Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-09
6 of Indiana's 92 counties — 7% — have no county-wide zoning. That is the 30th-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 1042 counties nationwide → Indiana: no building codes → Indiana: no codes, no zoning → Indiana: owner-builder → Indiana: rv living → Indiana: tiny homes → Indiana: no minimum home size → Full Indiana profile →
From the Indiana guide
Indiana has 6 counties without countywide zoning: Greene County, Crawford County, Pike County, Dubois County, Gibson County, Lawrence County.4 Indiana has 84 counties with zoning; we could not confirm zoning in Orange County or Sullivan County.815
Only 3 counties combine no residential building-permit requirement with no countywide zoning: Greene County, Crawford County, Pike County.9 Compare the no-zoning list with the no-building-permit and no-zoning list before choosing a county.49 No countywide zoning does not remove Indiana's residential sewage requirements or state floodway oversight.1617 Subdivision plats outside municipalities must be approved and recorded before lots are sold, with plan-commission control where an applicable subdivision-control ordinance exists.18 We could not confirm statewide minimum lot sizes or setback distances; ask the planning office serving the parcel for the applicable standards.
From the Indiana 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.
6 of 92 Indiana counties · sorted by Index score
Greene County explicitly states it is not subject to planning or zoning ordinances in unincorporated areas.
Greene County, Indiana - FAQ (Planning/Zoning/Permits) ↗No county zoning office is listed among county departments and adopted zoning codes exist only for the towns of English and Milltown, indicating no county-wide zoning of unincor…
Crawford County, Indiana official county site ↗The county's official FAQ states there is no county-wide zoning in Pike County; only the incorporated towns have their own ordinances.
Pike County, IN - FAQs (Zoning) ↗The county has no plan commission and no zoning department, so no county-wide zoning ordinance is adopted for unincorporated areas; only municipalities administer zoning within …
Dubois County IN - Departments ↗Countywide zoning administered by Gibson County, including unincorporated areas. Gibson County has a Subdivision Control Ordinance despite having no county plan commission or zo…
Gibson County Board of Commissioners Minutes, February 15, 2022 ↗Countywide zoning in Lawrence County, excluding municipal zoning authority within incorporated municipalities. The cited source states that Lawrence County has no county zoning;…
in.gov ↗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.
