Off-Grid Living in Scarborough, Maine

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in Scarborough, Maine, and the short version is: this is a zoned town, so raw-land freedom is limited, but the basic systems (septic, greywater) run through well-established state rules with local administration.

Zoning. Scarborough operates under its Chapter 405 Zoning Ordinance, enforced by the town's Code Enforcement Officers and, on appeals, a Zoning Board of Appeals. The ordinance is written so that any use not specifically listed as permitted or allowed by special exception in a district is considered prohibited there. That means you can't just buy raw land and do whatever you want, whatever you plan has to fit an allowed use category in that zoning district. I'd call Code Enforcement before assuming anything.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I could not confirm a town-specific standard for tiny homes or RVs as standalone dwellings. Scarborough's Code Enforcement Officer handles dwelling and ADU permitting, but I did not find an official town or state page spelling out tiny-home/RV rules. Be skeptical of commercial "off-grid friendly" guides claiming tiny homes are flatly allowed here; that's not something I could verify against an official source. Call Code Enforcement directly.

Building permits. Required. Scarborough's Code Enforcement Officers interpret and enforce local, state, and federal building regulations, and they process permits for construction, electrical, plumbing, heating, and other site work. The town's Building Inspector is also named in the Zoning Ordinance as the enforcement authority for zoning provisions tied to construction.

Septic and composting toilets. Maine's Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules (administered by the Maine CDC) govern septic statewide, and every Maine municipality, including Scarborough, is required to have a Local Plumbing Inspector, appointed by the town but licensed by the state, who reviews and approves septic permit applications. Composting and alternative toilets are permitted under these same state rules, and they get an exception from the full site-evaluation requirement that applies to standard septic systems.

Greywater. Same state framework applies, administered locally by Scarborough's Local Plumbing Inspector. I did not find a separate town greywater ordinance.

Rainwater harvesting. Not confirmed. I found no Scarborough ordinance or Maine state rule addressing rainwater collection permits or restrictions specifically.

Wells. Not confirmed at the town level. Well siting and construction fall under Maine's general well framework (Maine Water Well Commission), and I didn't find a Scarborough-specific well ordinance layered on top.

Utility disconnection. Not confirmed. There's no explicit town ordinance banning or blessing off-grid utility disconnection that I found. In practice, you'd still need to satisfy building code, septic, and zoning requirements through Code Enforcement, so full "unplugged" living isn't a separate legal category here, it's more that you'd need everything else to pass muster.

Bottom line: Scarborough isn't hostile to off-grid systems like septic and greywater, since those are state-sanctioned and locally administered in every Maine town. But this is a zoned municipality with a use-based ordinance, so raw-land occupancy, tiny homes, and RVs as permanent dwellings are the areas where you really need to sit down with Code Enforcement before you buy or build anything.