Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-09-21
8 of Maine's 16 counties — 50% — allow living in an RV on private land. That is the 5th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Knox County (95/100). 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 390 counties nationwide → Maine: no zoning → Maine: owner-builder → Maine: tiny homes → Maine: no minimum home size → Full Maine profile →
8 of 16 Maine counties · sorted by Index score
Unincorporated Knox County: no county rule sets this, because Maine law gives zoning power only to certain counties, and Knox County has no zoning ordinance. The county legal ce…
Title 12, §685-C: Miscellaneous provisions ↗Unincorporated Hancock County: no county rule sets this, because Maine law gives zoning power only to certain counties, and Hancock County has no zoning ordinance. The county le…
Title 12, §685-C: Miscellaneous provisions ↗Unincorporated Penobscot County: no county rule sets this, because Maine law gives zoning power only to certain counties, and Penobscot County has no zoning ordinance. The count…
Title 12, §685-C: Miscellaneous provisions ↗Unincorporated Lincoln County: no county rule sets this, because Maine law gives zoning power only to certain counties, and Lincoln County has no zoning ordinance. The county le…
Title 12, §685-C: Miscellaneous provisions ↗Unincorporated Kennebec County: no county rule sets this, because Maine law gives zoning power only to certain counties, and Kennebec County has no zoning ordinance. The county …
Title 12, §685-C: Miscellaneous provisions ↗Unincorporated Sagadahoc County: no county rule sets this, because Maine law gives zoning power only to certain counties, and Sagadahoc County has no zoning ordinance. The count…
Title 12, §685-C: Miscellaneous provisions ↗Unincorporated Androscoggin County: no county rule sets this, because Maine law gives zoning power only to certain counties, and Androscoggin County has no zoning ordinance. The…
Title 12, §685-C: Miscellaneous provisions ↗Unincorporated York County: no county rule sets this, because Maine law gives zoning power only to certain counties, and York County has no zoning ordinance. The county legal ce…
Title 12, §685-C: Miscellaneous provisions ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Maine state page for all 16 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these Maine 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.
