Off-Grid Living in Westmoreland, New Hampshire

I've been digging through Westmoreland, New Hampshire's town records for anyone thinking about buying raw land or living off-grid here, and I want to be upfront: this is a zoned town, not one of those wide-open unzoned New Hampshire towns you sometimes hear about. Westmoreland has an active Zoning Ordinance, a Zoning Board of Adjustment, and a Planning Board, all confirmed on the town's own website. That matters because it means land use, setbacks, and district rules are locally controlled here, on top of whatever the State of New Hampshire requires.

That said, I couldn't pull the actual ordinance text (setbacks, minimum lot sizes, ADU or RV dwelling clauses) from what's publicly indexed. The town's documents page lists ordinances, a zoning map, and a zoning hearing application guide, so the material exists, I just don't have the specific provisions in front of me. My honest advice: get the ordinance directly from the Planning Board or Zoning Board before you assume anything about what you can build or park on a piece of land.

On building permits, Westmoreland administers its own program locally. The town has a Building Inspector on staff and keeps its own building permit application, which tells me the town enforces the state building code (RSA 155-A) at the local level rather than deferring entirely to the state.

Septic is where New Hampshire's state process really shows up. Any structure with plumbing needs an approved septic system, and if you're converting a place from seasonal to full-time occupancy, you need approval first, from NHDES's Subsurface Systems Bureau. Westmoreland keeps a NHDES septic application on hand, which lines up with the state's requirement that applicants certify they've met local requirements too. Composting toilets fall under the same state process rather than a separate town rule.

Greywater, rainwater harvesting, and private wells are all areas where I couldn't find any Westmoreland-specific ordinance. That likely means the state's general baseline applies (New Hampshire doesn't heavily regulate rainwater catchment, and wells fall under the state Water Well Board), but I'd still call the town to be sure nothing local overrides that.

Same goes for utility disconnection: I found no Westmoreland ordinance explicitly requiring you to hook up to grid power or water, but the town's site plan and subdivision regulations might touch on this and I haven't been able to verify the text.

Bottom line: Westmoreland is a real, zoned New Hampshire town where septic and building permitting are active and enforced, but plenty of the off-grid-specific details (RVs, tiny homes, greywater, rainwater) aren't spelled out in what's publicly available. Call the Planning Board or Zoning Board before you commit to a plan.