Off-Grid Living in Montgomery, Vermont

I've been digging through Montgomery, Vermont's zoning bylaws and the state's wastewater rules to piece together what off-grid living actually looks like here. Here's my honest read.

Zoning is real in Montgomery. Some Vermont towns skip zoning altogether, but Montgomery isn't one of them. The town adopted zoning bylaws back in 2018, and as of my research the Planning Commission is running an update through a state Bylaw Modernization grant. Practically, that means you need a zoning permit from the town's Zoning Administrator before you do most land development, whether that's a new structure, a conversion, or expanding use of land. The ZA has a set window (per the bylaw text, thirty days) to approve, refer to the Development Review Board, or deny an application. This is a town-level rule, administered locally, not something Montgomery inherited wholesale from the state, though it operates under the state's enabling statute (24 V.S.A. Chapter 117).

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs: I couldn't confirm specific standards for tiny houses or RVs as dwellings in the bylaw excerpts I found. This is a real gap, not a "no rule" situation, it's an "I haven't verified it yet" situation. Call the Zoning Administrator directly before you put a tiny home or RV on a Montgomery parcel as a residence.

Building permits: Montgomery requires the zoning permit described above for construction, but I didn't find a separate town building code beyond that. Vermont doesn't have a statewide residential structural code, but statewide energy standards do apply to new construction, so that's worth asking about too.

Septic and greywater: This one is clear-cut and it's a state rule, not a town one. Since 2007, Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation has claimed universal jurisdiction over wastewater and potable water systems statewide, including composting toilets and greywater setups treated as non-conventional systems. Montgomery's own zoning office points residents to this state program rather than handling it locally. You'll need a Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Permit from DEC's Regional Office Program for pretty much any new system.

Rainwater harvesting: I found no Montgomery-specific restriction on collecting rainwater for non-potable uses, which lines up with Vermont's general baseline of allowing it.

Wells: Montgomery actually runs its own municipal water system for in-village users, with a Water Commission and Water Department. If you're outside that service area, which is likely for most off-grid land, you're dealing with a private well regulated under the same state DEC program mentioned above.

Utility disconnection: I found nothing in Montgomery's bylaws requiring hookup to municipal electric, water, or sewer. That said, whatever on-site systems you install for water and waste still need state permitting.

My bottom line: Montgomery's zoning permit process is the town-level gate you can't skip, and the state's wastewater/water supply permit is the other big one. Everything else, rainwater and disconnecting from utilities especially, looks genuinely open, but confirm the dwelling-type question directly with the Zoning Administrator since I couldn't nail it down from the bylaw text.