FSP History · Liberty Wins
Liberty Wins in New Hampshire
A growing record of liberty.
Freedom grows when people turn their convictions into action. Across New Hampshire, that work has opened more choices for families, lowered barriers to work, and placed limits on government power.
This collection follows victories across the state—achievements built by Granite Staters, Free Staters, advocacy organizations, and allies working together.
Updated October 6, 2026
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Browse 233 selected milestones from 2009–2026. Choose a year to open its accomplishments, or explore by topic. This collection continues to grow.
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233 milestones across 18 years
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2026More Ways to Work, Build, and Choose12 milestones
Year source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins in New Hampshire
Plug-in solar gets a simpler path
The law allows one compliant plug-in solar system per metered customer, with inverter output up to 1,200 watts AC, without utility approval, an interconnection review, related fees, or extra utility-required equipment. Safety certification, building-code compliance, and manufacturer instructions still apply. Signed July 2, 2026; the main provisions take effect January 1, 2027, with the building-code section contingent on recognized safety standards.
Bill record: NHLA bill record — SB540 enacted text
Link to this winHomemade-food sellers gain protection from local licensing
Municipalities and local health officers may no longer impose licenses, restrictions, or exclusions on food activities and products covered by the specified state homestead-food exemptions. This protects qualifying sellers from additional local barriers. Signed and effective July 2, 2026.
Bill record: NHLA bill record — SB418 enacted text
Link to this winBenefits can follow independent workers
Independent contractors and hiring parties may voluntarily contribute to contractor-owned portable benefit accounts for insurance, retirement, and related expenses. Withholding requires a clear written agreement and affirmative consent, with an option to withdraw. Participation alone does not change the worker’s classification under state law. Signed July 2, 2026; effective August 31, 2026.
Bill record: NHLA bill record — HB1245 enacted text
Link to this winOccupational licensing requirements simplified
The law revised licensing requirements for alcohol and drug-use professionals and qualifications for certain other occupational licenses, reducing barriers to entering these fields.
Source: NH General Court — HB1328
Link to this winCareer and technical education access expanded
The law expands the use of Education Freedom Accounts for certain career and technical education costs and removes statutory curriculum-framework references. Enacted in 2026, it takes effect July 1, 2027.
Source: NH General Court — SB491
Link to this winParents given stronger rights to school information
The law requires school employees to respond honestly and completely to written parental requests about their children, subject to specified exceptions. It takes effect January 1, 2027.
Source: NH General Court — SB430
Link to this winLess repeated paperwork for property-tax exemptions
Eligible organizations can retain their property-tax exemptions after an initial filing unless an assessor determines that the organization is no longer eligible.
Source: NH General Court — HB1756
Link to this winChildcare centers allowed on commercial land
The law requires municipalities, with limited exceptions, to allow licensed childcare centers by right on commercially zoned land.
Source: NH General Court — HB1195
Link to this winMore existing buildings eligible for accessory homes
Accessory dwelling units can be built within or attached to certain nonconforming structures, expanding options for property owners to add housing.
Source: NH General Court — HB1079
Link to this winBusiness Enterprise Tax filing threshold raised
The law raises the filing threshold for Business Enterprise Tax returns and provides for further rate reductions when specified business-tax revenue surpluses occur.
Source: NH General Court — HB155
Link to this winGovernment-issued voter ID rules enacted
The law requires government-issued photographic identification to vote, removing college identification from the accepted forms. It was signed April 3, 2026.
Source: NH General Court — HB323
Link to this winMerrimack detention-center proposal halted
After residents and elected officials raised concerns about a proposed ICE facility in Merrimack, Governor Ayotte announced that DHS would not move forward with the project. Subsequent congressional correspondence described the specific proposal as paused and sought assurances about any future plans.
Source: NH congressional delegation — DHS response and follow-up
Link to this win2025Big Repeals, Broader School Choice13 milestones
Interest and Dividends Tax repealed
For tax periods beginning January 1, 2025, residents no longer owe New Hampshire’s tax on interest and dividend income. The repeal completed a phaseout accelerated in 2023.
Source: NH Department of Revenue Administration
Link to this winTreasury investment authority expanded
HB302 authorized state treasury investment in precious metals and qualifying digital assets. Governor Ayotte signed the bill May 6, 2025.
Source: NH General Court — HB302
Link to this winA bakery’s mural protected
A federal court ruled against Conway’s enforcement of its sign code against Leavitt’s Country Bakery’s donut mural. The bakery and the Institute for Justice secured protection for the artwork, and the case ended in an agreement in October 2025.
Source: Institute for Justice — case record
Link to this winVehicle inspection repeal enacted
The 2025 budget law enacted repeal of routine annual vehicle safety inspections, with an implementation date of January 31, 2026 and separate provisions for emissions testing.
