towns (English, …
Crawford County, Indiana official county site ↗The county's official FAQ states Pike County no longer requires a building permit, though the towns of Petersburg, Winslow and Spurgeon require permits within their jurisdiction…
Pike County, IN - FAQs (Building/Permits) ↗Gibson County's official department directory lists no building department, building commissioner, or area plan commission (only Floodplain Administration), and it repealed its …
Gibson County, Indiana - Departments ↗Dubois County lists no building, planning, or building-inspector department and has no county plan commission; Indiana's statewide Residential Code applies but county-level buil…
Dubois County IN - Departments ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Indiana state page for all 92 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
