Off-Grid Living in Richmond, New Hampshire

I'll be upfront: Richmond, New Hampshire doesn't give up its details easily online, so this guide is a mix of what I could confirm and what I'm flagging as genuinely unclear. If you're eyeing land here for an off-grid setup, treat this as a starting map, not the final word, and call the town before you buy or build.

Zoning: Richmond is a zoned town, not the wide-open unzoned situation some rural NH towns still have. The Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment administer an adopted Zoning Ordinance (the version I found is dated March 2024), and the town set up a Land Use Department back in 2012 to be the one-stop shop for applications and questions. What I couldn't pin down from available materials is the district-by-district detail: minimum lot sizes, which districts allow what, and whether raw, unimproved land can simply be occupied without a permitted structure. That's a "call the Land Use Department" question.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs: No Richmond-specific rule on RV occupancy duration or tiny-homes-on-wheels turned up in my research. What I can tell you with more confidence is a state-level change: New Hampshire law (the 2025 amendment to RSA 674:72) now requires any municipality with a zoning ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units, as a matter of right, in districts that permit single-family homes. Since Richmond is zoned, this state mandate applies here, but I haven't located Richmond's own ADU ordinance language, so confirm specifics with the town.

Building permits: Permit administration appears to run through the Selectmen's Office and Land Use Department, and a Zoning Compliance Certificate is among the town's listed forms. I didn't find a dedicated building inspector page, which doesn't mean one doesn't exist, just that I couldn't confirm it. Ask the Land Use Department directly who signs off on new construction.

Septic and composting toilets: Septic design and approval in New Hampshire runs through the state, specifically the NH Department of Environmental Services' Subsurface Systems Bureau. I found no Richmond-specific health ordinance or composting-toilet policy layered on top of the state rules, but that's a "not confirmed" rather than a "doesn't exist."

Greywater and rainwater: I found nothing, town or state, that specifically restricts greywater reuse or rainwater harvesting in Richmond. Treat this as an open question rather than a green light.

Wells: Well permitting is a state function through the NH Water Well Board. No town-specific well ordinance surfaced in my research.

Utility disconnection: Richmond reads as a rural, largely unsewered town, and I found no ordinance requiring hookup to municipal water or sewer, but I also couldn't find an explicit town policy statement either way.

Bottom line: Richmond has real zoning authority and a functioning Land Use Department, but a lot of the off-grid-specific detail (ADUs, RVs, greywater, wells) just isn't published in an easily searchable way. The state fills in some gaps, especially on ADUs and septic, but local specifics need a phone call.