Off-Grid Living in Westhampton, Massachusetts

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in Westhampton, Massachusetts, and the short version is: this is a zoned town with active local enforcement layered on top of Massachusetts state code, so "off-grid" here means "compliant off-grid," not "do whatever you want on your land."

Zoning. Westhampton has an adopted Zoning Bylaw (maintained by the town, enforced by the Building Inspector acting as Zoning Enforcement Officer) that divides the town into districts, including a Floodplain overlay district tied to FEMA flood maps and a Solar Photovoltaic overlay district over the old capped landfill. Any raw-land plan needs to be checked against whichever district your parcel sits in.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. The town's bylaw was recently updated to allow Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) on any residential lot with an existing dwelling, mostly because state law now overrides the old local ban. But there's a catch worth flagging: an ADU has to share water, wastewater, and electric with the main house, meaning a separate well, septic, or electric service for that ADU is not permitted. I didn't find anything from the town specifically addressing RVs as full-time dwellings or minimum tiny-home size, so treat that as unconfirmed and ask the Building Inspector directly.

Building permits and code. New construction, additions, or renovations go through the Building Commissioner/Building Inspector, who also enforces zoning. Westhampton follows the state building code (the town references the 10th edition of the Massachusetts code), so whatever you build has to clear that state-level bar regardless of how remote your lot is.

Septic and composting toilets. Westhampton's Board of Health works through the Foothills Health District, which acts as the town's Health Agent for septic and well permitting. Septic systems fall under the state's Title 5 rules, and composting toilets appear to run through that same Title 5 review at the state level. I didn't find a Westhampton-specific composting toilet bylaw, so confirm your setup with Foothills Health District before you commit to a system.

Greywater. No town-specific greywater bylaw turned up in my research. Absent a local variance program, the state Title 5 baseline treats greywater as wastewater requiring an approved soil absorption system, so I'd assume it needs to go through the same permitting as septic unless Foothills Health District tells you otherwise.

Rainwater harvesting. Nothing town-specific here either. The general state baseline (outdoor use fine, potable indoor use restricted) is the best assumption absent a local rule.

Wells. This one's cleaner: private water wells are permitted and administered locally through the Foothills Health District, including online permitting.

Utility disconnection. For a primary single-family home, going off-grid on power and water isn't directly banned that I could find, and the state baseline (off-grid solar is legal, must meet the state electrical code and use a licensed electrician) applies. But the ADU utility-sharing rule shows the town is actively engaged on utility questions, so don't assume silence means indifference, especially for secondary structures.

Bottom line: talk to the Building Inspector and Foothills Health District early, before you buy land or design a system.