Off-Grid Living in Danville, New Hampshire

Danville, New Hampshire is a zoned town, and that fact shapes almost everything about off-grid living here. I want to be upfront that I'm reporting on what the town's own documents and state statutes say, not offering legal advice, and I'd encourage anyone serious about a project here to call the offices below before buying land or breaking ground.

Zoning. Danville has an adopted Zoning Ordinance administered by its Planning Board, which was established under the state's RSA 673 enabling law. The town is divided into districts (Residential/Agricultural, Village, Historic, Mobile Home/Manufactured Home, and Highway Commercial/Light Industrial), and raw-land occupancy without a conforming structure isn't spelled out as its own allowance, so it would fall under normal zoning and building permit rules.

Dwellings, tiny homes, and RVs. There's a Mobile Home/Manufactured Home zone, and Danville allows Accessory Dwelling Units, including letting a new owner continue using an existing ADU if the original conditions are kept. New Hampshire state law gives homeowners a right to an ADU for family, a caregiver, or a rental, subject to local rules. I did not find Danville-specific language permitting tiny homes on wheels or RVs as full-time residences, so that's genuinely unclear and worth a direct call to the Planning Board.

Building permits. Required, no way around it. Danville follows the state building, energy, mechanical, plumbing, residential, electrical, and fire codes set by the New Hampshire State Building Code Review Board, and the town's Building Inspector issues local permits, with applications routed through the Selectmen's Office.

Septic and composting toilets. I found no Danville-specific ordinance on septic or composting toilets. Septic systems statewide fall under NH DES's Subsurface Systems Bureau, and it's not confirmed whether Danville layers on any additional local health-officer requirements.

Greywater and rainwater. Neither turned up in Danville's ordinance, and New Hampshire doesn't have a dedicated statewide DES rule on residential greywater reuse either. Rainwater harvesting isn't addressed locally beyond the town's general deference to state plumbing and residential codes. Both are genuinely open questions here.

Wells. No town-specific well ordinance was found. Well construction is licensed at the state level through the NH Water Well Board under RSA 482-B.

Utility disconnection. I didn't find an explicit Danville rule requiring hookup to water, sewer, or electric. The zoning ordinance is focused on districts, setbacks, ADUs, and building code compliance rather than utility mandates, but I'd treat that as unconfirmed rather than a green light, since septic approval in particular can be a prerequisite for an occupancy permit.

Bottom line: Danville is a real zoned town with real building code enforcement, and several off-grid specifics (greywater, rainwater, utility disconnection) simply aren't spelled out in what I could find, which means "not addressed" rather than "not allowed." Call before you plan.