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

Town of Hanover’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Work on buildings or structures inside Hanover town.

  • Work exempted elsewhere in the ordinance does not require a permit.
  • Permit is issued upon approval by Planning, Zoning & Codes and must remain conspicuously posted and visible from the street during construction.

  permit validity: 2 years (A written request for a six-month extension must be submitted to the Building Official if the project is not completed.)

  “Before beginning any work, except as exempted elsewhere in this ordinance, the owner or their authorized agent shall secure a building permit”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings within Hanover town corporate limits.

  • Where the ordinance conflicts with state law, state law supersedes unless the ordinance or adopted codes provide otherwise.

  “These codes shall be known as the Hanover Building Code (or Building Code)”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted work inside Hanover town before work is covered.

  • If work is covered, the owner or agent must uncover it on request.
  • Missed scheduled inspections may incur a fee under the current Selectboard-adopted Rate & Fee Schedule.
  • Failure to obtain required inspections suspends the permit until reinstated.

  “The owner/owner’s representative shall obtain an appointment for an inspection before any work is covered to determine Building Code compliance.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Any Hanover building project for which a building permit is required.

  • The project may not be used or occupied unless approved in writing.
  • A certificate requires compliance with the building, zoning, subdivision, and site-plan regulations.
  • A partial/temporary certificate may be issued for up to 30 days and extended at department discretion; additional inspections are charged under the Selectboard-adopted Rate & Fee Schedule.

  temporary certificate period: <= 30 days (May be extended at Planning, Zoning & Codes Department discretion pursuant to RSA 676:12, III.)

  “such building project shall not be used or occupied, in whole or in part”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Hanover town limits.

  • The ordinance applies to the incorporated Town of Hanover.

  “the following Ordinance is hereby enacted by the voters of the Town of Hanover, New Hampshire.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Hanover town.

  • Official zoning maps are on file in Town of Hanover offices and are part of the ordinance.

  districts: BM; D-1; D-2; B; RO; OL; I; GR-1; GR-2; GR-3; GR-4; SR-1; SR-2; SR-3; RR; F; NP; GP; MWD

  “The Town of Hanover hereby is divided into the following districts as shown on the official zoning maps”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Placement of manufactured houses on public or private property inside Hanover town.

  • Allowed in an approved manufactured-housing park or subdivision in accordance with the ordinance.
  • After fire or other disaster destroying an owner-occupied residence, a unit may be placed on that residence lot for owner occupation for 12 months from placement or certificate of occupancy, whichever occurs first.

  disaster-placement period: 12 months (Ends earlier upon issuance of a certificate of occupancy.)

  “It is unlawful for any person to place a manufactured house on any public or private property, except”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Minor and major subdivisions inside Hanover town.

  • The town provides separate application materials for major-final-plat, major-design-review, and minor subdivisions.

  “Reviewing and acting on proposed conventional and open-space residential and commercial subdivisions according to the Subdivision Regulations”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside Hanover town.

  • Complete applications are approved or denied within 30 days; non-residential applications encompassing more than two dwelling units have a 60-day period.
  • An incomplete application is deemed abandoned if the applicant takes no further action within 180 days after filing.

  complete application decision period: <= 30 days (Non-residential applications encompassing more than two dwelling units: 60 days.)

  “Upon submission of a complete application, the Building Official shall act to approve or deny a building permit within thirty (30) days”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Hanover

Town of Hanover does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Single Residence districts inside Hanover town.

  maximum building footprint: <= 25 percent of total lot area · maximum lot coverage: <= 50 percent of total lot area

  “Maximum building footprint: 25% of total lot area 4. Maximum lot coverage: 50% of total lot area”

• Building heightSpecified

  Single Residence districts inside Hanover town.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “2. Maximum building height: 35 feet 3. Maximum building footprint: 25% of total lot area”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles placed within Hanover Flood Zones A and AE.

  • The RV must be on the site fewer than 180 consecutive days and fully licensed and ready for highway use, or meet National Flood Insurance Program standards and manufactured-home elevation and anchoring requirements.

  consecutive site days: < 180 days (Alternative compliance with NFIP and manufactured-home elevation/anchoring standards is allowed.)

  “Be on the site for fewer than 180 consecutive days and B. Be fully licensed and ready for highway use”

• Who permits septicState (with conditions)

  Private sewage disposal systems serving property inside Hanover town.

  • The town ordinance identifies the State of New Hampshire Water Supply and Pollution Control Division as the approval authority for private sewage disposal systems.

  “All private sewage disposal systems shall be approved by the State of New Hampshire Water Supply and Pollution Control Division.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Use or development of land in Hanover's Flood Plain district.

  • All necessary federal and state approvals must be received before a local permit is valid.
  • Flood-plain permit applications must be reviewed for reasonable safety from flooding.
  • New construction and substantial improvements must meet anchoring, flood-resistant-material, flood-damage-minimization, and utility-protection standards.

  “A permit must be obtained for the use and/or development of any land in the Flood Plain district.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-performed building work inside Hanover town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Hanover town.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Hanover town.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Hanover town.
• Septic inspection — Private sewage disposal systems inside Hanover 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 Hanover 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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