Best Places to Live with Minimal Building Codes: Washington County, MO

Mark Twain National Forest
Mark Twain National Forest

Comment from reader: “The county said no problem no building requirements. The environmental health officer in county seat was state inspector. He said no county restrictions but the state says you have to have a septic system – state supersedes county.”

“Washington County is located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,195. The largest city and county seat is Potosi. The area includes the Mark Twain National Forest (spread over 29 counties). The 350-mile Ozark Trail system winds through much of the National Forest.”

Wiki
Washington County building code division
I love getting suggestions for where to live from readers and searching these places online. Add extra keywords such as ‘scenery’ or ‘farmer’s market’ to the search phrase to find just what you’re looking for. This area sure looks nice to me – mild climate, good area for gardening and outdoor recreation, plenty of water, timber, wild plants, and hopefully lower pollution level than many places. Just for fun I searched this area on YouTube and found this video of Big River. It looks just like a river I canoed down in Nebraska many years ago. Traveling by rivers gives you a totally different perspective.

8 thoughts on “Best Places to Live with Minimal Building Codes: Washington County, MO”

  1. I’m interested in Washington County but I have concerns about the lead contamination. Any information on the subject would be appreciated!!

    Reply
  2. Minimal codes in Iron and Wayne counties. Cheap land, too! I think that most counties in Mo that do not have a big town, are pretty minimal on codes.

    Reply
    • You’re following this topic? It’s been our most popular topic for years. That’s why I write regular stories about it. Search our blog for keywords such as ‘minimal codes’ or ‘no building codes’. Maybe someday we can condense all this information into a free ebook.

      Reply
  3. I live in st. Louis and we will be looking for a homestead soon. I was told Washington county was great. Franklin county is also building code friendly as well. Our climate here is great. We enjoy all 4 seasons and there are alot of rivers in the area. The only downside would be mane an earthquake, the New Madrid fault line isn’t far ( although we haven had a bad earthquake since the 1800’s, and tornadoes. We are in part of tornado alley so a basement or underground cellar is a must.

    Reply
  4. I believe many other rural parts of Missouri have minimal codes. Anyone living there with an update?

    Please send us your suggestions for areas with minimal codes. We get emails and comments from readers in Oklahoma. Where’s the best place to live there?

    Reply

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