Nebraska Counties With No Building Codes and No Zoning

From the Nebraska guide

Which Nebraska counties don't require a building permit?

Nebraska's county counts concern unincorporated land; county building authority excludes incorporated cities and villages and areas where municipalities exercise granted zoning jurisdiction.¹⁴ Residential building permits are not required in Richardson County, Blaine County, Butler County and Cuming County.¹ Another 35 counties require building permits only in certain cases, while 53 require them; we could not confirm the building-permit answer for Thurston County.²⁸¹⁵

Use the Nebraska no-building-codes list as a starting point, but distinguish a building permit from code compliance: Nebraska's state code can apply when a jurisdiction has not adopted an authorized local code within 2 years of a state-code update, except for construction on a farm or for farm purposes.¹¹⁶ Nebraska's own-property contractor-registration exemption does not waive applicable building permits, inspections or codes.¹² See the owner-builder list with that narrower exemption in mind.¹²

Which Nebraska counties have no zoning?

Nebraska has 9 counties without county-wide zoning and 84 with county zoning.³⁹ The highest-scoring counties without county-wide zoning include Richardson County, Thurston County, Nemaha County, Banner County, Blaine County, Dixon County, Butler County and Platte County.³ Browse the Nebraska no-zoning list for the full group.³

Only 3 counties combine no residential building-permit requirement with no county-wide zoning: Richardson County, Blaine County and Butler County.¹⁰ The combined list helps narrow that search.¹⁰

Nebraska municipal zoning can also reach outside city limits and supersede county zoning where the municipality exercises that authority.¹⁷ Before buying, ask the county planning office whether the parcel falls within county or municipal zoning jurisdiction, then request the applicable district's setbacks, lot-size and residential-use rules.¹⁷

Read the full Nebraska guide →

Sources

1. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 93 Nebraska counties, as of October 10, 2026: Nebraska counties that do not require a residential building permit in unincorporated areas
2. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 93 Nebraska counties, as of October 10, 2026: Nebraska counties that require a residential building permit only in some cases (for example floodplain or certain structures)
3. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 93 Nebraska counties, as of October 10, 2026: Nebraska counties with no county-wide zoning
8. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 93 Nebraska counties, as of October 10, 2026: Nebraska counties that require a residential building permit in unincorporated areas
9. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 93 Nebraska counties, as of October 10, 2026: Nebraska counties with county zoning
10. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 93 Nebraska counties, as of October 10, 2026: Nebraska counties with neither a residential building permit nor county-wide zoning
12. Nebraska: Nebraska Revised Statute 48-2104 — Registration required, quoted and re-checked
14. Nebraska: Nebraska Revised Statute 71-6406 — County, city, or village; building code; adopt; amend; enforce; copy; fees, quoted and re-checked
15. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 93 Nebraska counties, as of October 10, 2026: Nebraska counties whose building-permit or zoning answer we could not confirm
16. Nebraska: Nebraska Revised Statute 71-6403: State building code; adopted; amendments, quoted and re-checked
17. Nebraska: Nebraska Revised Statute 23-114, quoted and re-checked

From the Nebraska 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.