Off-Grid Living in Chesterfield, New Hampshire

I've spent a good chunk of time digging through Chesterfield, New Hampshire's town documents and the state septic rules, and here's the honest picture for anyone thinking about off-grid living there.

Zoning is real here. Chesterfield is not one of those unzoned New Hampshire towns you sometimes hear about. It's had a locally adopted Zoning Ordinance since 1956, most recently revised in 2025, and it's administered by the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment. Any land development has to conform to that ordinance, and the Planning Board itself can't waive requirements, only the Zoning Board of Adjustment can grant a variance. So if your plans don't fit the district rules, a variance is the path, not a friendly conversation with the Planning Board.

Dwellings get specific treatment in Chesterfield's ordinance. Accessory dwelling units are tightly regulated, requiring owner-occupancy and annual certification to the Planning Board, and buildings are capped at two stories with a max of three bedrooms per unit. The Building Inspector enforces this, and can require an ADU's use to stop if it goes out of compliance, backed by state law RSA 676:17. I did not find anything in the ordinance specifically addressing tiny homes on wheels as permanent residences, so treat that as unresolved and ask the Building Inspector directly.

Building permits are required and enforced locally by the Building Inspector / Code Enforcement Officer, who handles permits, inspections, and code compliance. Applications go through the Town Office, and they won't be processed until everything (documents and fee) is complete.

Septic is where the state, not the town, calls most of the shots. New Hampshire DES, through its Subsurface Systems Bureau under Env-Wq 1000 (RSA 485-A), requires that any structure connected to a water supply also be connected to a wastewater disposal system, meaning either sewer or an individual septic system. Designs must come from a permitted designer, and installation from a permitted installer, with a narrow exception for homeowners building their own primary residence. I found no Chesterfield-specific composting toilet ordinance, so that question likely routes back to state plumbing code and the local Building Inspector.

Greywater and rainwater are both gaps in the local record. No Chesterfield ordinance addresses greywater reuse, and I couldn't find a dedicated statewide DES rule either, so this sits in a gray zone worth confirming before you build anything. Rainwater harvesting looks fine as a baseline matter, no town restriction turned up, but always check with Code Enforcement since site conditions and permitting can still touch it.

Wells are state-licensed, and NHDES septic application forms do cross-reference well placement relative to the septic system as part of the Env-Wq 1000 review. I didn't find a separate Chesterfield well ordinance.

Full utility disconnection is the trickiest piece. The clearest rule I found is that any structure connected to a water supply must also have a wastewater disposal system, a state requirement Chesterfield enforces at the building permit and certificate of occupancy stage. Whether a truly off-grid setup, no water supply hookup, no permitted structure, would sidestep this entirely isn't addressed in what I reviewed. That's a direct question for the Building Inspector.