Off-Grid Living in Jefferson, New Hampshire

I've spent time digging through Jefferson, New Hampshire's official records to see what off-grid living actually looks like here, and the honest answer is: partly clear, partly unresolved. Here's what I found, and what I couldn't pin down.

Jefferson is a zoned town in Coos County. That's the first thing to understand: this isn't unzoned "wild" land where you can do whatever you want on your own lot. The town's Land Use Ordinance, administered by the Planning Board and enforced by a Zoning Enforcement Officer and Zoning Board of Adjustment, sets up exclusive zoning districts. If a use isn't listed as permitted, conditional, or a special exception in a given district, it's prohibited there. That's a meaningful constraint for anyone thinking about off-grid structures, because your parcel's district will determine what's even allowed before you get to septic or power questions.

On dwellings, tiny homes, and RVs, I didn't find a specific Jefferson ordinance addressing occupancy in tiny houses or RVs long-term. Planning Board minutes reference warrant articles on campgrounds and short-term rentals, which suggests the town is actively legislating around alternative housing and camping uses, but I couldn't confirm a clear rule either way. Confirm directly with the Zoning Enforcement Officer or Planning Board.

For building permits, Jefferson clearly runs its own local permitting process alongside land-use approval. Planning Board minutes show the town conditions project approvals on applicants producing proof of "required permits," including septic, Alteration of Terrain, and wetlands permits, before final sign-off.

Septic is where state and local rules overlap. Design and permitting of septic systems is a state-level function, run by NH DES's Subsurface Systems Bureau, not a town health officer ordinance. The town's role, per Planning Board minutes, is to require proof of that state permit as a condition of local approval. Similarly, an Alteration of Terrain permit, another state requirement out of NH DES, kicks in for larger land-disturbing construction.

Greywater reuse, rainwater harvesting, and private wells are all areas where I found no Jefferson-specific ordinance language. Wells fall under the state Water Well Board framework (RSA 482-B) as a baseline, but there's no town-specific well rule I could locate. Same goes for greywater and rainwater: no local ordinance found, so the state building and plumbing code baseline is presumably what applies, but I'd call the town to be sure.

On living disconnected from utilities, I found no explicit Jefferson requirement that a dwelling hook up to water or sewer. The Land Use Ordinance's district and use restrictions, plus the permit conditions around septic, Alteration of Terrain, and wetlands, are the real operative controls here rather than any direct "you must connect to utilities" rule.

Bottom line: Jefferson zones and actively enforces land use, and layers state septic/terrain permitting on top through its approval process. But several off-grid specifics (RVs, greywater, wells, utility disconnection) simply aren't spelled out in what I could find, which means a phone call to the town is your best next step before you commit to a plan.