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

Town of Chichester’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New construction over 200 square feet and listed structural or service work inside Chichester town limits.

  • The town identifies permits for new structures over 200 square feet; structural additions, repairs, and renovations; relocation, modification, or replacement of electrical, plumbing, gas-piping, and HVAC services; pools; complete residing; all-window replacement; and demolition. The list is not all-inclusive.

  new-construction floor-space threshold: > 200 square feet (Applies to new construction of a structure.)

  “a permit is required for new construction of any structure that has over 200 square feet floor space, additions/repairs/renovations to an existing structure that involves structural repairs, and/or relocation/modification/replacement of services, i.e. electrical, plumbing, gas piping and hvac systems.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction inside Chichester town limits.

  • The town page identifies the applicable codes as 2021 International Building Codes, specified related codes, 2018 NFPA life-safety codes, NH State Fire Codes, and the 2023 National Electrical Code, each with stated amendments.

  “applicable codes: 2021 international building codes, including plumbing, mechanical, existing building code, pool and spa code and energy conservation, with amendments 2018 national fire protection agency codes for life safety, nh state fire codes and the 2023 national electrical code, with amendments.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Work under permits issued inside Chichester town limits.

  • The page lists footing, drainage/waterproofing, rough-trade/framing, fire-related, insulation, and final inspections; permit applicants must give no less than 72 hours' notice of a required inspection.

  inspection notice: >= 72 hours (Notice to the Building Inspector for a required inspection.)

  “please provide no less than 72 hours notice of a required inspection to the building inspector.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Chichester town limits.

  • The zoning ordinance was adopted and amended by Town Meeting.

  “the following ordinance is hereby adopted as amended by the town of chichester, new hampshire, in town meeting convened.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational-vehicle occupancy outside a licensed campground inside Chichester town limits.

  • A Building Inspector permit is required for temporary RV occupancy except storage/parking during nonuse or occupancy not exceeding 10 days per year. A nonpaying guest RV may be accommodated for no more than 120 days in one year. One RV may be occupied on a lot with an existing dwelling no more than 120 days in a calendar year; occupancy over 10 consecutive days requires a Building Department permit, proof of domestic water supply, and adequate wastewater disposal.

  permit-free occupancy: <= 10 days per year (Storage or parking during nonuse is also permit-free.) · guest or occupied-RV limit: <= 120 days per year (Subject to the ordinance's guest and lot-with-existing-dwelling provisions.)

  “it shall be unlawful for any person to occupy a recreational vehicle on a temporary basis, who does not possess a permit from the building inspector. a permit is not required for the storing or parking of a recreational vehicle during periods of nonuse on the premises of the owner, or for a period of occupancy not to exceed 10 days. per year;”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured housing, trailers, and mobile homes inside Chichester town limits.

  • A building lot must contain at least 87,120 square feet (2 acres) and have 200 contiguous feet of frontage on a state- or town-maintained highway. Manufactured housing must meet the stated setbacks. Expansion of existing mobile-home parks and creation of new parks are prohibited.

  minimum lot area: >= 2 acres (For accommodation of manufactured housing including trailers and/or mobile homes.) · minimum frontage: >= 200 feet (On a state- or town-maintained highway.)

  “the use of land for the accommodation of manufactured housing including trailers and/or mobile homes shall be permitted. the following provisions shall apply:”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Occupied recreational vehicles outside licensed campgrounds inside Chichester town limits.

  • The occupant must comply with applicable state health and sanitary-disposal rules; an occupied RV requires proof of domestic water supply and adequate wastewater disposal where stated in the ordinance.

  “5)occupants of a recreational vehicle outside of a licensed campground must comply with applicable state health and sanitary disposal regulations, including but not limited to title x, public health, chapter 147 for the state of new hampshire, as amended.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Building-permit applicants requiring access to town roads inside Chichester town limits.

  • For access to state-owned roads, the driveway permit is issued by NHDOT rather than the town Road Agent.

  “driveway permit issued by the town of chichester's road agent for access to town roads, or nhdot for access to state owned roads.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  All proposed development in Chichester special flood hazard areas.

  • Development is regulated in FEMA-designated special flood hazard areas. New or replacement water and sewer systems, including onsite systems, must be designed as stated in the ordinance to minimize infiltration, discharges, impairment, and contamination.

  “permits: all proposed development in any special flood hazard areas shall require a permit.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permits inside Chichester town limits.

  • Fees are listed in the Building Codes. Work begun before permit issuance is subject to double fees. Impact fees are collected when the Occupancy Permit is issued, and a fee schedule is available.

  “fee schedule: located in the building ordinance. any work begun prior to the issuance of a permit shall be subject to double fees.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications inside Chichester town limits.

  • The stated pre-issuance items apply as applicable. Permit applications may be submitted electronically to the town building email address.

  “under the building code of the town of chichester, adopted 10 march 2009, the following items are required, as applicable, before issuance of a building permit.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Chichester

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family and two-family residential dwellings in Chichester's Rural-Agricultural (RA) District.

  • Each lot must contain one buildable acre and be reasonably symmetrical as determined by the Planning Board under the Chichester Subdivision Regulations.

  minimum lot size: >= 5 contiguous acres (Single-family and two-family residential uses.) · minimum road frontage: >= 300 contiguous feet (Single-family and two-family residential uses.)

  “minimum lot size for single family and two family (residential uses) dwellings shall be five (5) contiguous acres, with minimum road frontage requirements of three-hundred (300) contiguous feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  New buildings in Chichester's Rural-Agricultural (RA) District.

  • The road/right-of-way setback applies to a state- or town-maintained highway.

  abutter-property-line setback: >= 15 feet (New building.) · highway-right-of-way setback: >= 30 feet (Measured from the edge of a state- or town-maintained highway right-of-way.)

  “(vi) no new building shall be located nearer than fifteen (15) feet to an abutter’s property line and thirty (30) feet from the edge of the state or town maintained highway’s right-of-way.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Parcels in Chichester's Town Center Village (TC) District.

  • The impervious-surface coverage ceiling differs according to whether the parcel is more than two acres or under two acres.

  impervious surface coverage: <= 50 percent (Parcels more than 2 acres.) · impervious surface coverage: <= 75 percent (Parcels under 2 acres.)

  “impervious surface coverage…………………….. 50% for parcels more than 2 acres; 75% for parcels under 2 acres”

• Who permits septicState (with conditions)

  Septic plans and subsurface sewage disposal systems inside Chichester town limits.

  • DES approval is forwarded to the town and owner. State law states that local-government requirements may also apply and that the state chapter establishes minimum requirements.

  “nhdes septic approval: nh department of environmental services (des) approves all septic plans for the state. approval is forwarded to the town in addition to the owner.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Chichester town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Chichester town limits.
• Building height — Principal residential dwellings inside Chichester town limits.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Chichester town limits.
• Septic inspection — Septic-system installation inside Chichester town limits.

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 Chichester 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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