Off-Grid Living in Wells, Vermont

I'll be upfront: Wells, Vermont is a tough one to pin down, and I'd rather tell you that plainly than pretend I found a bylaw that isn't there.

Zoning. I could not find a zoning bylaw published on the Town of Wells website or on any of the usual municipal code hosts (Municode, eCode360, American Legal). The town's own site simply points residents toward state permitting for land use, which is a hint that Wells may be unzoned, but it's not an official statement one way or the other. A commercial title company claims outright that Wells has no zoning, but since that's not a government source, I'm not treating it as confirmed. If you're planning anything on raw land here, call the Wells Town Clerk's Office before you buy or build.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. Same story: no Wells-specific ordinance turned up addressing minimum dwelling size, tiny homes, or living in an RV. If the town truly has no zoning, there's likely no local restriction, but that's an inference, not a confirmed fact.

Building permits. No town building permit page or building inspector was found for Wells. Vermont doesn't have a statewide structural code requirement for owner-occupied single-family homes, so absent a local bylaw, there may be no local building permit process at all here, but again, ask the Town Office directly.

Septic and composting toilets. This one I can say with more confidence: regardless of what Wells does or doesn't do locally, the State of Vermont, through the Agency of Natural Resources / Department of Environmental Conservation, administers the Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Rules statewide, and this covers composting toilets too. The Town of Wells' own site directs residents to complete these state permits, so this is not optional.

Greywater. No town rule found, but this falls under the same DEC wastewater rules as septic, statewide, as a non-conventional system.

Rainwater harvesting. No Wells ordinance restricting catchment of rainwater for non-potable uses was found, so this looks permitted, though I'd still confirm nothing has changed with the Town Office.

Wells and water rights. No town-specific well ordinance was located. Well siting, construction, and testing fall under DEC's statewide water supply rules.

Utility disconnection. No Wells ordinance requiring hookup to electric, water, or sewer utilities was found, so living off-grid from a utilities standpoint looks fine locally, but DEC's water and wastewater permitting still applies no matter your grid status.

Bottom line: Wells looks like it may be a low-regulation town at the local level, but the state layer, especially DEC's wastewater rules, is real and not something to skip. Call the Town Office before you assume anything about zoning or building permits, since I genuinely could not confirm those either way.