Off-Grid Living in Montague, Massachusetts

I've been digging through Montague, Massachusetts's town documents to figure out what's actually possible if you want to live off-grid there, and the short version is: this is a fully zoned New England town, so "off-grid" here means "off-grid within a permitting system," not "do whatever you want on your own land."

Zoning. Montague adopted a comprehensive zoning bylaw (approved by the Attorney General in 2019), administered by the Planning Board. No use of land or a building can begin or change without a permit from the Planning Board or its designated agent, and anything not fitting the conventional use districts may need a Special Permit or Variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals. This is a town-level rule, not something the state hands down, so it can vary from the next town over.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. The bylaw specifically addresses trailers, mobile homes, campers and similar vehicles: you can't park, store, or occupy one for living or business purposes except in situations the bylaw lists as exceptions. There's a grandfathering clause for placements from before 1973, but otherwise you're looking at needing a permit or falling under one of those listed exceptions.

Building permits. All construction, including electrical, plumbing, and gas work, goes through the Building Department, and the Building Inspector doubles as the Zoning Enforcement Officer. That dual role matters: if your off-grid setup runs afoul of zoning, the same office that inspects your build enforces the bylaw.

Septic and greywater. The Montague Board of Health administers the state's Title 5 septic code locally, overseeing septic system siting and licensing installers. I didn't find any town-specific composting toilet allowance beyond what Title 5 already permits statewide, and there's no Montague-specific greywater rule I could locate, so greywater falls under the state wastewater baseline by default. Worth calling the Board of Health directly to ask how they handle composting toilets and greywater systems in practice.

Rainwater harvesting. I couldn't find any Montague zoning or health provision addressing rainwater collection specifically, so this one is genuinely unclear rather than restricted. That's often good news (no rule against it) but confirm with the Board of Health before you build a serious catchment system.

Wells. The Board of Health also oversees private drinking wells and licenses well drillers, so wells are permitted but go through that local permitting process.

Utility disconnection. There's no blanket ban on going off-grid electrically, but solar and any electrical work still require inspection through the Building Department.

Bottom line: Montague isn't hostile to off-grid living, but nearly every piece of it, from where you park a tiny home to how you handle wastewater, runs through a town office. Call before you build.