Off-Grid Living in Andover, Vermont

Andover, Vermont is a small town in Windsor County, and I want to be upfront about something people often assume about tiny rural Vermont towns: Andover is NOT unzoned. The town adopted a Zoning Bylaw back in 1936 and still administers it today, with the whole town falling under an "R-1" Residential district structure. That means if you're picturing buying a back lot and doing whatever you want on it, Andover's Selectboard-adopted bylaw, administered under the state's Planning and Development Act (24 V.S.A. Chapter 117), says otherwise: no land development can begin without a zoning permit from the town's Administrative Officer.

On dwellings, the bylaw sets minimum requirements for the R-1 district, but I did not find, in the excerpts available to me, specific language addressing tiny homes or RVs as dwellings. That's a real gap, so if you're planning to live in a tiny house or camper, call the Town Office and ask the Administrative Officer directly how they'd classify it.

Building permits are issued at the town level by the Administrative Officer, and per the bylaw they expire two years after issuance. If a permit gets denied, the bylaw gives you the right to appeal to the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Here's the part that most affects off-grid dreams: Andover's own bylaw is explicit that no land can be used for human habitation or occupancy, temporary or permanent, unless an on-premise sewer (septic) system is installed first, and that system has to meet State of Vermont standards. So this is a double layer, a town-level occupancy rule stacked on top of the state's Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Rules, administered by Vermont DEC. Composting toilets alone won't satisfy this unless DEC and the town sign off on that as your approved system, and I'd confirm that specifically.

Greywater, rainwater harvesting, and private wells don't have town-specific provisions that I could find. For all three, you're most likely operating under Vermont's state baseline rules through DEC rather than anything Andover has written separately. Rainwater collection for non-potable use is generally fine under state guidance, but Andover hasn't weighed in with its own bylaw language, so I'd call it "not specifically addressed" rather than assume anything.

Bottom line on true off-grid living: you can disconnect from municipal electric and water without an issue as far as the bylaw is concerned, but you cannot skip the septic/wastewater permit and still legally occupy the land. Zoning and building permits are also non-negotiable steps before you start.

Given how many gaps exist around tiny homes, RVs, greywater, and wells, my strong advice is to call the Andover Town Office and Vermont DEC before you buy land or move a structure onto it. Small towns like Andover often handle edge cases informally, and the person who actually knows how they'll treat your situation is the Administrative Officer, not a PDF.