Best Places to Live in Iowa

Off-grid & homestead laws in Iowa

How Iowa treats the things that matter for living off-grid or homesteading. Scores feed the national rankings; rules often vary by county.

• Building-code freedomState code optional for locals (energy code statewide); rural often no enforcement.ICC / NAHB code-adoption summaries (2026) ↗local-option
• Greywater reuseNo residential greywater provision; treated as wastewater.Greywater Action / EPA REUSExplorer (2026) ↗none
• Rainwater harvestingNo state restrictions.NCSL (2026) ↗unrestricted
• Zoning / land-use freedomStandard enabling act; rural counties often unzoned.American Planning Association / Lincoln Institute (2026) ↗local-control
• Water rightsPermit/registration above 25,000 gpd; small domestic/stock exempt.National Agricultural Law Center (2026) ↗regulated-riparian
• Right-to-farm protectionDamage caps but court-constrained (Bormann, Gacke).National Agricultural Law Center (2026) ↗strong
• Cottage-food / home salesNo cap; 2022 reform broadened foods.Institute for Justice / Forrager (2026) ↗expansive
• Property tax burdenMedian ~1.3% effective rate across 99 counties.Census ACS (county median) (2023) ↗high
• Income tax burdenFlat 3.8% as of 2025.Tax Foundation (2026) ↗flat-low
• Homestead exemptionHomestead exemption (10% of value from AY2026).Lincoln Institute / state revenue departments (2026) ↗moderate

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.

All 99 Iowa counties, ranked

1. 1Ringgold County75
2. 2Wayne County73
3. 3Taylor County72
4. 4Adams County71
5. 5Monroe County71
6. 6Decatur County71
7. 7Van Buren County71
8. 8Fremont County69
9. 9Montgomery County69
10. 10Louisa County69
11. 11Page County69
12. 12Henry County69
13. 13Keokuk County69
14. 14Clarke County69
15. 15Appanoose County68
16. 16Palo Alto County68
17. 17Lucas County68
18. 18Jefferson County68
19. 19Butler County67
20. 20Ida County67
21. 21Humboldt County67
22. 22Davis County66
23. 23Shelby County66
24. 24Monona County66
25. 25Poweshiek County66
26. 26Franklin County66
27. 27Mahaska County66
28. 28Hancock County66
29. 29Grundy County66
30. 30Kossuth County65
31. 31Lee County65
32. 32Worth County65
33. 33Audubon County65
34. 34Iowa County65
35. 35Sac County65
36. 36Chickasaw County65
37. 37Union County65
38. 38Guthrie County65
39. 39Howard County65
40. 40Pocahontas County64
41. 41Wright County64
42. 42Emmet County64
43. 43Mills County64
44. 44Winnebago County64
45. 45Cedar County64
46. 46Adair County64
47. 47Bremer County64
48. 48Cass County63
49. 49Harrison County63
50. 50Osceola County63
51. 51Allamakee County63
52. 52Wapello County63
53. 53Greene County63
54. 54Buchanan County63
55. 55Des Moines County63
56. 56Jackson County63
57. 57Jones County63
58. 58Tama County63
59. 59Clay County62
60. 60Marion County62
61. 61Buena Vista County62
62. 62Hamilton County62
63. 63Washington County62
64. 64Floyd County62
65. 65Fayette County62
66. 66Clayton County62
67. 67Calhoun County62
68. 68Jasper County62
69. 69Warren County61
70. 70Benton County61
71. 71Delaware County61
72. 72Hardin County61
73. 73Winneshiek County61
74. 74O'Brien County61
75. 75Cherokee County60
76. 76Crawford County60
77. 77Mitchell County60
78. 78Boone County60
79. 79Lyon County60
80. 80Madison County60
81. 81Marshall County60
82. 82Muscatine County59
83. 83Carroll County59
84. 84Webster County58
85. 85Cerro Gordo County58
86. 86Clinton County58
87. 87Dickinson County57
88. 88Plymouth County56
89. 89Sioux County55
90. 90Woodbury County55
91. 91Dubuque County55
92. 92Pottawattamie County55
93. 93Black Hawk County54
94. 94Story County53
95. 95Dallas County52
96. 96Scott County49
97. 97Linn County48
98. 98Johnson County48
99. 99Polk County45