Off-Grid Living in East Granby, Connecticut

I'll say upfront: East Granby is fully zoned, not one of those unzoned rural pockets you sometimes find elsewhere in the country. That changes the whole picture for anyone dreaming of quietly settling on raw land here. The Town adopts its authority from Connecticut's state Zoning Enabling Act (Chapter 124 of the General Statutes) and layers its own Town Zoning Regulations (Chapter 280) on top, administered by the Planning & Zoning Commission and a Zoning Enforcement Officer. So any off-grid plan here runs through both state and town rules, and the town can be stricter than the state baseline.

Zoning and raw land. Because East Granby has its own zoning code, living on raw land in a tent, van, or temporary structure isn't something I found spelled out clearly one way or the other in the town's public materials. That's a "go ask" situation, specifically the Zoning Enforcement Officer.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I couldn't find East Granby-specific language on minimum dwelling size or whether an RV or tiny house can count as a legal residence. The zoning regulations exist as a lengthy PDF, but the specific provisions didn't surface in my research. Don't guess here, call Planning & Zoning.

Building permits. The town's Building Department enforces the Connecticut State Building Code plus local ordinances. Any construction, addition, or alteration needs a permit application, review, and inspection. Fees are apparently charged per $1,000 of estimated construction cost, but I'd confirm the current structure directly with the department rather than rely on that secondhand.

Septic and composting toilets. Here's a wrinkle worth knowing: East Granby doesn't run its own health department for septic approvals. That job belongs to the Farmington Valley Health District (FVHD), a regional authority covering East Granby and nine neighboring towns. FVHD enforces the state Public Health Code's standards for subsurface sewage disposal design and approval. Composting toilets weren't separately addressed anywhere I looked, so I'd assume they fall under the same FVHD review as an alternative system until told otherwise.

Greywater. Genuinely unclear. No town or FVHD-specific greywater rule turned up in my research, which leaves it at the fuzzy state baseline.

Rainwater harvesting. This looks fine. Nothing suggests East Granby restricts it beyond what the State Building Code already covers for rainwater collection systems.

Wells. Also handled regionally by FVHD, not the town. A neighboring town's FAQ confirms FVHD has regulated wells and septic systems since 1976, with required setback distances from septic systems, structures, and fuel tanks as part of its approval process.

Utility disconnection. No outright ban surfaced, but in practice a Certificate of Occupancy needs Building Department and FVHD sign-off on your water and waste systems, so fully "off-grid" living still has to clear those checkpoints.

Bottom line: East Granby is a zoned town where the big off-grid questions (dwellings, raw land, greywater) need direct confirmation from local officials, while septic and wells clearly run through the regional Farmington Valley Health District.