Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-07-01
50 of Oklahoma's 77 counties — 65% — have no county-wide zoning. That is the 5th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Pushmataha County (84/100). 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 959 counties nationwide → Oklahoma counties with no building codes → Full Oklahoma profile →
50 of 77 Oklahoma counties · sorted by Index score
Oklahoma counties have no zoning by default and must establish a planning commission under Title 19 to zone; rural Pushmataha County has no published county zoning ordinance or …
Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission (OUBCC) ↗County zoning in Oklahoma is a permissive power the board of county commissioners may adopt under Title 19; Atoka County has not adopted a comprehensive county zoning ordinance …
Oklahoma Statutes Title 19 sec. 19-868.11 (Zoning by board of county commissioners) ↗No county planning or zoning department is listed; unincorporated McCurtain County is not zoned.
McCurtain County, OK - County Site (Departments/Forms) ↗No county planning or zoning department appears in Latimer County's official offices directory; unincorporated Latimer County has no countywide zoning.
Latimer County (OKCounties.org) - County Offices ↗Johnston County lacks a dedicated planning or zoning department; unincorporated land is not governed by a county zoning ordinance, with land-use control only inside incorporated…
Johnston County Economic Development - Obtaining a Permit ↗No county planning or zoning department or ordinance was found for unincorporated Pittsburg County; the county's official portal shows no zoning function.
Pittsburg County, OK - Permits (OKCounties.org) ↗Under Oklahoma Title 19, county zoning in unincorporated areas exists only where the board of county commissioners adopts zoning regulations; no Hughes County zoning ordinance o…
Oklahoma Attorney General - Counties Authority to Zone (FAQ) ↗No county planning or zoning office is listed among Adair County's offices; rural Oklahoma counties typically have no county-wide zoning in unincorporated areas.
Adair County Courthouse - Official Site ↗No county planning or zoning department or ordinance appears on the official Sequoyah County site, indicating no county-wide zoning in unincorporated areas.
Sequoyah County, OK - Official Site (OKCounties.org) ↗No county zoning department or zoning ordinance is listed on Coal County's official site; zoning in unincorporated areas is not enforced (municipalities like Coalgate handle the…
Coal County, Oklahoma - official county site ↗In November 2024 Craig County voters rejected Proposition 1, which would have created a county planning commission and board of adjustment to adopt/enforce zoning in unincorpora…
News On 6 - Craig County Rejects Zoning Proposal ↗No county-level planning or zoning department or ordinance is listed among the county's offices/departments; land-use regulation exists only within incorporated cities such as T…
Cherokee County, Oklahoma - Departments ↗There are no zoning restrictions in the unincorporated areas of McIntosh County; only floodplain and state construction requirements apply.
McIntosh County OK - Flood Plain Permit ↗No county planning or zoning office appears in Ottawa County's official department directory; zoning is handled at the municipal level only.
Ottawa County Departments ↗No planning or zoning office appears among Delaware County's listed departments, indicating no county zoning ordinance for unincorporated areas.
Delaware County OK - Departments ↗Love County has no planning or zoning department listed among county offices, indicating no county zoning in unincorporated areas (municipal zoning applies within Marietta only).
Love County Courthouse - Offices ↗No county planning or zoning department or ordinance is published for unincorporated areas; only floodplain management is administered.
Bryan County, OK Official Website ↗County zoning in Oklahoma is a permissive power a board of county commissioners may adopt under Title 19; Nowata County has not adopted a comprehensive county zoning ordinance o…
Oklahoma Statutes Title 19 sec. 19-868.11 (Zoning by board of county commissioners) ↗No county zoning or planning department is listed for Marshall County, Oklahoma.
Marshall County, OK - Departments ↗No planning or zoning office is listed among county offices and no county zoning ordinance was found for unincorporated Pawnee County.
Pawnee County Official Website - County Offices ↗The county government lists no planning or zoning department; zoning is administered only within municipalities such as Pryor.
Mayes County Commissioners - Departments ↗No county planning or zoning department is listed among Pontotoc County offices; zoning, where it exists, is administered by cities/towns within the county.
Pontotoc County (OKCounties.org) - County Offices ↗No planning or zoning office appears among Lincoln County's listed departments and offices, consistent with no countywide zoning in unincorporated Lincoln County, Oklahoma.
