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

Town of Landaff’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Residences and commercial structures on lots in Landaff town. Permits are issued under the town zoning ordinance by the zoning officer.

  • No building permit for a residence or commercial structure may be granted unless the lot meets the Section 706 road-access conditions.
  • Lot must be on a maintained state or town (class V or better) road with at least 250 feet of frontage from which it derives access, or on a road in a subdivision approved by the planning board and completed to the Landaff subdivision regulations.
  • Temporary dwelling use of a recreational travel trailer during construction requires a building permit issued by the zoning officer (Section 805a).

  minimum road frontage for building permit: >= 250 feet (lots on an approved subdivision road)

  “no building permit for any residence or commercial structure shall be granted for a lot that is not situated:”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Landaff town limits. Landaff town adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance.

  • Ordinance is enacted by town voters under RSA 674:16 and 17; header lists adoption 6/22/1977 and amendments through 3/11/2025.
  • Permits referenced in Articles 7, 8 and 9 are issued by the zoning officer or board of selectmen.

  “the following ordinance is hereby enacted by the voters of the town of landaff, new hampshire.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  All land inside Landaff town limits. The ordinance names two zoning districts; it does not map their boundaries in the text opened.

  • Commercial district is the strip within 800 feet south of the center line of Route 302 from the Lisbon town line west to Mill Brook Road; all other land is the rural residential district.
  • District boundary map was not opened; value is partial because the text describes the district by location only.

  commercial district depth from Route 302 centerline: <= 800 feet

  “for the purposes of this ordinance, the town of landaff is divided into two districts, the commercial district and the rural residential district.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Main single-family residential district: the rural residential district, which covers all Landaff town land outside the commercial strip. Article 7 sets no separate value for the commercial district, so it is stated here for all lots.

  • Article 7 Section 701 is the only lot-size rule found in the ordinance text opened.
  • Section 706 separately requires frontage on a maintained state or town (class V or better) road or an approved subdivision road for any residence.

  minimum lot size: >= 90000 square feet

  “each lot shall be a minimum of 90,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Main single-family residential district: the rural residential district, covering all Landaff town land outside the commercial strip. Article 7 sets no separate setback values for the commercial district.

  • Front setback is measured from the nearest edge of the right-of-way on any road (Section 703).
  • Side and rear setbacks apply to every structure on a lot (Section 704).
  • Ordinance defines setback and yards at Article 3 (k) and (i); recreational vehicles on lots are subject to normal setback requirements (Section 805b.3).

  front setback from road right-of-way: >= 25 feet · side and rear setback: >= 25 feet

  “every structure placed on a lot shall be at least 25 feet from the side and rear property lines.”

• Building heightSpecified

  All structures on any lot in Landaff town, including the main single-family residential district (rural residential district). No separate commercial-district height limit appears in Article 7.

  • Exception: the 35-foot limit does not apply to farm buildings.

  maximum structure height: <= 35 feet (farm buildings)

  “no structure erected on any lot shall exceed 35 feet in height, except that this restriction shall not apply to farm buildings.”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Living in a recreational vehicle on land inside Landaff town.

  • On an undeveloped lot, an RV or tent may be used as living quarters for not more than 7 consecutive days and not more than 180 days per year.
  • During construction of a permanent dwelling, a recreational travel trailer may be used as a temporary dwelling for up to six months, renewable by the zoning officer for an additional six months, upon a building permit.
  • Storage of two RVs on a lot with an existing dwelling, or one RV on an undeveloped lot, is a permitted use in the rural residential district (Section 601(h)).

  consecutive days on undeveloped lot: <= 7 days · annual days of use on undeveloped lot: <= 180 days · temporary dwelling during construction: <= 6 months (renewable for an additional six months by the zoning officer)

  “a property owner may place a recreational vehicle or tent on an undeveloped lot and use it for their living quarters on a temporary basis provided that it is not more than 7 consecutive days and not to exceed 180 days of use annually. the following conditions must be met:”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Tent or recreational vehicle camping on undeveloped lots in Landaff town.

  • Not more than one recreational vehicle on the lot.
  • Application to the board of selectmen showing sanitary disposal provisions.
  • Normal setback requirements apply.
  • For short-term rental use the RV must be connected to a state-approved septic system.
  • Annual permit fee of $400; on-site inspection by a zoning officer; no unoccupied RV on the property for more than a year; $100 per day fine until removal.

  annual days of use: <= 180 days

  “a permit must be obtained from the board of selectmen for an annual fee of $400.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  One accessory dwelling unit in the rural residential district, within or attached to a single-family dwelling in Landaff town.

  • ADU up to two bedrooms.
  • ADU must not exceed 750 square feet.
  • Either the ADU or the principal dwelling must be occupied by the owner as principal residence.
  • Adequate parking and adequate provisions for water supply and sewage disposal are required.

  maximum ADU size: <= 750 square feet · maximum bedrooms: <= 2 bedrooms

  “one accessory dwelling unit of up to two bedrooms within or attached to a single-family dwelling under certain conditions, including but not limited to, the requirements that the adu shall not exceed 750 square feet”

• Septic permitRequired

  New residences inside Landaff town.

  • Applies to new residences only; existing residences are excluded.
  • The ordinance requires a state-approved septic system; the approval mechanism and any separate town septic permit were not located.

  “all new residences shall be required to have a state-approved septic system. this shall not apply to existing residences.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Temporary living quarters in Landaff town on undeveloped lots and during construction.

  • Temporary recreational vehicle or tent use requires an application showing adequate sanitary disposal of sewage, waste and refuse (Section 805b.2).
  • Recreational travel trailer used during construction requires safe and legal wastewater disposal (Section 805a).

  “the applicant must show the use to be temporary and must provide for the safe and legal disposal of all wastewater and sewage.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions of land inside Landaff town, with the planning board approving plats.

  • Plats for roads within a subdivision must be approved by the planning board.
  • Road construction must be approved by the board of selectmen as completed under the Landaff subdivision regulations, which were not opened.

  “or a lot on a road within a subdivision, the plat for which shall have been approved by the planning board”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Only the temporary recreational-vehicle camping permit issued by the board of selectmen. No general building, septic or zoning permit fee schedule was found in the ordinance text opened.

  • Annual fee for the RV camping permit.
  • Fee schedule for building permits, septic and zoning permits not located.

  annual RV camping permit fee: 400 USD

  “a permit must be obtained from the board of selectmen for an annual fee of $400.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption in Landaff town.
• Building code adopted — Construction in Landaff town.
• Inspections — Construction inspections in Landaff town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new buildings in Landaff town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in Landaff 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 Landaff 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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