Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-07
18 of Missouri's 115 counties — 16% — set no minimum dwelling size. That is the 6th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Macon County (79/100). 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 587 counties nationwide → Missouri: no building codes → Missouri: no zoning → Missouri: no codes, no zoning → Missouri: owner-builder → Missouri: rv living → Missouri: tiny homes → Full Missouri profile →
18 of 115 Missouri counties · sorted by Index score
Minimum dwelling-size requirements arising from Macon County zoning in unincorporated Macon County. Macon County states it currently has no Planning and Zoning. This absence con…
County Commission | Macon County, Missouri ↗Unincorporated Phelps County: no county rule sets this, because Phelps County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subdivis…
Phelps County Commission Record — July 9, 2024 ↗Unincorporated Cedar County: no county rule sets this, because Cedar County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subdivisio…
Home - Cedar County Missouri ↗County zoning-based minimum dwelling size in unincorporated Webster County. The county's official statement concerns the absence of countywide planning and zoning; it does not a…
Commission – Data Center Update – May 19 ↗Unincorporated Ripley County: no county rule sets this, because Ripley County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subdivis…
Ripley County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan ↗Unincorporated Daviess County: no county rule sets this, because Daviess County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subdiv…
Minutes of the Daviess County Commission, October 2, 2024 ↗County zoning-based minimum dwelling-size rules in unincorporated Andrew County. No county zoning ordinance means no county zoning-based dimensional control; building, septic, h…
Commissioner | Andrew County MO ↗County zoning-based minimum dwelling-size controls in unincorporated Audrain County. The county's official FAQ states that Audrain County has no Planning & Zoning. This conclusi…
FAQ and Helpful Links — Audrain County Missouri ↗Unincorporated Gasconade County: no county rule sets this, because Gasconade County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, su…
Table 2.13. Unincorporated Gasconade County Mitigation Capabilities ↗County zoning-based minimum dwelling-size requirements for unincorporated Pike County. The county source states that Pike County has no planning and zoning laws or ordinances; t…
Why Pike County? ↗County zoning-based minimum dwelling-size requirements in unincorporated Vernon County. The county statement is dated September 17, 2013. State and Federal laws may apply.
County Commission Record, Vernon County — September 17, 2013 ↗County land-use controls on dwelling size in unincorporated Cooper County. The county plan states that unincorporated Cooper County has no zoning ordinance and no zoning/land-us…
Cooper County Hazard Mitigation Plan 2022 ↗Dwellings in unincorporated Johnson County outside the Whiteman Air Force Base Zoning Area The county states that the absence of county planning and zoning regulations applies t…
Planning & Zoning ↗Unincorporated Nodaway County: no county rule sets this, because Nodaway County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subdiv…
Nodaway County Commission Minutes ↗County zoning-based minimum dwelling-size requirements in unincorporated Lincoln County. Lincoln County states that it has no planning and zoning within unincorporated areas. Mu…
Planning and Zoning in Lincoln County, Missouri ↗Minimum dwelling-size requirements imposed by McDonald County in unincorporated areas. The source states that McDonald County has not adopted zoning; incorporated municipalities…
Camp Crowder Joint Land Use Study ↗Residential dwellings in unincorporated Lawrence County, Missouri; minimum dwelling size is a zoning-based control. This conclusion applies only to county zoning in unincorporat…
Planning & zoning | Lawrence County govt ↗Residential dwelling size in unincorporated Callaway County. The county has not adopted planning or zoning; incorporated cities and villages may have their own planning, zoning,…
Callaway County Planning and Zoning Information ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Missouri state page for all 115 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these Missouri 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.
