Off-Grid Living in Gosnold, Massachusetts

I'll be upfront: Gosnold is about as far from a well-documented small town as you'll find in Massachusetts. Population 70, most of the land in the Elizabeth Islands held privately by the Forbes family, and the village of Cuttyhunk making up most of where anyone actually lives. That obscurity cuts both ways for off-grid seekers, there's a lot of undeveloped land, but there's also very little published paperwork to tell you exactly what you can do with it.

Zoning. Gosnold does have a zoning bylaw, it is not an unzoned town. I found this confirmed through the Martha's Vineyard Commission, the regional planning agency, which hosts Gosnold's zoning map showing local districts (zoning is adopted under the state's Chapter 40A framework, same as every Massachusetts town). What I couldn't find was the actual bylaw text spelling out use rules for raw or vacant land. If you're eyeing a parcel, you'll need the zoning map and bylaw from the town itself, and honestly, given how small Gosnold's town government is, a phone call may get you further than a website search.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. Not confirmed. No text online addresses minimum dwelling size, tiny homes, or RV living. Ask the Town Hall directly.

Building permits. As in every Massachusetts municipality, construction runs through the statewide 780 CMR building code, and permits are handled through Gosnold's Town Hall. I could not locate a dedicated building inspector page for Gosnold, so Town Hall (via the Town Clerk's office) is your entry point.

Septic. This is locally administered under the state's Title 5 system, with Gosnold's Board of Health as the primary regulator, MassDEP only reviews after the Board of Health signs off. Worth noting: at the time of this research, Gosnold was seeking a contracted Board of Health Agent, meaning the Board of Health itself is currently handling septic matters directly. Composting toilets would fall under this same authority, so ask them directly.

Greywater and rainwater. No town-specific bylaws found for either. Statewide Title 5 rules apply as the baseline for greywater; rainwater harvesting has no confirmed local restriction.

Wells. Permitted, and again the Board of Health is your regulator for siting and construction standards, though I didn't find a specific Gosnold well regulation document.

Utilities. No local bylaw found addressing off-grid or disconnected living. The state baseline (legal, but must meet 780 CMR electrical and solar code requirements) applies.

Bottom line honesty check: Gosnold's tiny size means a lot of this is genuinely undocumented online, not because it's secretive, but because there's a small staff and a small population. Calling Town Hall and the Board of Health directly is going to save you more time than searching.