Off-Grid Living in Huntington, Vermont

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like, town by town, and Huntington, Vermont turned out to be a good example of a small rural town that is, despite appearances, fully zoned. Here's what I found.

Zoning: yes, Huntington is zoned. The town adopted comprehensive Land Use Regulations back in March 2023, rolling zoning, subdivision, and flood hazard rules into one document. That means a Zoning Permit (what used to be called a Building Permit here) is required for basically any new or expanded structure, land development, or change in use, including home occupations. This is administered by Huntington's Zoning Administrative Officer, with bigger or more contested projects going to the town's Development Review Board (DRB). If you're picturing quietly building on raw land here without anyone knowing, that's not how it works, the town has an active permitting process and a Groundwater Protection Overlay District layered on top of the base zoning.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs: genuinely unclear. I could not find specific Huntington bylaw text addressing tiny house minimums or RV/camper occupancy. The town's Land Use Regulations almost certainly have dimensional standards buried in there, but I don't have confirmed final text on tiny homes or RVs specifically. This is a "call the Zoning Administrative Officer" situation, not a guess-and-hope one.

Building permits: confirmed restricted, town-level. The Zoning Administrative Officer issues permits and, per the town's own materials, has a set window to act on a completed application. Don't assume state building code alone covers you here; the town layer is separate and mandatory.

Septic and greywater: this is where Huntington hands you off to the State of Vermont. The town's own zoning permit page links directly to the Vermont DEC's Wastewater Permit Search, and there's no evidence Huntington has taken over septic permitting itself (no "municipal delegation"). So septic systems, and by extension greywater reuse since Vermont doesn't carve out a separate greywater track, fall under the state's Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Rules, handled through DEC's Regional Office Program.

Rainwater: I found no Huntington rule restricting collection, so this looks permitted, though I'd call it a "nothing found" rather than an explicit green light.

Wells: also state-level. Private well and water supply permits go through the same DEC Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Permit process, no Huntington-specific well ordinance turned up in my research.

Living off the utility grid: Huntington is rural and mostly lacks municipal water and sewer, and I found no ordinance forcing a hookup. But that doesn't mean no permits, you still need the town Zoning Permit for structures and the state WW Permit for your water and wastewater systems.

Bottom line: Huntington isn't a place to fly under the radar. It's small, but it's zoned, permitted, and cross-references the state on water and waste. Confirm specifics with the town and the state before you commit to a plan.