Off-Grid Living in Fremont, New Hampshire

I've spent some time digging through Fremont's zoning ordinance and building permit files, plus New Hampshire's state septic and building code rules, to sketch out what off-grid living looks like here. A few caveats up front: I'm not a lawyer, I'm reporting what the town and state documents say, and you should confirm specifics with the offices listed below before you buy land or start building.

Zoning. Fremont is zoned, under authority granted by the state (RSA 674:35), and administered locally by the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment. The ordinance carves out overlay districts, including a Wetlands and Watershed Protection District and an Aquifer Protection District, that can restrict where you build. If your land touches wetlands, expect buffer requirements (I've seen references to a 100-foot wetland buffer triggering variance requests for something as small as a shed), so check with the Land Use Coordinator before assuming your parcel is unrestricted.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. The town's ordinance allows an RV, camper, or trailer coach to sit on your land unoccupied in any zone, and to be occupied for camping purposes for up to 90 days a year, but it explicitly cannot become your permanent residence. Manufactured/mobile homes are treated as single-family dwellings and must meet the same siting standards. I didn't find any Fremont-specific tiny-house-on-foundation carve-out, so a tiny home on a permanent foundation would likely just fall under standard single-family dwelling and building code rules.

Building permits. Fremont has adopted the state building code (ICC 2009 editions as referenced by the town) plus the state fire code. You'll need a building permit, and before it's issued the town wants a state-approved septic design in hand, plus a driveway permit (from the town Road Agent for town roads, or NHDOT for state highways).

Septic and composting toilets. This is state-driven: NHDES requires any structure with plumbed fixtures that discharges sewage to connect to a septic system or sewer, no matter your water source. Composting or incinerating toilets are allowed for human waste but can't substitute for septic if you have plumbing. Privies are allowed under state law (RSA 147:8) only where there's no electricity or running water, and need local Health Officer sign-off on siting and construction.

Greywater and rainwater. I did not find a Fremont-specific greywater ordinance, and there's no clear statewide DES residential greywater rule I could confirm either, so treat this as unresolved and ask the Health Officer or NHDES directly. Rainwater harvesting looks fine, it falls under the adopted state plumbing/building code with no added town restriction I found.

Wells. Well permitting runs through the state Water Well Board (RSA 482-B); I didn't find any Fremont-added well ordinance layered on top.

Off-grid utilities generally. There's no blanket Fremont rule forcing you onto the electric or water grid, but in practice, if you have any plumbing, NHDES's septic/wastewater rules kick in and get enforced at the town's building-permit stage. Fully unplumbed cabins with privies face fewer hurdles than anything with running water.