Unincorporated Teton County, Wyoming requires a building permit for a new home and applies county zoning and land-development rules.12 Septic work also requires a county permit, while parcels inside the Town of Jackson follow a different jurisdiction's regulations.34
At a glance
- Building permit
- Required for new residential construction1
- Zoning
- County zoning applies in unincorporated Teton County5
- Septic
- County permit required before construction, installation or modification3
- Private well
- State permit required before drilling6
- RV living
- Countywide occupancy rule not confirmed; ask Planning5
- Tiny home
- Countywide occupancy rule not confirmed; ask Planning5
- Owner-builder exemption
- Not confirmed; ask the Building Division before relying on one7
Who to call
Building permits
Teton County Planning & Building — Building Division
County building-permit applications, plan review and construction inspections
200 S Willow Street, Jackson, WY 83001
Zoning
Teton County Planning & Building — Planning
Planning permits, zoning, land-development questions and parcel-specific guidance
Teton County Administration Building, 2nd Floor, 200 S Willow Street, Jackson, WY 83001
Septic permits
Teton County Engineering Division
Small wastewater facility permits and septic-system questions
200 S Willow Street, Jackson, WY 83001
Floodplain permits
Teton County Engineering — Floodplain Management
Floodplain program questions, permit requirements and fees
200 S Willow Street, Jackson, WY 83001
Roads & driveways
Teton County Road & Levee Department
Access permits for driveways connecting to county roads
3190 S Adams Canyon Drive, Jackson, WY 83001
Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 27, 2026.
Do you need a building permit in Teton County, Wyoming?
Yes. Teton County requires building permits for new residential construction in the county's jurisdiction.1 Applications submitted on or after February 1, 2025 must use the 2024 IRC and IBC code editions.8 Building applications go through the county's online portal, and new residential projects require a scheduled submission week.9
A permit holder or agent must tell the Building Department when work is ready for inspection.10 An inspection must occur at least every 180 days to keep an active permit from lapsing.10 Before preparing plans, confirm that the parcel is outside Jackson and identify any planning approval needed for the proposed use.4
Who issues Teton County building permits, and how do you reach them?
The Teton County Planning & Building Department handles county building-permit applications through its Building Division at 200 S Willow Street in Jackson.9 Call the Building Division at 307-733-7030 for permit and inspection-process questions.9 Building-permit applications must be filed through the county online portal.9
For zoning, allowable use, setbacks, and the planning applications needed before building review, contact Teton County Planning at 307-733-3959 or [email protected].11 Teton County and the Town of Jackson are separate jurisdictions with different regulations, so a Jackson address or mailing address alone does not establish which office controls the parcel.4 Use the parcel location—not the postal city—to start the jurisdiction check.
Does Teton County have zoning?
Yes. The Teton County Land Development Regulations establish zoning for unincorporated Teton County, with urban, suburban, rural, conservation, special-purpose, and overlay district classifications.5 The Town of Jackson is a separate jurisdiction with different regulations.4
A parcel's district and plat matter because building setbacks and height limits vary by zoning and sometimes by use, while a recorded subdivision plat may add restrictions.12 Natural-resource setbacks include 150 feet from rivers, 100 feet from perennial or intermittent streams and natural lakes or ponds, 30 feet from ephemeral streams, and 50 feet from wetlands.13 We could not confirm a single countywide minimum dwelling size, minimum lot size, or complete lot-coverage rule; ask the Planner of the Day for a parcel-specific determination before designing a home.11
How do septic permits work in Teton County?
Teton County Engineering administers small wastewater facilities under authority delegated by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.14 A county permit is required before constructing, installing, or modifying a small wastewater facility capable of causing or contributing to pollution.3 Contact the Engineering Division at 307-733-3317 or [email protected] before committing to a house location or system design.15
Only 3.4% of mapped county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so septic feasibility deserves early site work rather than an assumption based on acreage.16 The reviewed material did not establish whether every project receives the same inspection sequence or which off-grid sanitation alternatives qualify; ask Engineering for the parcel and proposed system.15
Can you live in an RV or tiny home on land in Teton County?
