Off-Grid Living in Richmond, Vermont

I've been digging into what it would actually take to live off-grid in Richmond, Vermont, and the short version is: Richmond is a zoned town, so you're not going to find a loophole around permits here the way you might in some unincorporated county out west.

Zoning is real and active. The Town of Richmond, through its Planning & Zoning Office and Development Review Board (DRB), operates under the Richmond Zoning Regulations (last amended May 2024). Any "land development" needs a zoning permit first, issued by the Zoning Administrative Officer, unless a narrow state exemption under 24 VSA §4413 applies. The town is split into zoning districts with a use table: some uses are permitted outright, some need site plan review, some need full conditional-use approval from the DRB. If you're thinking about subdividing a larger parcel, there's a specific administrative path for splitting a lot over 25 acres into two without full DRB review, but check the restriction on re-subdividing too soon.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs: honestly, I couldn't confirm Richmond's specific stance on tiny houses, minimum dwelling sizes, or living in an RV full-time. The permitting structure clearly exists for all land development, but I didn't find bylaw language addressing these directly. This is a "call the Zoning Administrative Officer before you buy or build" situation.

Building permits: Vermont doesn't have a statewide building code for owner-occupied single-family homes, which surprises people. That means Richmond's own local permit process, run through the ZAO, is what actually governs you. A pre-application meeting with staff is required before anything goes to the DRB.

Septic and greywater: this is state territory, not town. Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation, through its Regional Office wastewater program, issues Water/Wastewater permits for septic systems and potable water supplies. You can replace a septic tank or pipes without a permit, but touching the leachfield requires contacting the state Division first. Richmond's zoning also asks for an ANR Atlas map with permit applications. Greywater reuse falls under this same state wastewater rule framework, with nothing town-specific layered on top.

Rainwater harvesting: I found no Richmond bylaw restricting collecting rainwater for non-potable use, so state baseline rules apply here.

Wells: siting and construction of a private well is a state-level matter, handled through the Vermont Department of Health and the DEC Wastewater/Potable Water program. Richmond doesn't appear to layer its own well ordinance on top.

Utilities: nothing in the zoning bylaws requires hooking up to municipal power or water. But going off-grid on utilities doesn't get you out of the zoning permit or the state wastewater/water-supply permit for whatever septic and well systems you install.

Bottom line: Richmond isn't hostile to off-grid living, but it is not a place to skip permits and hope nobody notices. Start with the Planning & Zoning Office.