Off-Grid Living in Greene, Maine

I'll be straight with you: Greene, Maine does not have a clean, publicly posted zoning ordinance that I could pull up in this research. That doesn't mean it's a free-for-all, though. The Town of Greene's own website confirms it has a Code Enforcement Officer (CEO), a Planning Board, and an Appeals Board, all actively administering local permitting. That's a strong sign Greene has adopted local land-use and building ordinances, but the actual ordinance text (districts, minimum lot sizes, what you can do on raw unimproved land) wasn't something I could find online. If you want the real answer, you'll need to call or visit the Town Office and ask the CEO directly, or request a copy of the ordinance.

On dwellings, tiny homes, and RVs: I found nothing Greene-specific. Every structure application appears to run through the same CEO/Planning Board process, but whether there's a separate "seasonal dwelling" category or RV rules isn't confirmed.

Building permits are clearly required in Greene. The town page is explicit that applications go to the CEO first, no exceptions, before anything moves forward. Maine's statewide building code (MUBEC) allows small towns under a certain population to opt out or adopt selectively, and Greene is small enough that this could apply. Confirm current MUBEC adoption status with the Greene CEO directly, since I couldn't verify it from what's published.

Septic is the one area where Greene has clear, direct evidence: the town references a Subsurface Permit Application on its Code Enforcement page. This lines up with Maine's statewide Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules, administered locally by the CEO acting as the town's Local Plumbing Inspector. If you're planning any wastewater system, including an alternative or composting setup that still discharges greywater to soil, this is the office and process you'll go through.

Greywater specifically isn't called out separately by Greene, but since it falls under the same state Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules, expect it to run through the same CEO-administered permit process.

Rainwater harvesting and private wells: I found no Greene-specific rules on either. Wells in Maine generally follow the statewide Well Drilling Commission's construction standards rather than a town-specific rule, and I found nothing suggesting Greene has added its own layer on top.

Living fully off-grid, disconnected from utilities, isn't addressed head-on in any Greene document I found. Practically speaking, it would come up indirectly whenever you apply for a building or septic permit, since the CEO reviews those applications regardless of your utility hookups.

Bottom line: Greene is a real, permit-administering town, not an unzoned rural township, even though I couldn't find the ordinance text itself. Treat every category above where I say "not confirmed" as a call you need to make to the CEO before you buy land or start building.