Off-Grid Living in Gilsum, New Hampshire

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in Gilsum, New Hampshire, and the short version is: it's zoned, it's more regulated than people expect for a tiny Monadnock-region town, but it's not impossible if you understand who's in charge of what.

Zoning. Gilsum has a real zoning ordinance, administered by the town, with four districts: Village, Rural Residential, Industrial/Commercial, and a Highway District running along Route 10. Most of the town's land falls in Rural Residential. If you're buying raw land to live on, you'll need to check which district it sits in and follow that district's dimensional and use rules, per the Gilsum Zoning Ordinance.

Dwellings, tiny homes, and RVs. The town's ordinance sets a minimum size for a primary dwelling unit, and it draws a hard line between a permanent dwelling (on a foundation, no wheels or axles) and an RV, which it treats as a temporary structure. So living full-time in an RV or a very small tiny home on wheels is likely to run into trouble with the town, even though Gilsum voters did approve allowing detached accessory dwelling units in 2024.

Building permits. Gilsum has its own building regulations requiring a permit application with plans and a stated use before you build, alter, or remodel. One wrinkle worth flagging: as of a September 2024 Planning Board meeting, the town was actually discussing whether to keep the Building Inspector position at all, so I'd confirm current status with the Select Board before assuming how permitting works right now.

Septic and composting toilets. This one is set at the state level by NH DES, not the town. If a structure has any plumbed fixtures (sink, toilet, shower) it needs a septic system regardless of where the water comes from. Composting toilets and privies are allowed only in structures with no plumbing and no piped water supply, and privies specifically need approval from the local health officer under state law.

Greywater and rainwater. I couldn't find a Gilsum-specific rule on greywater reuse, and there's no dedicated statewide DES rule either, so this sits in a gray zone, no pun intended. Rainwater harvesting isn't restricted in anything I found; the state's general building and plumbing code baseline applies.

Wells. No Gilsum-specific well ordinance turned up. The state Water Well Board's rules are the baseline here.

Utility disconnection. Nothing I found bans going off-grid electrically in Gilsum outright, but your ability to actually live that way depends on satisfying the dwelling-size, building permit, and septic/privy rules above, since those are what determine whether your structure is legally occupiable.

Bottom line: Gilsum isn't hostile to off-grid living, but it's not a free-for-all either. The town controls dwelling size and building permits, the state controls septic and wells, and a few things like greywater are simply unresolved. Call before you build.