Best States / Indiana / Pike County

Pike County, IN · off-grid fact sheet

Can you live off-grid in Pike County, Indiana?

86
of 100
Good with caveats

Yes, with one thing to plan around. Water is easy here, with about 48 inches of rain a year and wells near 50 feet. The growing season runs about 201 frost-free days. NOAA counts about eight strong tornadoes a decade within 25 miles, so a storm shelter belongs in the plan.

What the land says

Rain
Rain can supply much of a household's water with a large tank. A garden mostly waters itself in normal years.
About 48 inches a year (PRISM, 1991 to 2020 average)
Wells
Shallow wells, so drilling should be one of the cheaper costs.
The typical well here is about 50 feet deep; a well typically runs $4,000 to $8,000
Growing season
A full season for most vegetables.
About 201 frost-free days, USDA zone 6b; last frost about April 8, first about October 29
Sun
Good sun. Size the array and battery bank for winter.
About 4.8 hours of full sun a day, averaged over the year
Flood
Flood zones run along creeks and rivers here. Look up the parcel on FEMA's flood map.
FEMA maps flood zones in places
Wildfire
Low wildfire risk.
U.S. Forest Service wildfire hazard map: Very Low here
Storms
Strong tornadoes are common. A storm shelter belongs in the plan.
NOAA: no hurricane-strength storm within 50 miles since 1975; about 8 strong (EF2 or stronger) tornadoes a decade within 25 miles
Terrain
Flat to gentle, easy to build on.
Slopes average about 6%, about 460 feet above sea level
Soil
Good ground for a standard septic system. The county's soil test decides.
Silt loam, well drained (USDA soil survey). A standard system typically runs $5,000 to $10,000
Road
Paved roads are close by.
Nearest paved road usually within about 0.3 miles (OpenStreetMap)

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Is it legal here?

Zoning
We found no public zoning map for Pike County, so call the county planning office with the parcel number to ask whether the land is zoned.
Building code
Indiana Residential Code (based on the International Residential Code) is the statewide minimum; enforcement is local.
Rainwater
Collecting it is allowed.
Composting toilets
Allowed.
Water rights
Owners of land along a creek or lake can make reasonable use of its water.

Look up a parcel's zoning free, or read Is it legal to live off-grid in Indiana? for permits, septic, wells, and the counties that opt out.

What it costs to set up a homestead here

Well
$4,000 to $8,000
Drilled to about 50 feet, with pump and pressure tank
Septic
$5,000 to $10,000
Standard system
Solar and batteries
$18,000 to $34,000
Sized for a modest household
Road or driveway
$3,000 to $8,000
From the nearest road to a house site
Clearing
$1,000 to $4,000
A house site, solar, and garden
Total
$31,000 to $64,000
Before the house

Before you make an offer on land here

Flood map
Look up the parcel on FEMA's flood map.
Flood zones run along creeks and rivers here. Building in one means flood insurance and extra permits.
Zoning
Call the county planning office with the parcel number.
There is no public zoning map, so we cannot tell whether the land is zoned.
Soil test
Get a soil test before you count on septic.
The county has to approve the ground before it issues a septic permit.

Nearby counties

12,106 people live in Pike County, about 36.2 per square mile. It ranks 90th of the 92 Indiana counties we scored, and Indiana ranks 6th of 50 states.

Dubois County, IN · Gibson County, IN · Warrick County, IN · Daviess County, IN · Knox County, IN · Spencer County, IN · All scored Indiana counties

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Sources: FEMA flood maps, USGS and state driller well records, USGS brackish groundwater study, USDA soil survey, USGS 3DEP elevation, U.S. Forest Service wildfire hazard, USGS seismic hazard, USGS PAD-US public land, U.S. Census housing counts, USDA county land values, FCC broadband map, CMS hospital list. Rainfall: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu (1991-2020 normals, 4 km grid; accessed 2026-09-17). Temperatures: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu (1991-2020 temperature normals, 4 km grid; accessed 2026-09-26). Storms: NOAA hurricane tracks (HURDAT2, 1975-2025) and Storm Prediction Center tornado paths (EF2+, 1990-2025). Roads: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Data updated September 2026.