Best Places to Live in Kansas

Off-grid & homestead laws in Kansas

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

• Building-code freedomNo statewide residential code; local-option; rural areas often none.ICC / NAHB code-adoption summaries (2026) ↗no-statewide
• Greywater reuseNo residential greywater provision; treated as wastewater.Greywater Action / EPA REUSExplorer (2026) ↗none
• Rainwater harvestingLegal for domestic use; permit for non-domestic.NCSL (2026) ↗unrestricted
• Zoning / land-use freedomEnabling framework only; many rural counties unzoned.American Planning Association / Lincoln Institute (2026) ↗local-control
• Water rightsAppropriation since 1945 + recognized pre-1945 riparian; domestic exempt.National Agricultural Law Center (2026) ↗hybrid
• Right-to-farm protectionFee recovery; addresses changed operations.National Agricultural Law Center (2026) ↗strong
• Cottage-food / home salesRegistration; shelf-stable; venue rules.Institute for Justice / Forrager (2026) ↗limited
• Property tax burdenMedian ~1.5% effective rate across 105 counties.Census ACS (county median) (2023) ↗high
• Income tax burdenTwo-bracket, top 5.58%.Tax Foundation (2026) ↗graduated-low
• Homestead exemptionIncome-targeted refund (max $700).Lincoln Institute / state revenue departments (2026) ↗minimal

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 105 Kansas counties, ranked

1. 1Chautauqua County80
2. 2Hodgeman County80
3. 3Trego County80
4. 4Osborne County80
5. 5Norton County79
6. 6Woodson County79
7. 7Rooks County79
8. 8Decatur County79
9. 9Rush County79
10. 10Wilson County79
11. 11Elk County79
12. 12Cloud County79
13. 13Gove County79
14. 14Ottawa County79
15. 15Lane County79
16. 16Allen County78
17. 17Graham County78
18. 18Lincoln County78
19. 19Linn County78
20. 20Ness County78
21. 21Russell County78
22. 22Wallace County78
23. 23Washington County78
24. 24Smith County77
25. 25Clark County77
26. 26Rawlins County77
27. 27Republic County77
28. 28Meade County77
29. 29Mitchell County77
30. 30Jewell County77
31. 31Anderson County77
32. 32Logan County77
33. 33Phillips County77
34. 34Clay County76
35. 35Hamilton County76
36. 36Sheridan County76
37. 37Neosho County76
38. 38Comanche County76
39. 39Cheyenne County76
40. 40Ellsworth County76
41. 41Greeley County76
42. 42Chase County76
43. 43Wichita County76
44. 44Bourbon County75
45. 45Greenwood County75
46. 46Morris County75
47. 47Edwards County75
48. 48Sherman County75
49. 49Thomas County75
50. 50Kearny County75
51. 51Kiowa County75
52. 52Stanton County74
53. 53Nemaha County74
54. 54Marshall County74
55. 55Pawnee County74
56. 56Brown County74
57. 57Atchison County74
58. 58Doniphan County74
59. 59Morton County74
60. 60Wabaunsee County73
61. 61Stafford County73
62. 62Grant County72
63. 63Haskell County72
64. 64Ellis County72
65. 65Labette County72
66. 66Cherokee County72
67. 67Coffey County72
68. 68Rice County72
69. 69Jackson County72
70. 70Gray County71
71. 71Osage County71
72. 72Barber County71
73. 73Dickinson County71
74. 74Harper County71
75. 75Kingman County71
76. 76Ford County70
77. 77Marion County70
78. 78Scott County70
79. 79Lyon County70
80. 80Sumner County70
81. 81Jefferson County70
82. 82Crawford County69
83. 83Franklin County69
84. 84Pottawatomie County69
85. 85Pratt County69
86. 86Stevens County69
87. 87Montgomery County69
88. 88Barton County68
89. 89Geary County68
90. 90Seward County68
91. 91McPherson County68
92. 92Cowley County67
93. 93Miami County67
94. 94Saline County67
95. 95Harvey County66
96. 96Finney County65
97. 97Riley County64
98. 98Butler County63
99. 99Reno County61
100. 100Leavenworth County60
101. 101Douglas County57
102. 102Shawnee County56
103. 103Sedgwick County50
104. 104Johnson County48
105. 105Wyandotte County48