Best Places to Live in Texas

Off-grid & homestead laws in Texas

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

• Building-code freedomIRC is statewide text but no state enforcement; unincorporated often no permit.ICC / NAHB code-adoption summaries (2026) ↗local-option
• Greywater reuseResidential <=400 gpd subsurface irrigation permit-exempt (30 TAC 210).Greywater Action / EPA REUSExplorer (2026) ↗by-right
• Rainwater harvestingSales-tax exemption; city rebates (Austin ≤$5,000); HOAs can't ban.NCSL (2026) ↗encouraged
• Zoning / land-use freedomCounties have NO zoning authority; city zoning optional; no state plan.American Planning Association / Lincoln Institute (2026) ↗local-control
• Water rightsSurface appropriation + riparian/vested; GW rule of capture; domestic exempt.National Agricultural Law Center (2026) ↗hybrid
• Right-to-farm protectionFee recovery; addresses expanded operations.National Agricultural Law Center (2026) ↗strong
• Cottage-food / home sales$150k cap; TCS + wholesale (2025 Food Freedom Act); no license.Institute for Justice / Forrager (2026) ↗expansive
• Property tax burdenMedian ~1.3% effective rate across 250 counties.Census ACS (county median) (2023) ↗high
• Income tax burdenNo income tax (constitutionally barred).Tax Foundation (2026) ↗none
• Homestead exemption$140k school-district exemption + 10% appraisal cap.Lincoln Institute / state revenue departments (2026) ↗strong

