Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-09-23
4 of Indiana's 92 counties — 4% — require no residential building permit and have no county-wide zoning in their unincorporated areas. That is the 18th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Greene County (83/100). 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 563 counties nationwide → Indiana: no building codes → Indiana: no zoning → Indiana: owner-builder → Full Indiana profile →
4 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) ↗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.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these Indiana counties? The kit we'd start with:
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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.
