NORTHAMPTON — A Hampshire Superior Court judge has found a Plainfield couple in contempt of court for denying town health, building and conservation inspectors access to their property and flouting two court orders to permit the inspections.

Following a trial Thursday, Judge James Manitsas imposed a fine of $1,500, payable to the town of Plainfield, on Gregory and Alyssa Miller and again ordered them to permit the inspections of their Bow Road property within 30 days. Failure to follow the court order will result in further fines of $100 a day, Manitsas wrote.

Town officials have been in a stand-off with the Millers for more than a year. The town, through its Board of Health, Conservation Commission and building commissioner, filed an enforcement action in Superior Court in December, saying the couple were living with two small children in a barn on Bow Road with no plumbing, septic system or potable water. The complaint also stated that the Millers had done work within a protected resource area and made structural alterations to the building — adding windows and a wood stove — without seeking permits.

Officials cited concerns for safety violations of the State Sanitary Code, the Wetlands Protection Act and the Massachusetts Building Code.

The Bow Road property is owned by Christian Faith Ministries, of which the Millers are listed as trustees. Gregory Miller has said he created the trust as a legal entity for the purpose of buying the property.

Twice, in April and August, local officials, accompanied by police the second time, visited the property to conduct inspections and were met by Gregory Miller, who informed them they did not have his consent to enter his property and he would consider it a trespass if they did, according to court filings. The Millers have ignored orders to move out of the building until these problems have been resolved, neither appealing them nor complying with them, town officials say.

Two court orders — one issued by Judge Karen Goodwin in April and one by Judge Francis Flannery in August — have failed to change the situation, and the plaintiffs subsequently petitioned the court to find the defendants in contempt.

Throughout the court proceedings, Gregory and Alyssa Miller, representing themselves, have filed numerous notices with the court, most prefaced with the statement that they “do not take on any titles” such as pro se, trustee, defendant, resident, trustee and others, and frequently stating that they do not “wish to contract nor give consent to any legal agents; nor do i, understand or agree to any legal codes, acts, or statutes at this time or any time without consent of i”.

They occasionally conclude their communications with demands for compensation. In a notice to Superior Court Clerk Harry Jekanowski, they said their appearance at a July 31 hearing “does come with the fee of $10,000 per order and a dollar per minute to satisfy said order.”

According to Manitsas’ decision, the couple filed a five-page written response to the complaint last month “that the court deems to be an answer, in which the defendants deny the claims of contempt and demand that the plaintiff provide ‘proof and evidence’ of its claim …”

In court Thursday, the judge wrote, the Millers argued that they had not entered into any contract with the town and “were somehow exempt from the requirements of the State Sanitary Code, the Wetlands Protection Act, the Massachusetts Building Code or an order from this court.”

An email message seeking comment was sent Friday to Gregory Miller. Speaking after the July 31 motion hearing, he said town officials had shown him “no verifiable claim that we’re in breach of contract.” He said he and his wife would be willing to meet with the town’s representatives but it would have to be on neutral ground.

“We have no ill will,” he said.

Board of Health Chairwoman Ellen Dupont, who testified for the town at Thursday’s trial, said she had hoped for a more forceful order from the court.

“Hopefully, this time it works,” she said. “It’s a serious situation — I don’t think they realize how serious.”

James Pentland can be reached at jpentland@gazettenet.com.