Off-Grid Living in Vershire, Vermont

I've been digging into what it actually takes to live off-grid in Vershire, Vermont, and here's the honest picture based on what the town and state have published.

Zoning: Vershire is zoned, not a free-for-all. Unlike some rural Vermont towns that leave land use pretty open, Vershire adopted zoning bylaws (base districts date to 2008) administered by a Zoning Administrator. That means what you can build and where depends on which district your parcel sits in. I couldn't pin down exact minimum lot sizes or setback numbers from the materials I reviewed, so if you're eyeing a specific parcel, you'll want to get a written determination from the Zoning Administrator or pull the full bylaw PDF from the town's site rather than guessing.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs: I found no Vershire-specific language calling out tiny homes or RVs as dwellings. That doesn't mean it's a green light, it means it falls under the same district-by-district dimensional and use standards in the zoning bylaw, and you should ask the Zoning Administrator directly before you park or build.

Building permits: Vermont has no statewide residential building code for owner-occupied homes, which surprises a lot of newcomers. But Vershire's own ordinances do control building placement, dimensions, lot sizing, and subdivision rules, run through the town's zoning permit process. So "no state code" doesn't mean "no local permit."

Septic and greywater: This is where the state, not the town, calls the shots. Since July 1, 2007, Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation has held universal jurisdiction over wastewater and potable water supply permitting statewide. Any new septic system, composting toilet setup tied to plumbing, or greywater system in Vershire needs a Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Permit through DEC's Regional Office Program. I found no town exemption from this.

Rainwater harvesting: I found no Vershire ordinance restricting rainwater collection, and state guidance generally treats non-potable rainwater use as fine. Still worth a call to confirm nothing local has changed.

Wells: Private, non-public wells are also handled by the same DEC Regional Office Program under the Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Rules. No separate Vershire well ordinance turned up in my research.

Going fully off-utility: Vershire has no municipal water/sewer system of real scale, and I found no zoning requirement forcing hookup to town utilities. But going off-grid doesn't get you out of the state wastewater/water permit requirement, that applies regardless of whether you're near a municipal line.

Bottom line: the town controls land use and building placement, the state controls water and waste. Both matter, and Vershire's staffing (Zoning Administrator, Development Administrator) has apparently changed hands recently, so calling the Town Office to confirm who's currently in that seat is a smart first move.