Bolthole Index

Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-11-13

Wyoming Counties With No Building Codes and No Zoning

7 of Wyoming's 23 counties — 30% — require no residential building permit and have no county-wide zoning in their unincorporated areas. That is the 16th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Crook County (72/100). 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 515 counties nationwide → Wyoming: no building codes → Wyoming: no zoning → Wyoming: owner-builder → Wyoming: rv living → Wyoming: tiny homes → Wyoming: no minimum home size → Full Wyoming profile →

From the Wyoming guide

Which Wyoming counties don't require a building permit?

Wyoming has 9 counties without a residential building-permit requirement, 5 with a limited requirement and 9 that require one.

Wyoming has 9 counties without a residential building-permit requirement, 5 with a limited requirement and 9 that require one1,2. These counts concern unincorporated land; county zoning authority does not replace an incorporated city's or town's zoning authority11.

Counties without the residential building-permit requirement include Crook County, Fremont County, Johnson County, Hot Springs County, Weston County, Converse County, Washakie County, Niobrara County1. Use the no-building-codes county list to compare locations, while keeping building permits and code enforcement separate1. Wyoming has adopted the 2024 International Building Code, but state fire-marshal plan review covers specified building categories rather than establishing a universal county residential permit requirement12. Owner-building does not automatically waive building permits: Wyoming leaves general-contractor licensing to local jurisdictions, with electrical licensing treated separately9.

Which Wyoming counties have no zoning?

Wyoming has 9 counties without countywide zoning and 14 with zoning.

Wyoming has 9 counties without countywide zoning and 14 with zoning2,3. The first counties without countywide zoning are Crook County, Fremont County, Johnson County, Big Horn County, Weston County, Converse County, Washakie County, Campbell County3. The no-zoning county list provides the full comparison3.

The overlap matters: 7 counties have both no residential building-permit requirement and no countywide zoning, including Crook County, Fremont County, Johnson County, Weston County, Converse County, Washakie County, Goshen County7. See the combined county list when both conditions matter to your search7. Lack of countywide zoning does not remove Wyoming's septic authorization or subdivision framework; regulated land divisions still require county subdivision approval before sale, plat recording or subdivision construction8,11.

Read the full Wyoming guide →

Sources

8 official pages, each quoted and re-checked · written October 10, 2026

  1. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 23 Wyoming counties, as of November 13, 2026: Wyoming counties that do not require a residential building permit in unincorporated areas
  2. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 23 Wyoming counties, as of November 13, 2026: Wyoming counties that require a residential building permit only in some cases (for example floodplain or certain structures)
  3. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 23 Wyoming counties, as of November 13, 2026: Wyoming counties with no county-wide zoning
  4. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 23 Wyoming counties, as of November 13, 2026: Wyoming counties with neither a residential building permit nor county-wide zoning
  5. Wyoming: Permitting
  6. Wyoming: wyomingbusiness.org
  7. Wyoming: Wyoming Statutes, Title 18, W.S. 18-5-201
  8. Wyoming: Plan Review

From the Wyoming guide, written from the cited official sources and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: confirm with the office before you buy or build.

7 of 23 Wyoming counties · sorted by Index score

Keep exploring

Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Wyoming state page for all 23 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.

Off-grid gear

Building on land in one of these Wyoming 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.