Off-Grid Living in Reading, Vermont

Reading, Vermont is a small Windsor County town that most people picture as "unregulated country," but that's not quite right, it does have its own zoning ordinance (adopted January 13, 2025), and it sits inside Vermont's statewide wastewater/water supply permitting system. If you're eyeing land here for an off-grid setup, here's what I found.

Zoning. Reading is zoned, town-wide, under its own ordinance. Land is divided into districts shown on official Zoning Maps kept at the Town Office. If you've got an old, small, legally subdivided lot, the ordinance gives it some protection from being treated as "merged" with a neighboring lot, as long as it's at least 1/8 acre and no dimension is under 40 feet. You'll still need a local land-use/zoning permit and a Certificate of Compliance before building or changing use.

Dwellings, tiny homes, RVs. I could not pin down Reading's specific use-table language on tiny homes or RVs as dwellings. The ordinance clearly exists and covers dimensional standards (I saw a 35-foot height cap referenced), but the RV/tiny-home clauses weren't in the material I reviewed. Call the Zoning Administrator before you park or build anything unconventional.

Building permits. The Town of Reading states plainly that permits are required before any construction, addition, alteration, or change of use, available from the Town Clerk or Zoning Administrator. There's no separately identified town Building Inspector position that I could confirm, so that permitting work appears to route through the Clerk/Zoning Administrator's office.

Septic and composting toilets. This is a two-layer issue. Vermont's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has held statewide jurisdiction over wastewater and water supply permitting since July 1, 2007, covering new construction that needs a wastewater system or water supply, including composting toilet siting rules under the state's Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Rules. Separately, there's reference to an older town Sewage Ordinance from 2004 requiring a local Certificate of Compliance, so confirm both layers with the Zoning Administrator and DEC.

Greywater. No Reading-specific rule turned up. State DEC treats greywater disposal as part of the wastewater permitting system, so plan on a state permit.

Rainwater. No town restriction found. Non-potable catchment (garden, flushing) is generally fine under state guidance; feeding it into potable indoor plumbing triggers DEC's water-supply rules.

Wells. Well construction and permitting run through the state DEC. The town's zoning ordinance separately requires that any nonconforming lot being developed comply with state and local water supply and wastewater rules before a permit issues.

Going off-grid entirely. Reading has no municipal water or sewer system, so there's no local mandate to hook up to anything, that piece is a non-issue here. Your obligations are the zoning permit process plus state wastewater/water-supply compliance.

Bottom line: Reading is friendlier ground than a heavily regulated suburb, but it's not a legal void. Zoning and permits are real and locally enforced, and septic/well work answers to the state DEC no matter how rural the parcel feels.