Off-Grid Living in Litchfield, New Hampshire

I've been digging into Litchfield, New Hampshire for readers who ask whether they can just buy some land and live simply off it. Short answer: Litchfield is a fully zoned town, so "raw land, do what you want" isn't really on the table here. Here's what I found, dimension by dimension.

Zoning. Litchfield adopted its first zoning ordinance back in 1949 and now has seven primary zones plus three overlay districts, all administered by the Planning Board. Whatever you want to do with a parcel, from siting a dwelling to running a homestead, has to fit the zoning district it sits in. This is a town-level rule layered on top of New Hampshire's state floor for land use.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. Litchfield has a real, actively updated ordinance for Accessory Dwelling Units, run through the Code Enforcement Officer/Building Inspector. ADUs need a building permit and a certificate of occupancy, and there are specific size bands (roughly 500 to 1,200 square feet, capped at 75% of the main home's living space). What I couldn't confirm is how the town treats a tiny house on wheels or a full-time RV as a primary residence, there's no separate provision I found, so I'd call the Building Department before assuming either is fine long-term.

Building permits. The town runs an online (MyGov) permitting system, and the Code Enforcement Officer reviews all applications, including anything in a flood hazard area. New Hampshire's "live free or die" statute does let homeowners do certain non-trade work themselves without a license, which is a state-level allowance worth knowing about.

Septic and composting toilets. This is dual-jurisdiction: NH DES issues state approvals for construction and operation of septic systems, and Litchfield's own Health Regulations (adopted under RSA 147:1) require the Health Officer's sign-off on your specific system design. Composting toilets aren't addressed in the town health code excerpts I found, so treat that as unconfirmed and ask the Health Officer directly.

Greywater and rainwater. I found no Litchfield-specific ordinance on either. That means you're likely operating under New Hampshire's general baseline, which doesn't have a dedicated residential greywater rule, but I'd confirm with the Building Department before installing anything permanent.

Wells. The town's Health Regulations tie well siting to septic setbacks, and the document I reviewed was cut off before spelling out full permit requirements, so some detail is unconfirmed. State well construction rules under the Water Well Board (RSA 482-B) remain the backbone authority regardless.

Off-grid/utility disconnection. I didn't find a blanket Litchfield ordinance requiring hookups to water or sewer utilities, but the Health Officer has broad authority to enforce habitability standards and can act on unfit-building complaints. Given the certificate-of-occupancy requirements tied to ADUs, I'd assume habitability enforcement is real here, not just theoretical.

Bottom line: Litchfield isn't hostile to off-grid-style living, but it is a zoned, code-enforced town where septic, wells, and dwellings all go through a real approval chain at both town and state level. Call ahead before you commit to a plan.