Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-07
12 of Tennessee's 95 counties — 13% — set no minimum dwelling size. That is the 10th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Fentress County (91/100). 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 → Tennessee: no building codes → Tennessee: no zoning → Tennessee: no codes, no zoning → Tennessee: owner-builder → Tennessee: rv living → Tennessee: tiny homes → Full Tennessee profile →
12 of 95 Tennessee counties · sorted by Index score
Residential dwellings in unincorporated Fentress County, to the extent a minimum dwelling size would arise only from county zoning regulations. Fentress County states that it ha…
Zoning - Fentress County ↗Residential dwellings on County properties in unincorporated Stewart County. The source states that properties within the city limits of Dover or Cumberland City are subject to …
Frequently Asked Questions – Stewart County ↗County zoning-based minimum dwelling size requirements in unincorporated Van Buren County. The county's official minutes state that identifying the County as having zoning was i…
MINUTES OF THE VAN BUREN COUNTY COMMISSION ↗Minimum dwelling size requirements outside the Hohenwald city limits in Lewis County. The City of Hohenwald has zoning requirements that must be separately confirmed. Tennessee …
lewiscountytn.com ↗Residential dwellings in properties outside the Livingston city limits in Overton County. The source states the absence only for properties outside the Livingston City Limits. P…
Permits & Zoning - Overton County, Tennessee ↗County zoning-based minimum dwelling size in unincorporated Henry County. The county page does not establish that construction, septic, health, subdivision, or safety requiremen…
Property Subdivision and Codes Enforcement ↗County zoning minimum-dwelling-size requirements in unincorporated Campbell County. Campbell County has no county-wide zoning commission; zoning ordinances are by municipality. …
Business | Campbell County ↗County zoning minimum-dwelling-size restrictions in unincorporated Hawkins County. The no-zoning conclusion does not eliminate state building-code, septic, health, or municipal …
Hawkins County, TN ↗County zoning minimum dwelling-size requirements in unincorporated Giles County. This absence is limited to county zoning; building-code, septic, floodplain, deed-restriction, s…
Giles County Regional Planning Commission ↗County zoning dimensional controls on minimum dwelling size in unincorporated Putnam County. No county-wide zoning regulations are adopted. Building-code minimums or other non-z…
Regional Planning Commission | Putnam County TN ↗County zoning minimum-dwelling-size rules in unincorporated DeKalb County. No county zoning ordinance supplies a minimum dwelling size. Municipal ordinances may apply inside mun…
Notice of Zoning Letter ↗Unincorporated Marion County: no county rule sets this, because Marion County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subdivis…
marioncountytn.net ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Tennessee state page for all 95 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these Tennessee 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.
