Off-Grid Living in Ellington, Connecticut

I've been digging through Ellington, Connecticut's official records to figure out what off-grid living actually looks like here, and the short version is: this is a zoned New England town where the state and local health district have a lot of say over your water, waste, and building choices.

Zoning. Ellington's Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) has had comprehensive zoning regulations on the books since 1952, updated as recently as 2023. Every parcel sits in a district (Rural Agricultural Residential, Commercial, and others), and each district carries its own rules on lot size, setbacks, and structure height. There's no "unzoned" corner of town to disappear into, so before buying land, I'd pull up the current zoning map and confirm what's allowed on that specific parcel with the Planning Department or PZC.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I couldn't find an Ellington-specific ordinance addressing tiny homes or living in an RV. Connecticut towns generally allow parking or storing an RV but not living in one full-time, but Ellington's precise stance isn't confirmed in the materials I found, so call the Building Department directly before you plan to live in anything unconventional.

Building permits. The Building Department administers the Connecticut State Building Code for all structures in town, and local ordinance backs that up with real penalties for violations, referencing Connecticut General Statutes § 29-254a. Any permanent structure you build needs a permit and inspection.

Septic and wells. This is handled by the North Central District Health Department (NCDHD), acting under the state's Public Health Code (Section 19-13-B103 for septic, Sections 19-13-B51 and B101 for wells). Ellington's Building Official also separately requires a local permit for septic tank installation or repair. Composting toilets as a sole system aren't addressed anywhere I found, so that's a direct question for NCDHD.

Greywater. No Ellington ordinance or NCDHD guidance turned up on household greywater reuse. Treat this as genuinely unclear and ask NCDHD before setting anything up.

Rainwater harvesting. No town-specific restriction found. The State Building Code applies generally, but nothing suggests rainwater collection itself is restricted here.

Utilities. There's no outright ban on going off-grid for power or water that I found, but Ellington's sewer ordinance can require connection to public sewer where one is available and operational. Where there's no public sewer, you're still on the hook for a compliant, NCDHD-permitted septic and well system to get occupancy approval.

Bottom line: Ellington isn't hostile to homesteading-style living, but nearly every piece of it, water, waste, and structures, runs through either the state code, the town's Building Department, or the regional health district. Nothing here is a DIY-and-hope situation.