Source: NH General Court — HB2
Link to this winFewer barriers to opening healthcare facilities
The budget law exempted specified facilities, including birthing centers, urgent-care centers, and ambulatory surgical centers, from notice and consent requirements within 15 miles of a critical access hospital.
Source: NH General Court — HB2
Link to this winChildhood vaccine mandates limited to statute
The budget law removed the health commissioner’s authority to add childhood immunization requirements for diseases beyond those identified in statute.
Source: NH General Court — HB2
Link to this winDEI spending restrictions enacted
The budget law prohibited public entities and publicly funded schools from spending state funds on activities defined in the law as diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
Source: NH General Court — HB2
Link to this winParental bill of rights established
The law established a parental bill of rights, recognizing parents’ role in directing their children’s care and education. Signed June 10, 2025.
Source: NH General Court — HB10
Link to this winPistol and revolver dealer license repealed
The law repealed the separate license to sell pistols and revolvers and limited certain liability associated with firearm design features.
Source: NH General Court — HB551
Link to this winMore flexibility for nursing assistant applicants
The law added another option for the application materials used to obtain a licensed nursing assistant credential.
Source: NH General Court — SB93
Link to this winSpecial appraisal option for homes in commercial zones
The law allowed a one-time special appraisal for qualifying residences in commercial zones. Enacted in 2025, it took effect April 1, 2026.
Source: NH General Court — SB91
Link to this winEducation Freedom Accounts opened beyond income limits
The law removed the family-income threshold for Education Freedom Accounts, expanding eligibility across income levels. Enrollment remains subject to the program’s cap, priority rules, and other eligibility requirements.
Source: NH General Court — SB295
Link to this winA Granite Stater wins a Second Amendment challenge across the border
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld dismissal of a firearm-possession charge against New Hampshire resident Dean Donnell. It ruled that the former discretionary, “may issue” nonresident licensing scheme in effect at his 2021 arrest violated the Second Amendment. New Hampshire’s attorney general, legislators, and firearms advocates supported the challenge through amicus briefs. The decision concerned the former scheme; it did not establish a general right for New Hampshire residents to carry in Massachusetts without a license.
Court record: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court — Donnell opinion
Link to this win2024Private Lives, Public Accountability, More Choice21 milestones
Year source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins in New Hampshire
No-knock searches face tighter limits
Officers generally must identify themselves and announce their authority and purpose before executing a search warrant; evidence obtained in violation of that rule is inadmissible for the state. No-knock exceptions remain for imminent physical danger and exceptional evidence-destruction risks, with approval and reporting requirements. Signed July 12, 2024; effective September 10, 2024.
Bill record: New Hampshire General Court — HB135 enacted warrant requirements
Link to this winThe autism registry closes—and individual records must go
The law repealed the state autism registry and its rulemaking authority. It required the health department to make all reasonable efforts to destroy records identifying individuals, while allowing it to retain aggregate data. Signed June 14, 2024; effective August 13, 2024.
Bill record: New Hampshire General Court — HB1615 enacted text
Link to this winGraduation no longer depends on filing FAFSA
The law replaced the FAFSA graduation requirement with an opportunity for students to receive information about applying for federal aid. Public schools must still make the form available on request and protect student and family information. Signed June 14, 2024; effective July 1, 2024.
Bill record: NHLA bill record — HB1066 enacted text
Link to this winDecentralized organizations gain a legal home
The New Hampshire Decentralized Autonomous Organization Act created a distinct legal entity framework for DAOs, including registration, governance, smart-contract transactions, and participants’ rights and duties. Signed July 26, 2024; registry preparation began on passage, and the main framework took effect July 1, 2025.
Bill record: New Hampshire General Court — HB645 enacted text
Link to this winLocal tax-cap protections strengthened
The law strengthened the application of locally adopted tax caps, giving communities more control over increases in the amount raised by taxes.
Source: NH General Court — HB1105
Link to this winLocal tax and school budget-cap options expanded
The law revised local tax-cap rules and established procedures for school districts to adopt budget caps.
Source: NH General Court — SB383
Link to this winPrivacy protections for firearm purchases
The law prohibited a specific merchant category code for sales of firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories, with a mechanism to enforce the prohibition.
Source: NH General Court — HB1186
Link to this winEmployees’ firearms in locked vehicles protected
The law protected employees’ ability to keep lawful firearms in locked vehicles against restrictions by employers that receive public funds.
Source: NH General Court — HB1336
Link to this winMore providers can certify therapeutic cannabis patients
The law broadened the types of medical providers who may certify patients for the therapeutic cannabis program.
Source: NH General Court — SB357
Link to this winHomestead food rules eased
The law revised the definition of potentially hazardous food, easing restrictions affecting food sold by homestead food operations.
