Off-Grid Living in Madison, New Hampshire

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in Madison, New Hampshire, and the short version is: this is a zoned town, and that changes the calculus quite a bit from the "wide open" image people have of rural NH.

Zoning. Madison has its own zoning ordinance, administered by the town's Planning and Zoning Officer, and it covers districts like Rural Residential, Commercial, Village, Wetlands Conservation, and the Eidelweiss Residential District. A court decision described Madison's code as "permissive," meaning only uses explicitly listed in the ordinance are allowed. That's a stricter posture than towns with more open-ended rural zoning, so before you buy land or plan a build, I'd pull the actual zoning ordinance PDF from the town's website and check what your specific district allows.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. The ordinance singles out manufactured housing as its own category, but I couldn't confirm specific language on tiny homes or RVs used as residences. My read is that anything outside the standard house categories would need to fit an explicitly listed use or go through the Zoning Board of Adjustment for a variance or special exception. Don't assume you can just park an RV and live in it long-term without checking first.

Building permits. Yes, required. The Planning and Zoning Officer issues building permits and enforces town ordinances, with contracted Building and Electrical Inspectors doing inspections. This is entirely a town-level function.

Septic. This is state-regulated: the NH Department of Environmental Services' Subsurface Systems Bureau approves septic plans statewide under RSA 485-A, and the town coordinates on compliance and receives as-built filings. Statewide DES setback rules require 75 feet from surface waters, 75 feet from private wells, and 20 feet from property lines. I didn't find anything in Madison's own ordinance that overrides or adds to that.

Greywater and rainwater. Genuinely unclear at the town level. I found no Madison-specific ordinance on either, which means you're likely working from New Hampshire's general plumbing and environmental code baseline. If you're planning a greywater or rainwater system, I'd call the town and DES directly rather than guess.

Wells. No Madison-specific well ordinance turned up. Wells are licensed and regulated under state law (RSA 482-B), with the same setback rules noted above applying.

Utilities. I found no explicit Madison rule forcing a hookup to municipal water or sewer, and there doesn't appear to be a town-wide ban on going off-grid for utilities. But because zoning is "permissive" and building permits are required, any off-grid dwelling still has to fit an allowed use and meet state septic and water standards. It's not a free-for-all just because there's no explicit prohibition.

Bottom line: Madison isn't hostile to off-grid living, but it's also not unzoned wilderness. Permitting and use classification run through the town; water and waste systems run through the state. Confirm specifics before you commit to land or a build.