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

Town of Hill’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New buildings, mobile homes, additions, alterations and other listed projects inside Hill town limits

  • The Town of Hill building permit application lists project types including new building, mobile home, interior and exterior alteration, addition, demolition, exterior sign, and moving any structure.
  • Construction is conditional on a permit application to the selectmen's office; the form requires a sketch showing setbacks.
  • The form states an extension of the permit after one year may be acquired from the board of selectmen's office.

  “note: all building permits must comply with the town of hill zoning ordinance.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Hill town limits; Hill town adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Town of Hill Zoning Ordinance, revision 03-08-22).

  • The ordinance states its provisions apply to all uses, structures, and lots within the town of Hill.
  • The document's amendment stamps run through March 8, 2022; the captured text does not state a separate effective date for the current revision.

  “the provisions of this ordinance shall apply to all uses, structures, and lots within the town of hill. new hampshire.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Hill town limits: Village (V), Rural Residential (RR), and Commercial (C), plus a wellhead protection overlay.

  • The zoning map is posted as Attachment A to the ordinance on the town's forms page.
  • The map was not opened during this run.

  “the town of hiii is divided into the following three (3) zoning districts hereinafter referred to as village district (v), rural residential district (rr), and commercial district (c).”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Any dwelling unit of any type inside Hill town limits

  • Minimum total livable floor space of 600 square feet applies townwide; it is not district-specific in the captured text.

  minimum livable floor space per dwelling unit: >= 600 sq ft

  “no dwelling unit of any type shall have a total livable floor space of less than 600 square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Rural Residential district (zone RR) lots inside Hill town limits

  • Steep-slope development (slope over 15%) has a separate 6-acre minimum lot size and 400-foot road frontage requirement that apply in addition to this district rule.

  minimum lot area: >= 3 acre · minimum road frontage: >= 200 feet

  “lots shall he a minimum of three (3) acres with a minimum 200 foot frontage.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Village district (zone V) lots inside Hill town limits

    “lots shall be a minimum of one acre with a minimum 100 foot frontage, except that, in the case of lots of lesser area or frontage platted and recorded prior to the original adoption of this ordinance, the platted area and frontage shali be taken to conform with this section.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Rural Residential district (zone RR) lots inside Hill town limits

  • Steep-slope rule: a 30 foot buffer zone is required between any structure and the steep slope area, for lots that qualify under that section.

  front yard minimum: >= 50 feet · side yard minimum: >= 20 feet · rear yard minimum: >= 20 feet

  “each lot shall have a front yard not less than 50 feet in depth.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Village district (zone V) lots inside Hill town limits

    “each lot shall have a front yard of not less than 25 feet in depth, side yards of not less than 20 feet and rear yard of 20 feet in depth.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Village district (zone V) buildings inside Hill town limits

  • Stated in stories, not feet.

  maximum building height: <= 2.5 stories

  “building shall not exceed 2 1/2 stories in height.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Tenting and travel trailer camping inside Hill town limits

  • Tenting areas are allowed only in the Rural Residential district, as a special exception.
  • No special exception may be granted in the wellhead protection overlay district.
  • Subject to New Hampshire state regulations.

  “travel trailer parks and tenting areas will be allowed in accordance with the regulations of the state of new hampshire and will be allowed only in the rural residential district as a special exception, provided, however, that no such special exception may be granted in the wellhead protection overlay district.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Mobile and manufactured homes on individual lots in the Village and Rural Residential districts inside Hill town limits

  • The home must have been manufactured to HUD manufactured housing standards.
  • The building permit form says no mobile home is allowed unless it meets the requirements of zoning ordinance article IV, section c.
  • Permit application lists serial number, manufacturer and year built for mobile homes.

  “mobile homes are permitted on individual lots in both village and rural residential districts, provided such homes have been manufactured in accordance with the hud manufactured housing standards”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling unit attached to a single-family dwelling in the Village district (zone V) inside Hill town limits

  • Maximum size 750 sq. ft.
  • Property owner must occupy either the principal or the accessory dwelling unit.
  • An interior door must connect the principal dwelling and the accessory dwelling unit.
  • The captured text places this item in a list that also includes hospitals and schools; confirm whether it is a permitted use or a special exception before relying on it.

  maximum accessory dwelling floor area: <= 750 sq ft

  “one (1) accessory dwelling unit per dwelling limited to a maximum size of 750 sq. ft. property owner must occupy either the principal or the accessory dwelling unit. an interior door shall be provided between the principal dwelling unit and the accessory dwelling unit.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Hill town limits

  • The town publishes Land Subdivision Regulations and a subdivision application.
  • The regulations' text was not captured (the PDF fetch returned no text), so approval standards are not stated here.

  “land subdivision regulations hill subdivision application site plan review regulations”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Construction or alteration of a driveway entrance within the town right-of-way inside Hill town limits

  • Permit issued by the Hill selectmen as agents of the planning board; permit valid up to one year; final inspection required on completion or expiration.
  • Renewal requires a new application.
  • Logging operations need a separate permit even on a permitted driveway.

  “it shall be unlawful to construct, alter a driveway in any way that affects the location, size, drainage, surface, material or grade of any driveway entrance, exit or approach within the limits of the right of way that does not conform to the terms and specifications of a written permit issued by the hill selectmen.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development on lands designated as FEMA special flood hazard areas inside Hill town limits

  • The Hill floodplain development ordinance (adopted March 8, 1988, amended January 3, 2002) is part of the zoning ordinance; its text was not captured.
  • The flood insurance rate map referenced is dated April 2, 1986.

  “all lands designated as special flood hazard areas by the federal emergency management agency on the flood insurance rate map for the town of hill, dated april 2, 1986 are governed by the provisions of this ordinance.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Driveway permit application fee inside Hill town limits (building permit fee is not stated on the building permit form)

  • Fee accompanies the driveway permit application to the town.

  driveway permit application fee: 25 USD

  “a fee of twenty five dollars ($25.00) payable to the town of hill will accompany the application.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit application process inside Hill town limits

  • Application goes to the board of selectmen's office with owner and applicant details, project description, estimated cost and a sketch.
  • The form lists the state septic and energy approvals and a town driveway permit as separate items.
  • No review timeline or decision steps are stated in the captured form.

  “please show a sketch of structure(s) existing and new and the setbacks in footage from each boundary of the property (front, rear, sides) to the structures.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Hill

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

• Who permits septicState (with conditions)

  Septic system design and approval for land inside Hill town limits; the Hill building permit form directs septic approval to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

  • Hill's form lists the state septic approval under additional approvals, not as a town-issued septic permit.
  • Town zoning and driveway rules do not set septic standards in the captured text.

  “septic system approvals: nh dept. of environmental services water supply & pollution control division po box 95”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for work inside Hill town limits
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for new homes inside Hill town limits
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Hill town limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Hill town limits
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage limits inside Hill 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 Hill 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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