Bolthole Index

Washakie County, Wyoming

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Ten Sleep, Wyoming

The Town of Ten Sleep, Wyoming publishes its own Title 9 Development Code for land inside town limits1 and adopts the 2012 International Residential Code with amendments for homes2. Washakie County has no county-wide zoning, but that applies outside town limits3. Septic permits for domestic systems come from the Washakie County planning office, not the town4.

At a glance

Zoning
Town Development Code (Title 9) applies inside town limits; district map not confirmed1
Residential building code
2012 International Residential Code, adopted with town amendments2
Town permit fee, single-family dwelling
$10 per compliance permit5
Septic permits
Washakie County planning office issues them for domestic systems; $100 for a new permit46
Manufactured homes
Must be skirted around the entire perimeter7
Wells
Wyoming State Engineer permit required to use groundwater8
County property tax (Washakie County)
0.7% effective rate9
Subdivision
Regulated by the town's Development Code; $10 per lot fee105

Who to call

Building permits

Town of Ten Sleep (Town Hall)

The town's own office: compliance permits and questions about the Development Code inside town limits

Septic permits

Washakie County Planning Office (small wastewater permits)

Septic tank and drainfield permits for domestic systems under the state delegation agreement

Planning & zoning

Washakie County Planner

County planning office in Worland: septic applications and county subdivision review

307-347-6778

1001 Big Horn Avenue, Worland, WY 82401

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 15, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Ten Sleep means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Ten Sleep have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes, lot size and setbacks?

The Town of Ten Sleep keeps a Title 9 Development Code that governs land inside town limits1. The town's online code is a copy that may lag the most current ordinances, so confirm anything important with Town Hall1.

We could not confirm the town's district map, minimum lot sizes, setbacks or height limits, and we found no town rule that settles RV living, camping or tiny-home occupancy. Ask Town Hall before you buy a lot with a particular use in mind.

The town's code does speak to manufactured homes: every manufactured home in the town must be skirted around its entire perimeter, and the owner has 30 days to comply after written notice of a violation7.

Outside town limits the picture differs. Unincorporated Washakie County has no county-wide zoning ordinance, so the county sets no rule on tiny homes or accessory dwellings there11. Do not assume that applies inside the town.

Do you need a building permit in Ten Sleep, and who issues it?

Ten Sleep adopts the 2012 International Residential Code for residential construction inside town limits, with town amendments, and excludes the energy-conservation provisions entirely2. Compliance permits sit under the town's Development Code, and the town publishes a fee schedule for them5.

The published fee for a single-family dwelling is $10, and an accessory building is also $105. Those are the town's compliance-permit fees; they are not a full cost estimate for plan review or inspections, which we could not confirm.

We could not confirm a complete town rule that says which projects need a building permit, whether the town inspects work, or whether an owner-builder exemption exists. Call Town Hall, the Town of Ten Sleep office listed below, for those answers.

Wyoming does not issue contractor licenses statewide; the choice to license contractors is left to the local jurisdiction12.

How do septic permits work for a lot in Ten Sleep?

Septic permits are a county and state matter, not a town permit. Washakie County reviews and authorizes domestic septic tank and drainfield systems with a flow under 2,000 gallons, under a delegation agreement with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality4.

A completed application goes to the Washakie County Planning Office, and construction is authorized only after the design is approved6. The residential septic permit fee is $100 for a new permit and $50 for a renewal6. Wyoming law requires a permit to install, repair or replace a septic tank and leach field13.

Whether a particular lot inside town limits is required to hook up to a town sewer line is something we could not confirm. Ask Town Hall first, then the county planning office if the lot needs its own system.

County soils data: roughly 28% of Washakie County soils rate "not limited" for a conventional drain field, so many lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system14.

Building a home in Ten Sleep: the steps, in order

  1. Call Town Hall to confirm the lot's district under the Development Code and to ask what the compliance permit requires1.
  2. Ask the town whether the lot connects to town water and sewer. We could not confirm the town's connection rule.
  3. If the lot needs its own septic system, apply to the Washakie County Planning Office and wait for design approval before building6.
  4. If you plan a private well, file with the Wyoming State Engineer before starting work8.
  5. Build to the town's adopted 2012 International Residential Code, with its amendments2.
  6. Pay the town's compliance permit fee ($10 for a single-family dwelling)5.
  7. If you are dividing a lot, ask the town about its subdivision standards; the Development Code regulates subdivisions10.

What stays with Washakie County and the state, and what should you check before you buy?

Septic permits for domestic systems and the county's subdivision review run through the Washakie County planning office in Worland, which also publishes the county's current regulations4. For land outside Ten Sleep town limits, see the Washakie County page.

A driveway onto a Wyoming state highway needs a permit from the Wyoming Department of Transportation15. Water wells that use groundwater need a State Engineer permit, with a $50 filing fee for domestic use8.

County-level numbers, not specific to town lots: Washakie County's effective property tax rate is 0.7% and the median bill is $1,321 per year916. Annual precipitation is about 12.5 inches17.

