Off-Grid Living in Center Harbor, New Hampshire

I've been digging into what off-grid living would actually look like in Center Harbor, New Hampshire, and the short version is: this is a zoned town, and that shapes almost everything else.

Zoning is real here. Center Harbor's Zoning Ordinance, adopted and amended under the state's enabling law (RSA 675:3 & 4), splits the town into several districts, including an Agricultural/Rural district and a Groundwater Protection District. Amendments go through the Planning Board or Board of Selectmen, or a citizen petition, with a public hearing before voters decide. If you're eyeing raw land, know that the district you're in controls impervious surface limits (up to 30% in general, with a lower 15% threshold triggering a Special Exception in the Groundwater Protection District). You can't just occupy land without going through the town's construction/use permitting process.

Tiny homes and RVs as dwellings fall under the town's broad definition of "Construction," which explicitly includes placing or moving structures, mobile homes, and prefab buildings. That means a Construction Permit from the Building Inspector / Code Enforcement Officer is the expected path. I did not find tiny-house-on-wheels-specific language in the town's materials, so if that's your plan, call Code Enforcement directly and ask how they'd classify it.

Building permits are handled locally. Center Harbor requires a Construction Permit for essentially all construction, including septic work. Permits are valid for a set period and must be posted on-site. There's also a Permit by Notification option for work that doesn't change a property's status, if you qualify. Don't guess on fees or specifics, confirm current numbers with the Code Enforcement office.

Septic is a two-layer system: the State, through NH DES's Subsurface Systems Bureau, must approve septic design, construction, and operation before a system goes in or changes. The town's own Construction Permit also covers septic construction/reconstruction, so you'll deal with both DES and the local Building Inspector. Composting toilets aren't addressed separately in what I found at the town level, worth a direct question to Code Enforcement.

Greywater and rainwater harvesting have no town-specific ordinance that I could locate. That leaves the state's general plumbing and residential code baseline as the default, but I'd call this unclear until confirmed with the town.

Wells: construction is licensed at the state level, but Center Harbor's Planning Board can require a specific water supply type, size, and construction, particularly tied to subdivision review or the Groundwater Protection District.

Utility disconnection isn't explicitly banned or required in what I reviewed, but the town has made clear its own rules can be stricter than state DES requirements, especially near water. Construction permitting still applies regardless of whether you're hooked to utilities.

Bottom line: Center Harbor is workable for an off-grid project, but it runs through permits, not around them. Talk to Code Enforcement and the Planning Board before you buy or build.