Off-Grid Living in New Hartford, Connecticut

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like on paper in New Hartford, Connecticut, and the short version is: this is a zoned town with an active Land Use and Building Department, so "off-grid" here means "code-compliant off-grid," not "do whatever you want on your acreage."

Zoning. New Hartford is fully zoned, not one of those unzoned Connecticut towns you sometimes hear about. The Land Use Department, with Michael Lucas serving as both Zoning Enforcement Officer and Inland Wetlands Officer, enforces regulations on where and how you can build. You'll need a Zoning Permit before constructing almost any structure, including sheds, decks, and garages, and a Certificate of Zoning Compliance confirms a use or building actually matches what's on the books. If you're eyeing raw land, call Land Use before you buy or build anything.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I could not find a New Hartford-specific rule addressing tiny homes or RVs as permanent dwellings in the zoning text I reviewed. That doesn't mean it's a free-for-all, it means you need to ask the Zoning Enforcement Officer directly how your specific structure would be classified.

Building permits. The Building Department is clear that permits for building work, septic, wells, and even driveways must be issued before work starts, and no inspections happen without them. A building permit application needs a certified plot plan plus proof of your well or public water and your septic or sewer arrangement.

Septic and composting toilets. Any property using a well and/or septic needs sign-off from the Farmington Valley Health District, the regional health authority for New Hartford. Septic design itself falls under Connecticut's Public Health Code and its statewide technical standards for subsurface sewage systems, with smaller-flow systems approved locally. I didn't find a town ordinance specifically addressing composting toilets as an alternative, so that's a direct question for FVHD.

Greywater. I found nothing at the state or town level spelling out household greywater reuse rules, so I'm calling this unclear. Worth asking FVHD or the state DPH directly before setting up any reuse system.

Rainwater harvesting. Nothing town-specific restricts this; the state building code's general provisions apply, and any collection plumbing would likely fall under a normal building permit review.

Wells. A well permit (or proof of public water) is required as part of your building permit application, and Connecticut law requires newly constructed wells to be tested for bacteria and certain chemicals, administered locally through FVHD.

Utilities. There's no explicit "you must connect to the grid" rule I found, but between mandatory building/well/septic permitting and required health district approval before occupancy, going fully off-utility still means clearing the same code hurdles as anyone else, just without a power company involved.

Bottom line: New Hartford isn't hostile to off-grid living, but it isn't a loophole town either. Everything routes through Land Use, Building, and the Farmington Valley Health District, so start those conversations early.