Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-07
11 of Tennessee's 95 counties — 12% — allow tiny homes as a dwelling. That is the 11th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Stewart County (88/100). 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 547 counties nationwide → Tennessee: no building codes → Tennessee: no zoning → Tennessee: no codes, no zoning → Tennessee: owner-builder → Tennessee: rv living → Tennessee: no minimum home size → Full Tennessee profile →
From the Tennessee guide
Tennessee RV occupancy has county-specific answers for 26 counties: 10 allow it, 2 allow temporary occupancy only, 12 have limits and 2 prohibit it; the other 69 are unanswered, not presumed allowed.4 The allowed group starts with Van Buren County, Lewis County, Overton County, but those answers concern county land-use restrictions, with septic and other requirements still relevant.4 Explore the Tennessee RV-living list.4
Tiny-home occupancy has answers for 21 counties: 11 allowed and 10 limited, leaving 74 unanswered.5 The allowed group begins with Stewart County, Overton County, Henry County; these county land-use answers do not settle building-code or wastewater compliance.5 Compare the Tennessee tiny-home list.5 We could not confirm a statewide private-land occupancy answer for either housing type; ask the parcel’s building and zoning authority and TDEC’s SSDS Program before planning residential use.4519
From the Tennessee 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.
11 of 95 Tennessee counties · sorted by Index score
Unincorporated Stewart County: no county rule sets this, because Stewart County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subdiv…
Frequently Asked Questions – Stewart County ↗Tiny-home occupancy in unincorporated Overton County, outside the Livingston city limits. This conclusion is limited to county land-use restrictions; state building, electrical,…
Permits & Zoning - Overton County, Tennessee ↗Unincorporated Henry County: no county rule sets this, because Henry County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subdivisio…
Property Subdivision and Codes Enforcement – Henry County ↗Tiny-home occupancy in unincorporated Campbell County, as a county land-use zoning matter. The county statement addresses county-wide zoning only; municipal zoning ordinances ma…
campbellcountytn.gov ↗County zoning restrictions on tiny-home occupancy in unincorporated Hawkins County. This finding addresses only county zoning restrictions; state building, septic, health, and m…
Hawkins County, TN ↗Unincorporated Giles County: no county rule sets this, because Giles County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subdivisio…
Giles County Regional Planning Commission ↗County land-use restrictions on tiny-home occupancy in unincorporated Putnam County. This conclusion addresses county land-use zoning only. Construction permits, building-code c…
Regional Planning Commission ↗Unincorporated DeKalb County: no county rule sets this, because DeKalb County's own reviewed answer confirms it has no county-wide zoning ordinance. Septic, floodplain, subdivis…
DeKalb County Building Department ↗Tiny houses in the FAR Forestry-Agricultural-Residential District and other districts where permitted. Tiny houses are expressly permitted in the FAR district. They require a pe…
lakecountytn.gov ↗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 ↗Tiny homes in unincorporated Washington County. Must be located anywhere single-family dwellings are allowed. Must be site-built and located on a permanent foundation.
washingtoncountytn.org ↗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:
These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.
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.