Watch-outs

  • The Town of Ten Sleep's online code was current through 2023 and may not show newer ordinances, so confirm any rule with Town Hall before you rely on it1.
  • The Development Code regulates subdivisions, and we could not confirm the standards or whether the town requires a building permit for every project, inspects work, or allows RV or tiny-home living, so ask Town Hall before you buy10.
  • Septic permits come from the Washakie County Planning Office, not the town, so a town zoning answer does not clear a septic system6.
  • Washakie County's no-zoning answer covers unincorporated land only and does not carry over to lots inside Ten Sleep3.

Sources

  1. Ten Sleep, WY Code of Ordinances (Town of Ten Sleep), quoted and re-checked
  2. 8-1-1: International Residential Code (Town of Ten Sleep), quoted and re-checked
  3. County Zoning, Licensing and Permitting, quoted and re-checked
  4. Washakie County SWTF Application, quoted and re-checked
  5. 9-2-4: Fees For Permit (Town of Ten Sleep), quoted and re-checked
  6. Washakie County SWTF Application, quoted and re-checked
  7. 8-1-1: International Residential Code (Town of Ten Sleep), quoted and re-checked
  8. Water Well Construction, quoted and re-checked
  9. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  10. Title 9, Chapter 4 Performance Standards (Town of Ten Sleep), quoted and re-checked
  11. Wyoming law on county zoning and building authority
  12. Startup Resources — Wyoming Business Council (Wyoming statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  13. Permitting (Wyoming statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  14. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  15. Form M-3A, Application for Permit to Construct Access Driveway (Wyoming statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  16. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  17. Annual precipitation: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 15, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Town of Ten Sleep

Town of Ten Sleep’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedPartial

    Residential construction inside Ten Sleep town limits.

    • The 2012 International Residential Code is adopted with listed amendments and exclusions.
    • Energy-conservation provisions are excluded entirely.
    • Mechanical, fuel-gas, plumbing, electrical, and referenced-standard provisions are adopted only to the stated extent and subject to listed amendments.

    International Residential Code edition: 2012 (subject to town amendments and exclusions)

    “The international residential code, 2012 edition, published by the International Code Council is hereby adopted as if fully set out in this section, and one copy is on file in the city hall for examination by the public. [...] Provisions of part IV - Energy Conservation (chapter 11) excluded entirely.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Ten Sleep town limits; the town publishes and maintains a Title 9 Development Code.

    • The online code states it is current through Ordinance 235, passed July 10, 2023.
    • The code publisher warns that the online code may not reflect the most current legislation.
    “TITLE 9 DEVELOPMENT CODE CHAPTER 1 GENERAL PROVISIONS”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured homes used as dwellings inside Ten Sleep town limits.

    • All manufactured homes in the town must be skirted around the entire perimeter.
    • Water pipes must be wrapped with heat tape or the skirting must be insulated to an R factor of nine.
    • Minimum acceptable skirting materials are masonry, masonite, aluminum, wood, or another comparable material approved by the building inspector.
    • After written notice of violation, the owner or occupier has 30 days to comply; noncompliance is a misdemeanor subject to code penalties.

    skirting insulation: >= 9 R factor (or water pipes must be wrapped with heat tape) · compliance period after written notice: 30 days

    “All manufactured homes in the town shall be skirted around its entire perimeter, and water pipes shall be wrapped with heat tapes or skirting shall be insulated to an "R" factor of nine (9). Minimum acceptable skirting requirements shall consist of masonry, masonite, aluminum, wood or other comparable material approved by the building inspector (code administrator).”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision activity inside Ten Sleep town limits.

    • The Development Code identifies subdivisions as a performance-standard subject.
    • The opened pages did not provide the substantive subdivision standards or approval thresholds.
    “CHAPTER 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS [...] 9-4-3 : Subdivisions”
  • Permit feesPublished

    Town compliance permits inside Ten Sleep town limits.

    • The schedule is adopted to accompany each compliance permit.

    industrial development fee: 50 USD · commercial development fee: 25 USD · subdivision fee: 10 USD per lot · mobile home court fee: 25 USD · single-family dwelling fee: 10 USD · accessory building fee: 10 USD

    “The following fee schedule is adopted to accompany each compliance permit: Industrial development $50.00 Commercial development 25.00 Subdivision, per lot 10.00 Mobile home court 25.00 Single-family dwelling 10.00 Accessory buildings 10.00”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Ten Sleep or Washakie County directly.

  • Building permit — Building work inside Ten Sleep town limits.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Ten Sleep town limits.
  • Inspections — Building work inside Ten Sleep town limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Buildings inside Ten Sleep town limits.
  • Zoning districts — Zoning or development districts inside Ten Sleep town limits.
19 more unanswered
  • Minimum dwelling size
  • Minimum lot size
  • Setbacks
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Town of Ten Sleep publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Washakie County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Washakie County: county rules, score and offices