Off-Grid Living in Rehoboth, Massachusetts

I've been digging through Rehoboth, Massachusetts's official bylaws and Board of Health records for anyone thinking about a more self-sufficient setup out there, and here's where things stand.

Zoning. Rehoboth is not one of those unzoned rural towns, it's fully zoned under the town's Zoning Bylaw (Chapter 270), with Residence/Agricultural, Business, Industrial, and Flood Plain overlay districts. On top of that, since 2019 the entire town, every parcel, sits inside a Groundwater Protection District overlay. That's a big deal for off-grid plans because within that district the Planning Board can restrict or require special permits for uses it thinks threaten groundwater. So before you buy raw land here, check with the Planning Board or Building Inspector about what your specific parcel's district allows.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I couldn't confirm any Rehoboth-specific rule on minimum dwelling size or living in an RV full-time. The state's Appendix Q (for tiny homes) would be the baseline, but you need to call the Building Department directly to find out if Rehoboth adds anything on top of that.

Building permits. The Building Department enforces the state Building, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Gas codes plus the local zoning bylaw, and that office is where you file for permits and schedule inspections. Nothing about off-grid construction gets a pass here, standard permitting applies.

Septic and composting toilets. Massachusetts' Title 5 (state sanitary code, administered by MassDEP) sets the baseline for on-site sewage disposal, and Rehoboth's Board of Health enforces it locally, with some of its own amendments and updated local rules and regulations. No septic work can start without Board of Health notification and approved plans, and nothing gets buried until the Health Agent inspects it. Composting toilets would fall under the same Title 5 review as an alternative system.

Greywater. I found no Rehoboth-specific greywater bylaw, so it falls back to the state's Title 5 framework, which generally wants greywater treated through an approved system rather than dumped freely.

Rainwater harvesting. No town ordinance turned up on this. State baseline generally allows outdoor rain barrel use while treating indoor potable use more cautiously through plumbing code, but confirm specifics with the Building Department.

Wells. Private wells are permitted, but Rehoboth's Board of Health has its own well regulations, including siting requirements relative to septic systems and neighboring wells within 200 feet, disinfection procedures, pump testing, and water sampling. There's also a separate local policy on hydrogeological assessment for new residential wells, so budget time to work with the Board of Health on this.

Off-grid utilities. Living disconnected from the grid isn't banned by anything I found, but any solar or electrical work still has to meet the state building and electrical codes, and it's worth checking with the Building Department on local permitting practice.

Bottom line: Rehoboth allows a rural, self-sufficient lifestyle, but the town-wide Groundwater Protection District and active Board of Health oversight of wells and septic mean you'll be doing more paperwork here than in a truly unzoned town.