Off-Grid Living in Rockingham, Vermont

I've been digging into what off-grid living actually looks like in Rockingham, Vermont, which covers Bellows Falls, Saxtons River, and a few outlying hamlets. Here's my honest read of the research, with the caveat that some specifics need a direct call to town hall to nail down.

Zoning is real here. Rockingham adopted a new Zoning Bylaw in September 2025 (replacing one from 1982), and it applies across every village and hamlet in town, though each district can have its own rules. That means you can't assume raw land is a blank slate. Any development, off-grid or not, needs a zoning permit from the town's Planning & Zoning office, and a hearing won't even get scheduled until the Zoning Administrator says your application is complete.

Tiny homes and RVs as full-time dwellings: I couldn't find specific numeric standards (minimum square footage, foundation rules, etc.) in the bylaw text I reviewed. This is genuinely unclear from the research, and I'd call it a "confirm before you commit" item with the Zoning Administrator or the town's Development Review Board, which took over permit authority back in 2017.

Building permits: Vermont doesn't run a statewide building code for owner-occupied single-family homes, so Rockingham handles this locally. The town's Public Health Officer, a town employee with state-granted authority, does building and property inspections to catch code and health violations. A zoning permit from Planning & Zoning is required before you build.

Septic and greywater: This is a state matter, not a town one. Vermont's DEC Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply (WW) Program permits any soil-based septic system handling under 6,500 gallons/day, plus private (non-public) water supplies. Rockingham falls under the Springfield Regional Office for this. Greywater systems get folded into the same WW permit framework, there's no separate lighter-touch track that I found.

Rainwater harvesting: I found no Rockingham-specific bylaw addressing rainwater catchment, so state guidance on non-potable use is what applies by default. This looks permitted, but it's worth double-checking with the town if you're doing anything unusual.

Private wells: Governed by the state, not the town. Vermont has testing requirements tied to real estate transactions with private wells, and the Department of Health and DEC's WW Program are the go-to resources.

Disconnecting from utilities entirely: Nothing in the bylaw material I found requires hookup to municipal power, water, or sewer. But going off-grid doesn't get you out of permitting, you'll still need a DEC water/wastewater permit for on-site systems and a town zoning permit for the structure itself.

Bottom line: Rockingham won't stop you from living off-grid, but it also won't let you skip the paperwork. Zoning permits from the town, wastewater/septic permits from the state, that's the two-track system you're working within.