The Antrim Planning Board has proposed amendments to the town’s existing ordinance on accessory dwelling units or ADUs, recreational vehicles, short-term rentals, parking requirements for multi-family houses and duplexes and back lots.
“These changes are to bring clarity to the existing ordinance, and will make sure they are enforceable,” said Planning Board Chair Mark Murdough.
The board approved the proposed amendments at a public hearing Thursday, Sept. 18. All proposed amendments will go before Antrim voters at Town Meeting in March.
The proposed revised ordinance on the use of recreational vehicles in Antrim clarifies the difference between “temporary occupancy,” such as for weekend recreational use, and “temporary housing,” when residents are living in a recreational vehicle on their property while a permanent home is being built.
The ordinance specifies that residents who wish to use an RV for temporary occupancy or temporary housing in Antrim must register with the town and meet requirements for sanitation and code, including electricity, adequate water supply and sewage disposal facilities.
The ordinance would allow people with legally registered RVs to spend 90 days in their unit, either intermittently or consecutively, over the course of one year. Previously, residents were limited to 21 days of RV residency or occupancy.
In answer to a question from Rebecca Hull, who asked if there was a limit on how many RVs a property owner could have on their property, Murdough said there was no limit on RVs, but reiterated that the RVs cannot be rented out and must be used by the owner.
“Everyone using an RV must register with the town and meet all the requirements; they can’t be rented out to a third party, and they are only for short-term use,” Murdough said.
Planning Board Vice Chair John Anderson said that “people have a right to use their property, as long as it is non-polluting and it is safe.”
According to the proposed ordinance, Antrim residents seeking temporary housing in an RV while they build a home must abide by the 90-day limit, but they can ask the town for an extension as long as “there is a plan in place that demonstrates a good faith intention to construct the primary dwelling unit.”
“Residents need to be able to show they are improving the land and work is in progress,” Murdough said, adding that Fire Chief Marshall Gale and code enforcement officer Dario Carrara will be responsible for checking on residents in temporary housing situations.
The ordinance specifies that an RV “is not to be considered a residence as a primary use, and that the unit must be parked and occupied on the same lot where the permanent dwelling is being constructed.”
Fire Chief Marshall Gale praised the proposed amendment, saying that the previous ordinance was “pretty vague.”
The second proposed amendment would slightly revise the application process for short-term rentals in Antrim, which are defined as rentals of less than 30 days and are often referred to as “AirBnBs” in reference to one of the largest short-term rental marketing companies. The proposed ordinance would require people seeking to operate a short-term rental to fill out a conditional use permit application. If Planning Board approval is received, they would then complete a short-term rental permit application.
The third proposed amendment would revise the rules on ADUs to comply with state regulations.
“These are required by the state level, so we are just getting in line with that,” Murdough said. “These are statutory requirements.”
The current ordinance states that single-family homes in Antrim are permitted one ADU, which can either be attached or separate from the primary residence. The proposed amended regulations state that an existing detached structure may be converted into an ADU even if the structure does not meet setback or lot coverage requirements of the zoning district.
Murdough said another hearing on the ADU ordinance will be scheduled as the board continues to work on the amendment.
Amendment Four proposes reducing the number of required off-street parking spots for any residential unit from two to one and reducing the number of required parking spaces from two to 1 1/2 per unit for multifamily developments of 10 or more units and for workforce housing studio and one-bedroom units under 1,000 square feet.
Amendment Five would change the size requirements for Antrim back lots. Currently, back lots must be a minimum of three times the size of the front lot. The amendment would change the minimum lot size to the size of the front lot.
The ordinance would not alter the access requirements for the back lot.
Amendment Six supports mixed-use buildings in the Antrim village district, adding language that specifies: “For the purpose of this District, a lot or a structure may contain more than one principal use, either residential and/or non-residential, including associated accessory uses.”
For a complete list of proposed amendments, visit antrimnh.org/planning-board/pages/proposed-zoning-amendments-2026.