Off-Grid Living in New London, New Hampshire

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in New London, New Hampshire, and the short version is: this is a zoned town with active enforcement, not a quiet backwoods loophole. If you're picturing raw land and total freedom from permits, New London isn't that town. But plenty of the pieces (wells, composting toilets, careful septic use) are workable if you go through the right offices.

Zoning is real here. New London's Planning & Zoning Department administers a 2024 Zoning Ordinance with maps and district-based rules, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment actively hears special exceptions and variances. Anything outside a permitted use in your district, including informal land occupancy, would need to go through that process. I'd call the Town Planner's office before assuming anything is allowed.

Dwellings, tiny homes, and RVs: I couldn't find a New London-specific ordinance addressing tiny homes or RVs as permanent dwellings. That doesn't mean they're fine, it means the general Zoning Ordinance and Building/Zoning Permit process would apply, and you'd want the Planning & Zoning Department to confirm how they'd classify your structure.

Building permits are required and issued locally through the town's Building Department. New Hampshire's state building code (administered at the municipal level per the State Fire Marshal's office) sets the baseline, but New London handles the actual permitting.

Septic is where New London has gotten notably more active. The town's Health Officer and Board of Selectmen adopted a septic health regulation (approved December 2024, effective January 1, 2026) requiring individual sewage disposal systems to be pumped and inspected at least every three years. That applies whether you're on or off the grid. Composting toilets and outhouses fall under state DHHS guidance under RSA 147, permitted with local health officer approval on siting and construction.

Greywater and rainwater harvesting I couldn't confirm at the town level at all, there's no dedicated ordinance I could find either way. Treat this as genuinely unclear and check with the Health Officer or Planning Department before building a system.

Private wells are permitted and regulated by the state Water Well Board; I found no town restriction. New London also runs a separate water precinct (New London/Springfield Water Precinct) in some areas, distinct from the town's own sewer system.

Disconnecting from utilities entirely isn't outright banned, but if you're near a public sewer line, New Hampshire state law (RSA 147:8) can require connection within a set distance, and New London's own sewer ordinance should be checked for its specific terms. If you're on septic, the new pumping/inspection regulation applies regardless of how "off-grid" the rest of your setup is.

Bottom line: New London is workable for a well-planned off-grid setup, especially around water and waste, but you'll be dealing with real zoning and health department oversight the whole way.