Tiny House Zoning North East US

Hey there,
  My fiance and I have been looking more into the tiny lifestyle and have come to see that it is the most sustainable for the way that we want to live. We have been looking in the North East and more specifically in Vermont. I was wondering if any of you out there know of areas/towns open to tiny homers and where we could buy land to build our dream tiny house/ yurt legally. Thank you in advance
  Rick and Malik

The upsurge in Tiny Homes actually started because they skirt many building codes because they are not considered a fixed dwelling because they are movable.

Where I live in Maine, most towns do not have any building codes. But that does not mean there are some things that a person has to do. There is typically a 2 acre minimum lot size, and a distance you have to stay from the property line (15 feet), and your well must be 100 feet from your leach field. And you do have to have a leach field. Other than that though, you can pretty much do whatever you want. It does not matter if you have a yurt, or a McMansion...those are the rules.

I do not know how Vermont is though, I suspect pretty lax on building codes. They do have incredibly high property taxes though...

Travis Johnson wrote:The upsurge in Tiny Homes actually started because they skirt many building codes because they are not considered a fixed dwelling because they are movable.

Where I live in Maine, most towns do not have any building codes. But that does not mean there are some things that a person has to do. There is typically a 2 acre minimum lot size, and a distance you have to stay from the property line (15 feet), and your well must be 100 feet from your leach field. And you do have to have a leach field. Other than that though, you can pretty much do whatever you want. It does not matter if you have a yurt, or a McMansion...those are the rules.

I do not know how Vermont is though, I suspect pretty lax on building codes. They do have incredibly high property taxes though...

Thank You! This was very helpful. We aren't set on Vermont so any information about North East states regulations helps!

Here in NH zoning varies widely from town to town.  Some allow them others do not.  You also have to be careful of season use zoning for cabins and other vacation homes.  This type of zoning doesn't allow year round occupancy.   If your tiny home has a vehicle number than it may also be restricted due to zoning in some towns.  

Grafton NH tends to be known for minimal zoning, permits, and hassle from the department of making you sad.