Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire

Town of Gilmanton’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Gilmanton town limits; the town adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance

  • Ordinance enacted by the voters of the town; the PDF header reads 'Adopted: March 10, 1970' and the revision list runs to March 12, 2024, so the current text should be confirmed with the town.

  “the establishment and description of zones as depicted on the “gilmanton zoning map” are hereby adopted, below:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Gilmanton town: Gilmanton Corners Village, Gilmanton Iron Works Village, Residential Lake, Light Business, Business, Rural, Conservation

  • Permitted uses by district are in Article IV, Table 1; lot requirements are in Article IV, Table 2 (text extraction of Table 2 is garbled, see followups).

  “the establishment and description of zones as depicted on the “gilmanton zoning map” are hereby adopted, below:”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Rural district (the main district covering most of Gilmanton town; residential, agricultural and forestry uses) inside Gilmanton town

  • Minimum lot area is stated in the district description; Article IV, Table 2 conventional and open space lot-area figures are garbled in text extraction.
  • Open space subdivisions under Article V may vary the lot requirements.

  minimum lot area: >= 2 acres · road frontage: >= 200 feet (on a class V or better road)

  “the minimum acreage is two acres with 200’ of road frontage on a class v or better road.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Village zones (Gilmanton Corners Village and Gilmanton Iron Works Village) inside Gilmanton town

    “the minimum acreage in these zones is one acre with 125’ of road frontage on a class v or better road.”

  • Specified — Conservation zone (northern section of Gilmanton town) inside Gilmanton town

    “the minimum lot size in this zone is ten acres with 400’ of road frontage on a class v or better road.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Corner lots in Gilmanton town (general provision following Article IV Table 2)

  • Table 2 conventional and open-space front and side/rear setbacks by district could not be read reliably from the text extraction and are NOT recorded here; see followups.
  • State of NH setbacks from wetlands, streams and water bodies are listed in Table 2 notes.

  front setback from street or right-of-way on corner lot: >= 35 feet

  “in the case of a corner lot, all buildings shall be set back at least 35 feet from each street or right-of-way.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles used as living space or stored on private land inside Gilmanton town

  • Articles VI.d.1 and VI.d.2 list exceptions (VI.d.1, VI.d.6 and VI.d.7 are referenced but were not read).
  • Permits for RV parking, storage or use on vacant lots are limited to cases allowed under Article VI.d or VI.b.
  • Septic and setback rules still apply.
  • Local ordinance text in the Table of Contents also refers to 'storage and use of recreational vehicles' in Article VI.d.

  “recreational vehicles may be used or stored only in approved campgrounds, except to the articles provided herein.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured housing installed on land inside Gilmanton town; replacement of existing units

  • Replacement of a recreational vehicle or manufactured housing unit legally installed as of March 14, 2000 is allowed without special exception if it complies with septic system and setback rules and does not exceed the footprint and living area of the replaced unit.
  • Manufactured housing parks and subdivisions (Article VI.a) and temporary manufactured housing permits (Article VI.b) are separate sections and were not fully read.
  • Also subject to floodplain elevation rules in SFHA.

  “provided that any said replacement recreational vehicle or manufactured housing comply with all applicable septic system and setback requirements then in effect”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed

  Accessory dwelling units on lots with a principal single-family dwelling inside Gilmanton town (Article IV Table 1 lists accessory dwelling units as permitted use 'p' in the village, rural, conservation, light business, business and residential lake districts)

  • Only one accessory dwelling unit per principal dwelling and/or lot.
  • ADU must have a separate house number from the principal dwelling.
  • An ADU does not count as an additional dwelling unit for minimum lot size.
  • Detached ADUs are allowed.
  • Attached ADUs must allow re-incorporation into the principal dwelling; internal access must be maintained or constructed.

  ADU floor area minimum: >= 300 square feet · ADU floor area maximum: <= 1000 square feet (habitable living space as defined by the 2009 International Building Code)

  “an accessory dwelling unit shall have an area of no less than 300 square feet and no greater than 1,000 square feet of habitable living space”

• Off-grid sanitationProhibited

  Portable toilets as the sanitation supporting occupancy of a recreational vehicle, building or dwelling on any lot inside Gilmanton town

  • Temporary portable toilets for construction, special events or emergency repairs are allowed for up to seven days without a permit; longer periods require a town health officer permit.
  • Dwelling sanitation otherwise must meet the septic rules in Article III.a and NH DES standards.

  “portable toilets are prohibited from use on any lot for the purpose of supporting occupancy of a recreational vehicle, building or any part of a building as a dwelling house, sleeping apartment or tourist cabin.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Gilmanton town, including open space subdivisions under Article V

  • Lot areas in Table 2 are 'except as provided in gilmanton subdivision regulations'; the town subdivision regulations were not opened.
  • Open space subdivisions allow flexible design under Article V and Planning Board approval.

  “the purpose of the open space subdivision design is to conserve agricultural and forestlands, habitat, water quality, and rural character”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development within the special flood hazard area (zone A) in Gilmanton town under the town floodplain management ordinance

  • Recreational vehicles in zone A must be on site fewer than 180 consecutive days, or be fully licensed and ready for highway use, or meet NFIP elevation and anchoring standards.
  • Manufactured homes must be elevated and anchored; enclosed areas below the lowest floor are limited to parking, access or storage.

  “(4) all recreational vehicles placed on sites within zone "a" shall either: (a) be on the site for fewer than 180 consecutive days; (b) be fully licensed and ready for highway use;”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Gilmanton or Belknap County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits for new construction inside Gilmanton town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits inside Gilmanton town
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Gilmanton town
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Gilmanton town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Gilmanton town

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Gilmanton means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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