Off-Grid Living in Carroll, New Hampshire

Carroll, New Hampshire is a small town up in the White Mountains, and I want to be upfront: it's NOT one of those unzoned "do whatever you want" New Hampshire towns. Carroll has a real zoning ordinance, adopted under the state's planning and zoning enabling law (RSA Title LXIV, Chapters 672-677), and it's administered by an elected Planning Board and a Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA). The ordinance has been amended repeatedly, most recently in 2024, so always check you're looking at the current version on the town website.

Zoning. The town is split into districts (Residential, Residential Business, Industrial, and others), each with its own dimensional rules like setbacks. There's a general nuisance clause that applies town-wide, meaning even industrial land can't become "unduly obnoxious, offensive, or detrimental" to neighbors. If your off-grid plan doesn't fit the district's listed uses, you'd go to the ZBA for a variance or special exception.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I couldn't find explicit language in the ordinance addressing tiny houses on wheels or RVs as permanent dwellings. The ordinance does regulate non-conforming buildings and defines "family," but the tiny-home/RV question is genuinely unclear from what I reviewed. I'd call the Land Use Office or Building Inspector before assuming either way.

Building permits. Carroll requires building permits and has an active Building Inspector, plus a residential building permit application and the state's Residential Energy Code form on file. The Planning Board has recently amended building-permit exemption language, so ask which structures currently need a permit.

Septic and composting toilets. Septic systems are permitted at the state level by NH DES's Subsurface Systems Bureau, under statewide rules (Env-Wq 1000). Carroll separately requires, for certain uses, monthly documentation to the Select Board showing waste disposal complies with DES rules, on top of the state permit itself. I found no town-specific composting toilet rule, so that's not confirmed.

Greywater and rainwater. I found no Carroll-specific ordinance for either, and no dedicated statewide DES residential greywater rule in my research. Rainwater harvesting for indoor use would fall under whatever state plumbing/residential code Carroll's Building Inspector enforces.

Wells. Well construction is licensed at the state level by the NH Water Well Board. Locally, DES septic/subdivision application forms used in Carroll ask about the water supply type and well location, so wells get referenced during septic review even though the state issues the actual well permit.

Off-grid utilities. I found no outright ban on living disconnected from the grid on a single lot, but larger subdivisions have had to address water and drainage infrastructure during Planning Board review. For a single off-grid parcel, this is a "confirm with the town" situation rather than a clear yes or no.

Bottom line: Carroll is zoned and permit-driven, with real oversight from both the town and NH DES at the state level. Don't rely on this brief alone, call the offices below before you buy land or start building.