We could not confirm a countywide rule allowing full-time RV occupancy or tiny-home occupancy on private land in unincorporated Teton County. Ask the Planner of the Day how the parcel's zoning district, proposed use, wastewater plan, and any recorded plat affect occupancy before buying or moving a unit onto the site.11
A tiny home used as a dwelling does not avoid the confirmed building-permit framework merely because it is small; new residential construction requires a county building permit.1 Septic construction, installation, or modification also requires county approval.3 Teton County separately limits short-term rentals: rentals shorter than 31 days are prohibited unless the property is in a location specifically allowed by the Land Development Regulations.17
Building a home in Teton County: what are the steps?
- Confirm that the parcel is in unincorporated Teton County rather than the Town of Jackson, because the jurisdictions use different regulations.4
- Ask Planning to identify the zoning district, allowed residential use, applicable setbacks, plat restrictions, and required planning applications.512
- Resolve the wastewater design with Teton County Engineering and obtain the required small-wastewater-facility permit before installation or modification.3
- Obtain an approved Wyoming groundwater permit before drilling a private well; domestic and stock applications carry a $50 filing fee.6
- Submit the building application through the county online portal and schedule the required submission week for new residential construction.9
- If access connects to a county road, obtain the no-charge Road Access Permit, which is attached to the county building permit after completion.18
- Request inspections as work becomes ready and keep inspections within 180 days of one another while the permit is active.10
What should you check before buying land in Teton County?
Start with jurisdiction, zoning, the recorded plat, legal access, water, wastewater feasibility, and mapped floodplain. County zoning regulates unincorporated land, while Jackson follows different regulations.54 For parcels of 35 acres or more covered by Wyoming's large-parcel subdivision rule, binding and recordable access and utility easements must generally be at least 40 feet wide to a public road unless properly waived.19
Ask Floodplain Management about permit requirements if mapping places a building site in a floodplain.20 A driveway from a county road requires a county Road Access Permit.18 Septic deserves special attention because only 3.4% of mapped soils avoid a severe conventional-drain-field limitation.16 The county's effective property-tax rate is about 0.4%, and the median annual property-tax bill is $5,462.2122
Watch-outs
- Do not apply Town of Jackson rules to an unincorporated Teton County parcel; the county and town are different jurisdictions.4
- Natural-resource buffers can move a building envelope substantially: confirmed county setbacks reach 150 feet from rivers and 50 feet from wetlands.13
- A private well needs an approved Wyoming groundwater permit before drilling begins.6
- We could not confirm a countywide owner-builder exemption, RV-occupancy rule, tiny-home occupancy rule, or minimum dwelling size; ask Planning & Building before relying on any of them.11
Sources
- Teton County - Building (2026 county census)
- Teton County Land Development Regulations (2026 county census)
- Title 9 Small Wastewater Facility Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Frequently Asked Questions, quoted and re-checked
- Teton County Land Development Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- General Processes (Wyoming statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- (2026 county census)
- Building, quoted and re-checked
- Teton County Planning & Building — Building Division (tetoncountywy.gov)
- Building, quoted and re-checked
- Teton County Planning & Building — Planning (tetoncountywy.gov)
- Frequently Asked Questions, quoted and re-checked
- Frequently Asked Questions, quoted and re-checked
- Title 9 Small Wastewater Facility Regulations, quoted and re-checked
- Teton County Engineering Division (tetoncountywy.gov)
- Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
- Frequently Asked Questions, quoted and re-checked
- Teton County Road & Levee Department (tetoncountywy.gov)
- Wyoming Statutes, Title 18 (Wyoming statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Teton County Engineering — Floodplain Management (tetoncountywy.gov)
- Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
- Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
Written September 27, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.