Off-Grid Living in Castine, Maine

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in Castine, Maine, and the short answer is: this is a zoned town, so "off-grid" here doesn't mean "unregulated." It means fitting your plans into a real permitting structure administered by the town's Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) and Planning Board, plus a layer of state rules for water and waste.

Zoning. Castine has adopted a town-wide Zoning Ordinance, and it's explicit: all construction, alteration, and land use has to conform to it. There's no carve-out for raw land or homesteading outside the ordinance. Permits get reviewed either by the CEO or, for bigger projects, the Planning Board through Site Plan Review.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I couldn't confirm specific rules on tiny homes or living in an RV full-time from the ordinance excerpts I have. This is squarely a "call the CEO" question, since dwelling-use standards are part of what the CEO administers.

Building permits. Castine is small enough that the state's Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC) isn't mandatory here, but that doesn't mean anything goes. The town runs its own building/zoning permit system through the CEO, and application forms are available from the town office or town website.

Septic and composting toilets. This one's clearer. Maine's Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules (state rule, 10-144 CMR 241) govern septic and alternative toilet systems, but enforcement on the ground is local: Castine's Local Plumbing Inspector (LPI) issues permits and inspects. No structure needing a wastewater system can go up until the town confirms the disposal system will comply.

Greywater. Same framework as septic. Greywater systems need a design from a licensed site evaluator and a permit from the LPI, under the same state wastewater rules. I didn't find a separate Castine greywater ordinance.

Rainwater harvesting. Nothing specific either way in what I've found. If you're plumbing harvested rainwater into a structure, state plumbing rules could come into play, so I'd confirm with the CEO or LPI before assuming it's a non-issue.

Wells. No Castine-specific well ordinance turned up. Well construction is governed by state well rules rather than town code, though shoreland zoning (common in coastal Maine towns) could affect placement, worth asking the CEO about directly given Castine's waterfront geography.

Disconnecting from utilities. There's no explicit ordinance clause banning off-grid utility-disconnected living, but the zoning ordinance's blanket language, that all land and building uses must conform, means your septic, building, and possibly shoreland obligations don't go away just because you're off the grid.

Bottom line: Castine isn't hostile to off-grid living, but it is a fully zoned, fully permitted town. Almost every real answer here runs through the CEO's office or the Local Plumbing Inspector, so a phone call before you buy land or break ground will save you a lot of guesswork.