Off-Grid Living in Shelburne, Vermont

I've been digging into what it would actually take to live off-grid in Shelburne, Vermont, and the short version is: this is a fully zoned town, and the state of Vermont runs the show on water and wastewater. Here's what I found.

Zoning. Shelburne has had comprehensive zoning since 1963, and the Selectboard recently passed a full rewrite of the bylaws, moving toward what's called Unified Land Development Regulations. Land use, including raw-land occupancy and dwellings, is governed by these bylaws, administered by a Zoning Administrator and a Development Review Board. The town is split into districts (Serviced, Rural, Special Purpose) with their own permitted and conditional use lists, so what you can do with a piece of land really depends on which district it sits in. Vermont-required agricultural and silvicultural practices are exempt from needing a town zoning permit, per state Agency of Agriculture and Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation definitions.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I didn't find explicit tiny-house or RV occupancy rules in the bylaw excerpts I reviewed. Any residential structure runs through the standard zoning permit process, and I'd call the Planning & Zoning office directly before assuming a tiny home or RV is treated like a conventional house.

Building permits. Shelburne issues its own zoning permits for construction, separate from the state's wastewater/water permitting. Permits are signed by the Enforcement Officer and generally become effective after an appeal window, so don't start building the moment you get a signature.

Septic and water supply. This is a state matter, not a town one. Vermont DEC has held universal jurisdiction over wastewater systems and potable water supplies since 2007, requiring a Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Permit for new construction, subdivision, or replacing a failed system. Shelburne layers on a Stormwater-Impaired Watershed Overlay District in certain areas, which can trigger extra stormwater documentation if a project changes impervious surface.

Greywater and rainwater. I found no Shelburne-specific ordinance on either. Greywater falls under the same state wastewater rules above; rainwater harvesting doesn't appear to be restricted by the town at all, based on what I reviewed.

Wells. Private water supplies that aren't public systems go through the same state Water Supply Program, administered through DEC's regional offices. I didn't find a separate town-level well siting rule.

Disconnecting from utilities. Shelburne doesn't appear to require hookup to municipal water, sewer, or electric. That said, state-driven density rules under the HOME Act treat land with municipal water and sewer differently (allowing higher density), which indirectly affects how off-grid parcels are zoned versus serviced ones.

Bottom line: check with Shelburne's Planning & Zoning office for anything structural or district-specific, and with Vermont DEC for anything involving water in or out of the ground.