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

Town of Danville’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Single residential building on a lot of record fronting a class VI highway in Danville town; the general requirement for other construction was not verified

  • Lot must otherwise meet the minimum lot size and frontage requirements.
  • Applicant signs a liability waiver; the Planning Board reviews and comments; the Board of Selectmen grants or denies the permit.
  • Construction may proceed only after the permit is issued.

  “d. lots on class vi highways landowner(s) of a lot of record fronting on a class vi highway, which otherwise meets the minimum lot size and frontage requirements, may obtain a permit for a single residential building only by the following procedure: 1. the applicant must apply to the selectmen for the building permit.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Mobile homes placed on a lot in a Danville town mobile home park; no general certificate of occupancy rule verified for other buildings

  • Certificate is issued by the Board of Selectmen before placement in the park.

  “8. a certificate of occupancy is obtained from the board of selectmen before a mobile home is placed on any lot in the park.”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Danville town's limits; the town's own zoning ordinance

  • The Planning Board page lists the 2026 zoning ordinance as the current zoning document alongside 2023, 2024 and 2025 versions.

  “adopts a zoning ordinance. the planning board reviews all site plans and subdivision proposals.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Danville town

  • Opened text names a residential/agricultural and Danville village district, a highway commercial and light industrial zone, a mobile home zone, and a wetlands conservation district; the zoning map and district boundaries were not opened.

  “article iii zoning districts and boundaries”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Mobile homes placed in mobile home parks in Danville town (mobile home park provisions); not a general minimum for site-built homes

  • Applies to mobile homes in parks; floor area excludes additions.

  minimum floor area of mobile home in park: >= 320 square feet (excluding additions) · minimum floor area per occupant: >= 150 square feet

  “9. floor area of mobile home in said parks to have a minimum of three hundred and twenty square feet (320 ft2) of floor area excluding additions with a minimum of one hundred and fifty square feet (150 ft2) per occupant.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots inside Danville town under the general lot and yard requirement of the 2026 zoning ordinance (Article VI, lot and yard requirements); a district-specific rule elsewhere in the ordinance can override it

  • Applies except as provided elsewhere in this ordinance.
  • The dwelling unit must be located on a contiguous upland soil area of at least one-half (½) acre.
  • Lots that do not meet the requirement are nonconforming.
  • Under the wetlands provision, poorly drained or very poorly drained soils may be used to fulfill up to 50% of the minimum lot size, provided the nonwetland area is sufficient, allowing for setbacks, buffers and utilities such as sewage disposal and water supply.

  minimum lot area: 2 acres (except as provided elsewhere in this ordinance) · contiguous upland soil area for dwelling unit: >= 0.5 acres · wetland soil credit toward minimum lot size: <= 50 percent (only where nonwetland area is sufficient)

  “except as provided elsewhere in this ordinance, the minimum lot size shall be two (2) acres, and the minimum frontage requirements shall be two hundred feet (200’) on a class i through class v highway. the dwelling unit must be located on a contiguous upland soil area of at least one-half (½) acre. a lot that does not meet these requirements shall be considered a non-conforming lot.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Highway commercial and light industrial zone usage in Danville town (restrictions in Article IV); not the residential district

  • Identified from the surrounding Article IV text that refers to highway commercial and light industrial zone usage; confirm the district label against the zoning map.
  • Setback runs from the edge of the right-of-way.

  front setback from public street: >= 30 feet (along NH Route 111 the setback is 15 feet) · front setback along NH Route 111: 15 feet

  “buildings shall be at least thirty feet (30’) from any public street, except along nh route 111 which shall be fifteen feet (15’). the building setback from the roadway shall be measured from the edge of the right- of-way.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Camping trailers or recreational vehicles located in trailer parks in Danville town

  • Allowed year round only as long as the units are hooked up to power, sewer and water facilities.
  • Units used in winter must be equipped with an 'artic package' or equivalent.

  “2. camping, travel trailers, or recreational vehicles shall be allowed to exist in trailer parks year round, as long as the units are hooked up to power, sewer and water facilities. units used in the winter shall be equipped with an “artic package” or the equivalent.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Prohibited — Camping trailers, utility trailers and recreational vehicles stored or parked on an owner's premises outside a trailer park in Danville town

    “1. camping, utility trailers, and recreational vehicles may be stored or parked on the owner’s premises anywhere in town provided that the appearance is not detrimental or offensive as determined by the selectmen. such units may not be occupied as a dwelling.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes in Danville town mobile home parks; mobile home occupancy elsewhere not verified

  • Certificate of occupancy from the Board of Selectmen required before placement on a park lot.
  • Minimum floor area 320 square feet excluding additions, and 150 square feet per occupant.

  “8. a certificate of occupancy is obtained from the board of selectmen before a mobile home is placed on any lot in the park.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision proposals inside Danville town

  • Review is by the Town Planning Board; subdivision standards and the lot line adjustment process are separate town documents not opened for this record.

  “the planning board reviews all site plans and subdivision proposals.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Recreational vehicles placed on sites in FEMA zones A and AE inside Danville town's floodplain development ordinance; general floodplain development permits not verified

  • RV on site fewer than 180 consecutive days, or fully licensed on wheels or jacking system with quick-disconnect utilities and no permanent additions, or meets manufactured-home standards.

  maximum consecutive days on site in zone A or AE: < 180 days (alternative compliance options listed in the ordinance)

  “all recreational vehicles placed on sites within zone a and ae shall either (i) be on the site for fewer than one hundred eight (180) consecutive days;”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit for a residence on a class VI highway lot in Danville town; the general permit process is not published in the text opened

  • Applicant applies to the Board of Selectmen; the Board requests Planning Board review and comment before deciding.

  “2. the selectmen must request that the planning board review and comment on the application.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits in Danville town
• Building code adopted — Building code applicable to construction inside Danville town
• Inspections — Building inspections of new construction inside Danville town
• Lot coverage — Lots in Danville town
• Building height — Danville town; the district that the 2.5-story and 35-foot limit governs has not been confirmed

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 Danville 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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