Off-Grid Living in Leicester, Vermont

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in Leicester, Vermont, and here's my honest read after going through the town's own documents and the state's rules.

Zoning: Leicester is zoned, so raw land isn't a free-for-all. The Town of Leicester adopted its Unified Zoning Bylaws back in 2017, and that document governs land use and districts across town. I couldn't pin down specific setback or lot-size numbers for your situation in this pass, so if you're eyeing a parcel, pull the bylaw PDF from the town's site or call the Zoning Administrator to find out what district you're in and what that means for you.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs: genuinely unclear. I couldn't find specific provisions in the bylaw addressing minimum dwelling size, tiny homes, or RV occupancy. This is a "call before you build" situation, full stop, direct to the Zoning Administrator.

Building permits: locally administered, no statewide code baseline. Vermont doesn't have a statewide residential building code, which surprises a lot of people. That means whatever permitting applies in Leicester comes from the town's own bylaw and zoning administration, not a state code. I found the town's permitting page but not an itemized list of what triggers a permit, so again, the Zoning Administrator is your best contact.

Septic and composting toilets: this one is state-controlled. Since July 2007, the State of Vermont, through the Department of Environmental Conservation, has claimed universal jurisdiction over wastewater and water supply permitting statewide. Any new septic system, and likely composting toilet setups beyond minor exemptions, needs a Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Permit from the DEC regional office. I didn't find a separate Leicester ordinance on this, so it's the state's rulebook that applies. Leicester sits in Addison County, near the Rutland region line, so confirm which regional office actually covers you.

Greywater: same state program. No town-specific greywater rule turned up in my research; it falls under that same DEC wastewater permitting umbrella.

Rainwater harvesting: no local rule found. I didn't locate a Leicester bylaw addressing rainwater collection specifically, and state guidance generally allows non-potable use.

Wells: state-regulated, no town add-on found. Well siting and construction fall under the same DEC Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Rules, since the department also issues permits for private (non-public) water supplies.

Living off-grid/disconnected from utilities: nothing stopping you locally, but state permits still apply. Leicester is small and rural with no municipal sewer or water system implied by its Town Plan, so there's no ordinance forcing a hookup. But any septic, well, or greywater system you install still needs to clear that state DEC permit.

Bottom line: Leicester's own bylaw controls zoning and building permits, while the state of Vermont, through DEC, controls septic, well, and greywater. Confirm the details with the people below before you commit to a plan.