Off-Grid Living in Kirby, Vermont

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in Kirby, Vermont, and the short version is: Kirby is a zoned town, so you're working within local bylaws layered on top of Vermont's statewide water and wastewater rules, not operating in some unregulated pocket of the Northeast Kingdom.

Zoning. Kirby adopted zoning bylaws (the town passed an update in November 2022, superseding a 2012 version), administered by the town's Zoning Administrator and Planning Commission. The town is split into a Residential/Rural district, a Commercial/Light Industry district, a Flood Plain district, and a Highlands District that specifically protects steep, shallow-soil hillsides from denser development. Most construction or land use change needs a zoning permit from the town. If you're eyeing raw land here, start with the Zoning Administrator before you assume anything is allowed.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. The bylaw language I found references categories like bed & breakfasts and lodging houses, and it's explicit that non-dwelling structures can't be lived in. That tells me Kirby does regulate what counts as a legal dwelling, but I could not pin down exact tiny-home or RV occupancy provisions in the versions of the bylaws I accessed. This is one to confirm directly with the Zoning Administrator, since bylaw text changes and older PDFs may be outdated.

Building permits. Vermont has no statewide residential building code for owner-occupied single-family homes, but that doesn't mean Kirby is code-free. The town handles its own zoning/building permit applications, available through the town office.

Septic and greywater. This is where state law takes over from the town. Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation has held universal jurisdiction over wastewater and water supply permitting since 2007. Any new septic system, and any greywater system tied to a soil-based wastewater setup, needs a Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Permit through DEC's regional office structure. I found no Kirby-specific exemption from this, so assume the state process applies in full.

Rainwater and wells. I didn't find any Kirby bylaw addressing rainwater harvesting, and non-potable collection appears to be treated as permitted under the general state posture. Wells for potable use fall under the same DEC WW permit program; notably, replacing a water supply for a single-family home can sometimes skip the permit step, but the well's location still has to be filed in the town land records, which runs through the Kirby Town Clerk.

Utilities. Nobody's making you hook up to municipal power or water here, largely because Kirby doesn't run municipal sewer or trash service at all, residents haul trash themselves or use a private hauler. Living unplugged from the grid is fine; your septic and water supply still have to satisfy DEC.

Bottom line: town controls zoning and building permits, state controls water and waste. Confirm dwelling specifics before you commit.