Off-Grid Living in Fairfax, Vermont

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in Fairfax, Vermont, and the short version is: this is a zoned town, and Vermont layers state rules on top of that, so you're dealing with two levels of permitting no matter what you build.

Zoning. Fairfax adopted town-wide Development Regulations under the state's enabling statute (24 V.S.A. Chapter 117), most recently updated in 2024. The town is split into districts like Growth Center, Mixed Use, Rural, Conservation, Residential, and Recreation, plus a flood zone overlay. A Zoning Permit from the town's Zoning Administrator is required before you start most land development, unless a specific exemption applies. Which district your land sits in matters a lot, so I'd check the zoning map with the town before assuming anything about what you can put on a parcel.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I could not find specifics in the regulations about tiny homes or RVs as permanent dwellings. The Development Regulations govern "land development" broadly, and there's a section on exemptions I wasn't able to fully review. This is a call the Zoning Administrator, Amber Soter, needs to make directly.

Building permits. On top of the zoning permit, Fairfax has its own Building Inspection, Code Enforcement, and Fire Safety Ordinance. So expect at least two town-level touchpoints (zoning and building) before you break ground.

Septic and composting toilets. This is state jurisdiction. Vermont's Agency of Natural Resources (via the Department of Environmental Conservation) took over permitting of all new wastewater and water supply systems statewide back in 2007, and that includes composting and incinerating toilets, since the waste is treated as containing pathogens. I found no Fairfax-specific septic ordinance layered on top, just the state permit requirement. Fairfax's own zoning materials also flag wetlands as something to check before you build.

Greywater. Also handled under DEC's Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Rules, which specifically address greywater disposal alongside composting toilets. No separate town rule found.

Rainwater. I didn't find any Fairfax ordinance restricting rainwater catchment, so this looks fine at the baseline state and local level, though I'd still confirm nothing's changed.

Wells. New well construction falls under that same DEC permit program. Some minor repairs or pump replacements may not need a fresh permit, but a new well for a new building will. No added town-level well rule found.

Off-grid / disconnected living. DEC guidance suggests a primitive camp without plumbing may not need a water permit, and composting toilets are allowed there. But any habitable structure still needs Fairfax's zoning permit, and any plumbing triggers the state wastewater/water permit.

Bottom line: Fairfax isn't hostile to off-grid living, but it isn't a free-for-all either. You're layering town zoning and building rules on top of Vermont's fairly assertive statewide wastewater and water supply program.