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

Town of Conway’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, alteration or moving of buildings and structures inside Conway town limits.

  • Permit is issued by the selectmen or their agent (§ 23-13).
  • § 23-13 was amended 4-8-2025 atm by art. 17.
  • Zoning § 190-6 separately requires a building permit before erection, alteration or demolition of any structure.

  “no building or other structure shall be constructed, altered or moved until a written building permit has been issued by the selectmen or their agent”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings and structures constructed or altered inside Conway town limits, before use.

  • Section heading is 'building permit required; certificates of occupancy' (§ 23-13).
  • Zoning § 190-6 refers to a 'certificate of compliance upon completion and prior to use'; the town's two terms appear to refer to the same pre-occupancy step, which was not confirmed in the full § 23-13 text.
  • § 23-13 amended 4-8-2025 atm by art. 17.

  “the issuance of a certificate of occupancy is required prior to the use or occupancy of any building or structure which undergoes a change or expansion of use, or has required a building permit pursuant to § 23-13.a.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Conway town limits. Town of Conway adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, Chapter 190 Zoning, titled as the zoning ordinance of the Town of Conway, New Hampshire.

  • Chapter 190 carries an editor's note that the town accepted renumbering and revisions 4-11-2017; the eCode360 text reads as legislation through 04-23-2026 per the index page.
  • The town's own zoning rewrite project is described on the town website as in progress; the adopted text checked here is the eCode360 chapter 190.
  • Use must be a permitted use or special exception in the applicable zoning district.

  “this chapter is constructed as a permissive zoning ordinance; if a use is not identified as a permitted use or a use permitted by special exception in a zoning district, then the use is not permitted in that zoning district.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts within Conway town limits.

  • District maps are attachments to Chapter 190 (Attachment 1 - district maps) and the permitted use table is Attachment 2; the attachments were not opened.
  • Districts include RA, CCVR, CVR, NCVR, CCVC, CVC, NCVC, HC, RC, I1, I2, RR and overlay districts (mountain conservation, floodplain conservation, shoreline protection, wetland and watershed, groundwater, parkway).

  “(2) map. the ra district map is included as an attachment to this chapter.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential/agricultural (RA) district inside Conway town limits; the RA district is described as primarily designed for residential and agricultural uses at approximately one unit or less per acre and generally without municipal sewer service.

  • Municipal water and sewer: at least 1/2 acre for the first unit and at least 10,000 square feet for each additional unit on the same lot.
  • Municipal water only: at least 1/2 acre for each unit.
  • All other lots: at least one acre for each unit that may be located thereon.
  • Special exceptions for older residential conversions are granted by the zoning board of adjustment under separate criteria.

  minimum lot area per unit, all other lots: >= 1 acre (Lots served by municipal water and sewer: 1/2 acre first unit plus 10,000 sq ft each additional unit; lots served by municipal water only: 1/2 acre per unit)

  “(3) all other lots shall have at least one acre for each unit that may be located thereon.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Conway Village Residential (CVR) district inside Conway town limits (village residential district).

    “(3) all other lots shall have at least one acre for each unit that may be located thereon.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permits for construction in Conway town limits.

  • Permits are issued by the selectmen or their agent (§ 23-13).
  • Application procedure is in § 23-17 and permit fees in § 23-16, which were not opened.
  • Building code board of appeals is the zoning board of adjustment until the selectmen establish one (§ 23-12).

  “prior to issuing a building permit, applications shall be reviewed by the selectmen or their agent to ensure compliance with applicable codes.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Conway town limits.
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Conway town limits.
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Conway town limits.
• Setbacks — Setbacks for the RA and village residential districts inside Conway town limits.
• Lot coverage — Structure lot coverage in the RA district inside Conway 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 Conway 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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