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 254 Texas counties, ranked

1. 1Edwards County80
2. 2Menard County79
3. 3Concho County78
4. 4San Augustine County78
5. 5Cottle County78
6. 6Delta County77
7. 7Schleicher County77
8. 8McMullen County77
9. 9Kinney County77
10. 10Throckmorton County77
11. 11Sutton County77
12. 12Childress County77
13. 13Irion County76
14. 14King County76
15. 15Crockett County76
16. 16Newton County76
17. 17Collingsworth County76
18. 18McCulloch County76
19. 19Roberts County76
20. 20Sabine County76
21. 21Terrell County76
22. 22Borden County76
23. 23Lipscomb County76
24. 24Kent County75
25. 25Sterling County75
26. 26Stephens County75
27. 27Coke County75
28. 28Hemphill County75
29. 29Marion County75
30. 30Shackelford County75
31. 31Jack County75
32. 32San Saba County75
33. 33Dickens County74
34. 34Mitchell County74
35. 35Hardeman County74
36. 36Hall County74
37. 37Haskell County74
38. 38Stonewall County74
39. 39Hamilton County74
40. 40Shelby County74
41. 41Fisher County74
42. 42Knox County74
43. 43Loving County74
44. 44Motley County74
45. 45Red River County74
46. 46Foard County73
47. 47Baylor County73
48. 48Goliad County73
49. 49Coleman County73
50. 50Donley County73
51. 51Franklin County73
52. 52Morris County73
53. 53Falls County73
54. 54Panola County73
55. 55Briscoe County73
56. 56Clay County73
57. 57Mills County73
58. 58Wheeler County73
59. 59La Salle County73
60. 60Reagan County73
61. 61Garza County72
62. 62Tyler County72
63. 63Archer County72
64. 64Runnels County72
65. 65Upton County72
66. 66Trinity County72
67. 67Kenedy County72
68. 68Rains County72
69. 69Refugio County71
70. 70Robertson County71
71. 71Houston County71
72. 72Titus County71
73. 73Camp County71
74. 74Winkler County71
75. 75Scurry County71
76. 76Jeff Davis County71
77. 77Ochiltree County71
78. 78Cochran County71
79. 79Mason County71
80. 80Oldham County70
81. 81Leon County70
82. 82Rusk County70
83. 83Callahan County70
84. 84Madison County70
85. 85Burleson County70
86. 86Young County70
87. 87Live Oak County70
88. 88Freestone County69
89. 89Cherokee County69
90. 90Crane County69
91. 91Brewster County69
92. 92Bosque County69
93. 93Jasper County69
94. 94Limestone County69
95. 95Somervell County69
96. 96Angelina County69
97. 97Wilbarger County69
98. 98Glasscock County69
99. 99Hansford County69
100. 100Cass County69
101. 101Comanche County69
102. 102Bowie County68
103. 103Fannin County68
104. 104Floyd County68
105. 105Polk County68
106. 106Armstrong County68
107. 107Jackson County68
108. 108Culberson County68
109. 109Nacogdoches County68
110. 110Dimmit County68
111. 111Eastland County68
112. 112Kimble County68
113. 113Milam County68
114. 114Sherman County68
115. 115Crosby County67
116. 116Hudspeth County67
117. 117Real County67
118. 118Jones County67
119. 119Van Zandt County67
120. 120Lee County67
121. 121Swisher County67
122. 122Lavaca County67
123. 123Castro County67
124. 124San Jacinto County67
125. 125Chambers County67
126. 126Dawson County67
127. 127Pecos County67
128. 128Reeves County67
129. 129Zapata County67
130. 130Lynn County67
131. 131Wood County67
132. 132Ward County67
133. 133Carson County67
134. 134Matagorda County67
135. 135Navarro County67
136. 136Lampasas County66
137. 137Upshur County66
138. 138Anderson County66
139. 139Lamar County66
140. 140Bee County66
141. 141Nolan County66
142. 142Hardin County66
143. 143Colorado County66
144. 144Hartley County66
145. 145Palo Pinto County66
146. 146Presidio County66
147. 147Zavala County66
148. 148Wharton County66
149. 149Bailey County66
150. 150Frio County65
151. 151Harrison County65
152. 152Calhoun County65
153. 153Jim Hogg County65
154. 154Duval County65
155. 155Austin County65
156. 156Gray County65
157. 157Liberty County65
158. 158Dallam County65
159. 159Brown County65
160. 160Grimes County65
161. 161Montague County65
162. 162Brooks County64
163. 163Andrews County64
164. 164Hill County64
165. 165Hunt County64
166. 166Martin County64
167. 167DeWitt County64
168. 168Hopkins County64
169. 169Karnes County64
170. 170Yoakum County64
171. 171Val Verde County64
172. 172Victoria County64
173. 173Kleberg County63
174. 174Uvalde County63
175. 175Washington County63
176. 176Walker County63
177. 177Waller County63
178. 178Tom Green County63
179. 179Terry County63
180. 180Aransas County62
181. 181Blanco County62
182. 182Lamb County62
183. 183Atascosa County62
184. 184Deaf Smith County62
185. 185Cooke County62
186. 186Fayette County62
187. 187Howard County62
188. 188Henderson County62
189. 189Jim Wells County62
190. 190Maverick County62
191. 191Hockley County61
192. 192Orange County61
193. 193Coryell County61
194. 194Erath County61
195. 195Hutchinson County61
196. 196Bandera County61
197. 197Hale County61
198. 198Moore County61
199. 199Parmer County61
200. 200Gonzales County61
201. 201Gaines County60
202. 202Caldwell County60
203. 203San Patricio County59
204. 204Wise County59
205. 205Grayson County59
206. 206Gillespie County59
207. 207Kerr County59
208. 208Jefferson County59
209. 209Willacy County58
210. 210Hood County58
211. 211Kaufman County58
212. 212Wilson County58
213. 213Medina County58
214. 214Wichita County58
215. 215Kendall County58
216. 216Bastrop County57
217. 217Llano County57
218. 218Taylor County57
219. 219Starr County57
220. 220Smith County57
221. 221Ellis County56
222. 222Gregg County56
223. 223Randall County55
224. 224Burnet County55
225. 225Johnson County55
226. 226Potter County54
227. 227Rockwall County54
228. 228Brazoria County54
229. 229Parker County54
230. 230Webb County53
231. 231McLennan County53
232. 232Guadalupe County53
233. 233Brazos County52
234. 234Fort Bend County52
235. 235Nueces County51
236. 236Ector County51
237. 237Comal County51
238. 238Bell County50
239. 239Midland County50
240. 240Lubbock County49
241. 241Williamson County49
242. 242Cameron County48
243. 243Galveston County47
244. 244Montgomery County47
245. 245Harris County47
246. 246Tarrant County47
247. 247Hays County46
248. 248Dallas County45
249. 249Hidalgo County45
250. 250Bexar County43
251. 251El Paso County43
252. 252Denton County42
253. 253Collin County42
254. 254Travis County41