Off-Grid Living in East Brookfield, Massachusetts

I've been digging into East Brookfield, Massachusetts for anyone thinking about building or living off-grid here, and the short version is: this is a regularly zoned New England town, not a rural free-for-all. Let me walk through what I found and what's still murky.

Zoning. East Brookfield has an adopted zoning bylaw (dating to 1995, with amendments since approved through the Commonwealth's Attorney General review process, which is standard for Massachusetts towns) and an official zoning map, both kept by the Board of Assessors. That means where you can put a dwelling, and what your lot needs to look like, is governed by district rules I could not pull the specifics of from what's publicly posted. If you've got a specific parcel in mind, I'd call the Board of Assessors or Planning Board before you assume anything.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I couldn't find East Brookfield-specific language on tiny homes or RV living. Massachusetts adopted Appendix Q statewide back in 2020, which gives a path for smaller dwellings under the state building code, and that baseline should apply here unless the local bylaw says otherwise. Confirm with the Building Department.

Building permits. These are issued locally by the town, but under the statewide 780 CMR building code, Massachusetts's amended version of the International code. I didn't find fee schedules or procedural detail specific to East Brookfield, so treat any numbers you hear secondhand with skepticism and ask the Building Department directly.

Septic and greywater. Septic systems fall under the state's Title 5 regulations (310 CMR 15.000), enforced locally by East Brookfield's Board of Health, which I can confirm is active, its meeting agendas reference Title 5 issues and failures on specific properties. Greywater doesn't have a separate, looser standard in Massachusetts; under Title 5 it's generally treated as wastewater needing an approved system, and I found no town bylaw carving out an exception.

Rainwater harvesting doesn't appear to have any town-specific restriction, so the state baseline, generally permissive for outdoor use, should apply, though I'd still ask before doing anything elaborate.

Wells. Well siting and construction approval runs through the local Board of Health, same office that handles septic. I couldn't find East Brookfield's specific technical well standards, so that's a phone call.

Utility disconnection. Living off-grid electrically appears legal in Massachusetts generally, and I found no East Brookfield bylaw banning it, but any wiring work will still need to meet 780 CMR if you're doing anything permitted.

One more thing: I came across a non-official aggregator claiming East Brookfield is "unincorporated" with no government. That's flatly wrong, the town's own Clerk, Assessors, and Planning Board pages contradict it, so I've disregarded that source entirely.