Off-Grid Living in Salisbury, Massachusetts

I've been digging into what it would actually take to live off-grid in Salisbury, Massachusetts, and the short answer is: this is not a permissive, unzoned town where you can just park on some land and start living. Salisbury has a mature, detailed zoning bylaw (Chapter 300) covering 10 districts, adopted under state authority (MGL c. 40A), and it's enforced by the Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board, and Inspection Services.

Zoning and raw land. Salisbury's bylaw uses a use-table system: if a use isn't listed as permitted in a district, it's not allowed unless the Zoning Board of Appeals grants a special permit for something "similar in character." Living on raw or vacant land without a conventional structure isn't a listed use, so you'd almost certainly need to go through the ZBA.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. The bylaw draws a sharp line between a "house trailer" (built to HUD's 1976 code) and an RV or camper, which is explicitly not treated as a permanent dwelling. So living full-time in an RV or camper, even on your own land, isn't a conforming use under this local bylaw. Mobile home parks are handled separately under a different chapter.

Building permits. Standard building permitting runs through the town's Inspection Services Department, and dimensional rules (setbacks, height, lot coverage) come from the zoning bylaw's Article IV. Any structure, off-grid or not, has to meet those.

Septic and composting toilets. The Salisbury Board of Health enforces Title 5 (the state septic code) locally and has its own supplemental septic regulations and application forms. A composting toilet would need Board of Health sign-off as an alternative system.

Greywater. I didn't find a Salisbury-specific greywater reuse allowance. The sewer bylaw requires connecting to a common sewer where available, with private septic only permitted by Board of Health variance. Absent local rules, the state Title 5 baseline would govern, but confirm specifics with the Board of Health.

Rainwater harvesting. Not confirmed. No town bylaw or Board of Health regulation on rainwater catchment turned up in what I reviewed.

Wells. The Board of Health locally regulates private wells and requires a permit plus use of a certified well driller.

Utility disconnection. No bylaw explicitly authorizes full off-grid disconnection. The sewer bylaw actually requires hookup to common sewer within a set distance of the property unless the Board of Health grants a variance for private septic, and occupancy expectations in the zoning bylaw lean toward conventional utility connections.

Bottom line: Salisbury is a well-regulated coastal town, and off-grid living here means working closely with the ZBA, Board of Health, and Inspection Services rather than avoiding them.