Off-Grid Living in Coventry, Connecticut

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in Coventry, Connecticut, and the short version is: this is a fully zoned town, so "off-grid" here means "off-grid within the rules," not "do whatever you want on your own land."

Zoning. Coventry's Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) administers town-wide Zoning Regulations, plus separate Inland Wetlands and Aquifer Protection Area rules. Raw land isn't open for any use; it falls into zoning districts, and some, like the Lake Residential Zone, have their own lot-coverage and driveway standards. If you're eyeing a parcel, call the Land Use Office before assuming what you can build.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I couldn't find Coventry-specific rules addressing tiny houses or RVs as permanent residences. What I do know is that any construction, footprint change, or use change triggers the zoning-approval-plus-building-permit process, with a plot plan required. Treat tiny home and RV occupancy as a question for the Building Department and PZC directly, not something to assume is settled either way.

Building permits. The Building Department runs a multi-agency sign-off process, pulling in Zoning, the Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Wetlands Officer, Health, and the Fire Marshal before a Certificate of Occupancy is granted. Worth noting: under a state law Coventry enforces, permits can be withheld if property taxes are delinquent.

Septic and wells. Coventry doesn't run its own health department; it's served by the Eastern Highlands Health District (EHHD), which issues septic Permits to Construct and Discharge, and separately permits new wells, well deepening, and hydrofracting, working alongside the state Department of Consumer Protection. I found nothing addressing composting toilets specifically, so that's a direct question for EHHD.

Greywater. I found no Coventry or EHHD policy on household greywater reuse in the official material I reviewed. That's a gap to close with EHHD before you build a system around it.

Rainwater harvesting. Nothing in Coventry's regulations specifically restricts collecting rainwater; the state building code sets the general baseline. The one local wrinkle is that the Lake Residential Zone's impervious-coverage rules can indirectly touch how you manage stormwater on a lot, so that's worth a look if you're in that zone.

Utility disconnection. This is the one to take seriously: Coventry ties Certificate of Occupancy to EHHD sign-off on well/septic, and to WPCA review if you're in a sewered area. Practically, that means you can't legally occupy a new or altered home without approved water and wastewater infrastructure verified by these authorities, even if you never touch the grid electrically.

Bottom line: Coventry allows a self-sufficient home, but every major system, water, waste, structure, has a named town or district authority that has to approve it first. Nothing here is a "just go build it" situation.