Off-Grid Living in Francestown, New Hampshire

Francestown, New Hampshire is a zoned town, not one of the rural unzoned towns you sometimes find further north. That's the first thing to get straight before you buy land here: the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment actively administer a zoning ordinance (most recently amended around 2025/2026), and it applies to your project whether you're building a stick-built house or trying to live simply off the land.

Zoning and land use. The ordinance is adopted under state authority (RSA 674:21), and Francestown uses it for things like an Open Space Development district and a Steep Slope District covering any land with slopes of 15% or more, where the Planning Board has exclusive say. So a chunk of Francestown's rural-looking land isn't a free-for-all, slope and drainage rules can shape what you're allowed to build and where.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. The town's ordinance explicitly deals with accessory dwelling units, and recent amendments (tied to state ADU law) push toward letting ADUs go on more lots, including back lots. But I did not find specific town language on tiny homes on wheels or RV living as a permanent residence, so treat that as unconfirmed and call the Planning Board or Building Inspector before you park anything long-term.

Building permits. Francestown's Building Inspector enforces the full New Hampshire State Building Code, which bundles the IBC, IRC, plumbing, mechanical, energy, electrical, and life-safety codes. This isn't a town invention, it's the state code, but the town's own inspector is who signs off locally.

Septic and composting toilets. This is a two-layer approval. Francestown's zoning ordinance requires the Town Building Inspector to approve a sewage disposal design in addition to the state's NH Division of Water Supply and Pollution Control (now under NHDES), with copies filed with the Planning Board. Statewide, any structure hooked to a water supply needs an approved wastewater system designed by a permitted professional, and NHDES issues separate approvals for construction and for operation. I did not find a Francestown-specific composting toilet rule, so state guidance is what applies by default.

Greywater and rainwater. I couldn't find town or clear state rules specifically addressing residential greywater reuse or rainwater harvesting in Francestown. That's a genuine gap in the public record I reviewed, not a green light, so ask the Building Inspector directly.

Wells. Wells fall under the state's Water Well Board licensing system generally. Francestown's ordinance mentions water/sewage adequacy for certain uses like bed and breakfasts, requiring Building Inspector and NHDES review, but there's no separate town well ordinance beyond that.

Going fully off-grid. Francestown doesn't seem to mandate municipal utility hookups (it's a rural, largely unsewered town), but any structure with a water supply triggers the wastewater review described above. There's no explicit language addressing a totally undeveloped, no-water, no-structure off-grid setup, so if that's your plan, a direct conversation with the Planning Board and Building Inspector is worth having before you invest.