Lincoln County, Oklahoma - Departments ↗The county does not operate a comprehensive zoning code over rural land; land-use zoning in the unincorporated area exists only within the Elk City Regional Planning Commission'…
Elk City OK Code of Ordinances Ch. 18 - Planning (Regional District) ↗The county lists no planning or zoning office and unincorporated Woodward County has no county zoning ordinance; zoning applies only inside municipalities such as the City of Wo…
Woodward County - Offices ↗No county planning or zoning department is listed among Noble County OK departments; rural Oklahoma counties generally have no county zoning.
Noble County, Oklahoma - Official Website ↗Greer County's official offices list shows no planning or zoning department, indicating no countywide zoning in the unincorporated county.
Greer County official offices directory (OKCounties.org) ↗No county planning or zoning department is listed among Carter County offices, indicating no adopted county zoning for unincorporated areas.
Carter County OK - County Government ↗Zoning regulations noted as 'City Only'; no countywide zoning is administered for unincorporated Okmulgee County.
Choose Okmulgee - Local Government ↗Oklahoma boards of county commissioners may adopt zoning but Jefferson County has no planning/zoning department or adopted county zoning; unincorporated areas are effectively un…
Oklahoma Attorney General - Counties and Townships Authority to Zone, Permit, and Approve (FAQ) ↗The county lists no planning or zoning department (only Assessor, County/Court Clerk, and Commissioners) and directs zoning questions to the relevant city, indicating no county …
Seminole County OK - Contacts and Directions ↗No county planning or zoning office is listed; zoning is administered by cities such as Watonga through their own code enforcement, indicating no countywide zoning in unincorpor…
Blaine County (OKCounties.org) - Departments ↗Tillman County lists no planning or zoning department; zoning is handled only by its municipalities, not countywide.
Tillman County Departments ↗No planning or zoning office appears in the county's official directory; no county zoning ordinance found.
Kiowa County Directory ↗No county zoning ordinance is referenced on the county commissioner's permits page; Oklahoma rural counties generally do not zone unincorporated land, which is regulated only by…
Garfield County Commissioner - Permits ↗The county's official no-zoning letter states the unincorporated portions of Kingfisher County have no implemented zoning restrictions, apart from FEMA special flood hazard area…
Kingfisher County No-Zoning Letter ↗No county planning or zoning office or zoning ordinance is listed among county offices.
Alfalfa County - Offices ↗No county zoning or planning department is listed on the official county site; land-use zoning is not administered in the unincorporated county.
Beaver County OK - Offices ↗No countywide zoning ordinance or county planning commission is documented for Dewey County on official sources; Oklahoma county zoning applies only where commissioners have for…
Oklahoma Attorney General - County/Township Zoning & Permit Authority FAQ ↗No county planning or zoning department is listed among Grady County offices; Oklahoma county zoning by the board of commissioners is optional and none is evident for unincorpor…
Grady County Government Departments ↗No county planning or zoning office is listed; unincorporated Grant County has no county zoning, consistent with rural Oklahoma counties.
Grant County, Oklahoma - Offices & Departments ↗Under Oklahoma law a county must affirmatively adopt zoning through a county planning commission; rural Harmon County has no such department and no adopted county zoning.
Oklahoma AG - Counties' Authority to Zone and Permit (FAQ) ↗Zoning inquiries are directed to the governing municipality and no countywide zoning/planning department is present, indicating no county zoning over unincorporated areas.
Harper County, OK - County Services Directory ↗No county planning or zoning department or ordinance is listed among Major County's departments; zoning is not administered at the county level.
Major County, Oklahoma (official county website) ↗No county planning or zoning department is listed among Muskogee County departments; no county zoning ordinance was found.
Muskogee County Departments ↗No adopted Woods County zoning ordinance or planning/zoning department was found; Oklahoma counties may but are not required to zone unincorporated areas and rural Woods County …
Oklahoma Attorney General FAQ: County Authority to Zone/Permit ↗The county FAQ states there is no zoning in unincorporated areas of Logan County.
Logan County OK Planning & Zoning FAQ ↗In Oklahoma, county planning commissions may adopt a development plan for unincorporated areas but do not have authority to zone; no countywide zoning ordinance is administered …
Oklahoma Attorney General - Counties and Townships Authority to Zone/Permit FAQ ↗The county's permit program lists only floodplain and road permits, with no zoning ordinance for unincorporated areas (Oklahoma rural counties generally do not zone).
McClain County - Permits and Applications ↗The county states it does not at this time have any codes that restrict the use or development of property in the unincorporated portions of the county; there is no county zoning.
Canadian County Permit Office ↗One email a week: the best counties to live off-grid, rule changes that matter, and rule changes as Oklahoma counties adopt or drop codes. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Oklahoma state page for all 77 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.