Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Ten Sleep, Wyoming

At a glance

Zoning

Town Development Code (Title 9) applies inside town limits; district map not confirmed¹

Residential building code

2012 International Residential Code, adopted with town amendments²

Town permit fee, single-family dwelling

$10 per compliance permit⁵

Septic permits

Washakie County planning office issues them for domestic systems; $100 for a new permit⁴⁶

Manufactured homes

Must be skirted around the entire perimeter⁷

Wells

Wyoming State Engineer permit required to use groundwater⁸

County property tax (Washakie County)

0.7% effective rate⁹

Subdivision

Regulated by the town's Development Code; $10 per lot fee¹⁰⁵

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 15, 2026.

Does Ten Sleep have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes, lot size and setbacks?

The Town of Ten Sleep keeps a Title 9 Development Code that governs land inside town limits¹. The town's online code is a copy that may lag the most current ordinances, so confirm anything important with Town Hall¹.

We could not confirm the town's district map, minimum lot sizes, setbacks or height limits, and we found no town rule that settles RV living, camping or tiny-home occupancy. Ask Town Hall before you buy a lot with a particular use in mind.

The town's code does speak to manufactured homes: every manufactured home in the town must be skirted around its entire perimeter, and the owner has 30 days to comply after written notice of a violation⁷.

Outside town limits the picture differs. Unincorporated Washakie County has no county-wide zoning ordinance, so the county sets no rule on tiny homes or accessory dwellings there¹¹. Do not assume that applies inside the town.

Do you need a building permit in Ten Sleep, and who issues it?

Ten Sleep adopts the 2012 International Residential Code for residential construction inside town limits, with town amendments, and excludes the energy-conservation provisions entirely². Compliance permits sit under the town's Development Code, and the town publishes a fee schedule for them⁵.

The published fee for a single-family dwelling is $10, and an accessory building is also $10⁵. Those are the town's compliance-permit fees; they are not a full cost estimate for plan review or inspections, which we could not confirm.

We could not confirm a complete town rule that says which projects need a building permit, whether the town inspects work, or whether an owner-builder exemption exists. Call Town Hall, the Town of Ten Sleep office listed below, for those answers.

Wyoming does not issue contractor licenses statewide; the choice to license contractors is left to the local jurisdiction¹².

How do septic permits work for a lot in Ten Sleep?

Septic permits are a county and state matter, not a town permit. Washakie County reviews and authorizes domestic septic tank and drainfield systems with a flow under 2,000 gallons, under a delegation agreement with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality⁴.

A completed application goes to the Washakie County Planning Office, and construction is authorized only after the design is approved⁶. The residential septic permit fee is $100 for a new permit and $50 for a renewal⁶. Wyoming law requires a permit to install, repair or replace a septic tank and leach field¹³.

Whether a particular lot inside town limits is required to hook up to a town sewer line is something we could not confirm. Ask Town Hall first, then the county planning office if the lot needs its own system.

County soils data: roughly 28% of Washakie County soils rate "not limited" for a conventional drain field, so many lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system¹⁴.

Building a home in Ten Sleep: the steps, in order

1. Call Town Hall to confirm the lot's district under the Development Code and to ask what the compliance permit requires¹.
2. Ask the town whether the lot connects to town water and sewer. We could not confirm the town's connection rule.
3. If the lot needs its own septic system, apply to the Washakie County Planning Office and wait for design approval before building⁶.
4. If you plan a private well, file with the Wyoming State Engineer before starting work⁸.
5. Build to the town's adopted 2012 International Residential Code, with its amendments².
6. Pay the town's compliance permit fee ($10 for a single-family dwelling)⁵.
7. If you are dividing a lot, ask the town about its subdivision standards; the Development Code regulates subdivisions¹⁰.

What stays with Washakie County and the state, and what should you check before you buy?

Septic permits for domestic systems and the county's subdivision review run through the Washakie County planning office in Worland, which also publishes the county's current regulations⁴. For land outside Ten Sleep town limits, see the Washakie County page.

A driveway onto a Wyoming state highway needs a permit from the Wyoming Department of Transportation¹⁵. Water wells that use groundwater need a State Engineer permit, with a $50 filing fee for domestic use⁸.

County-level numbers, not specific to town lots: Washakie County's effective property tax rate is 0.7% and the median bill is $1,321 per year⁹¹⁶. Annual precipitation is about 12.5 inches¹⁷.

Watch-outs

• The Town of Ten Sleep's online code was current through 2023 and may not show newer ordinances, so confirm any rule with Town Hall before you rely on it¹.
• The Development Code regulates subdivisions, and we could not confirm the standards or whether the town requires a building permit for every project, inspects work, or allows RV or tiny-home living, so ask Town Hall before you buy¹⁰.
• Septic permits come from the Washakie County Planning Office, not the town, so a town zoning answer does not clear a septic system⁶.
• Washakie County's no-zoning answer covers unincorporated land only and does not carry over to lots inside Ten Sleep³.

Sources

1. Ten Sleep, WY Code of Ordinances (Town of Ten Sleep), quoted and re-checked
2. 8-1-1: International Residential Code (Town of Ten Sleep), quoted and re-checked
3. County Zoning, Licensing and Permitting, quoted and re-checked
4. Washakie County SWTF Application, quoted and re-checked
5. 9-2-4: Fees For Permit (Town of Ten Sleep), quoted and re-checked
6. Washakie County SWTF Application, quoted and re-checked
7. 8-1-1: International Residential Code (Town of Ten Sleep), quoted and re-checked
8. Water Well Construction, quoted and re-checked
9. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
10. Title 9, Chapter 4 Performance Standards (Town of Ten Sleep), quoted and re-checked
11. Wyoming law on county zoning and building authority
12. Startup Resources — Wyoming Business Council (Wyoming statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. Permitting (Wyoming statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
15. Form M-3A, Application for Permit to Construct Access Driveway (Wyoming statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
17. Annual precipitation: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 15, 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.