Source: NH General Court — HB1565
Link to this winBeverage manufacturer licensing simplified
The law repealed the separate nano-brewery license and replaced the manufacturer licensing structure with four tiers.
Source: NH General Court — SB137
Link to this winVote tabulation opened to public review
The law requires vote counting and tabulation to be public and makes tabulation documents available for review when results are announced at the polling place.
Source: NH Secretary of State — election law changes
Link to this winMore firearm options for hunting
Two laws broadened permitted hunting firearms: qualifying rifles chambered in straight-walled pistol cartridges in specified areas, and additional pistol calibers for taking deer. Both were enacted in 2024 and took effect January 1, 2025.
Source: NH General Court — HB1116 / HB1424 · NH General Court — HB1424
Link to this winHomeowners given more septic-installation flexibility
The law extends an exemption from the installer permit to homeowners building a new septic system for their own domicile. Approved designs, professional certification, department rules, and a two-year residency commitment still apply.
Source: NH General Court — HB1140
Link to this winRight-to-Try eligibility expanded
The law replaces the terminal-illness requirement with eligibility based on a life-threatening disease or condition. Other criteria, including informed consent and limits involving approved treatments and clinical trials, remain. Enacted in 2024, it took effect January 1, 2025.
Source: NH General Court — HB1300
Link to this winFewer notification burdens for agricultural drones
The law exempts qualifying agricultural pesticide applications by drone from aerial-application notification procedures when the operator holds the required registration or permit and flies no higher than 20 feet above ground.
Source: NH General Court — HB1698
Link to this winMedical window-tint exemptions broadened
The law expands special-permit options for drivers who need window tinting for medical reasons, including front side windows, and allows qualifying tint with light transmission of at least 35 percent.
Source: NH General Court — HB370
Link to this winHotel guests allowed to take drinks to their rooms
The law allows hotel guests to carry drinks or a securely sealed, partially consumed wine bottle from qualifying hotel lounges or restaurants to their rooms, subject to limits based on adult registered guests.
Source: LegiScan — enacted bill text
Link to this winMandatory pharmacy improvement-program requirement repealed
The law repeals the requirement that each pharmacy establish a continuous quality improvement program, removing that specific administrative mandate.
Source: NH General Court — HB1042
Link to this winState funding to towns and schools made easier to track
The law requires municipalities and school district governing bodies to publish state allocations and grants on their official websites within 30 days of receiving the funds. Communities without websites must post the information in two appropriate places. The disclosure provision took effect September 24, 2024.
Source: NH Liberty Alliance — final enacted text and docket
Link to this winVoter identification affidavit exceptions removed
Signed September 12, 2024, the law removed affidavit alternatives for voters without photographic identification and for registration applicants lacking documentary proof of voter qualifications. It took effect November 11, after the 2024 general election.
Source: NH Secretary of State and Attorney General — election guidance
Link to this win2023Your Skills, Your School, More Options11 milestones
Year source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins in New Hampshire
Out-of-state professional licenses recognized
HB594 created a route for applicants licensed in another state to receive New Hampshire licenses through the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification where licensing requirements are substantially similar. Approved June 28, 2023, it took effect August 27, 2023.
Source: NH General Court — HB594
Link to this winIndependent beauty booths lose a separate license
Within a broader professional-licensing law, the legislature removed the provision requiring independently operated booths inside a salon or barbershop to obtain an establishment license of their own. Individual professional licenses and salon or barbershop licensing remained. Signed August 8, 2023, with an effective date of July 15, 2023.
Bill record: NHLA bill record — HB409 enacted text
Link to this winHomemade-food businesses outgrow the $35,000 cap
The law removed the $35,000 annual gross-sales ceiling from the licensing exemption for homestead operations selling qualifying, non-potentially-hazardous foods from home, their own farm stand, or farmers’ markets. Signed August 4, 2023; this provision took effect October 3, 2023.
Bill record: New Hampshire General Court — HB119 enacted text
Link to this winFamilies given more school tuition flexibility
Parents in school tuition programs may pay the difference between a receiving school’s tuition and the sending district’s tuition cap, expanding their school options.
Source: GenCourtMobile — HB275
Link to this winEducation Freedom Account eligibility expanded
The law raised the family-income eligibility threshold for Education Freedom Accounts to 350 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.
Source: GenCourtMobile — HB367
Link to this winNano-brewery building restriction removed
The law removed the requirement that nano-breweries manufacture beverages in a public building.
Source: GenCourtMobile — HB167
Link to this winInspection relief for qualifying antique vehicles
The law exempted qualifying antique vehicles driven fewer than 5,000 miles in two years from inspection requirements.
Source: GenCourtMobile — HB54
Link to this winLimits on repeated emergency declarations strengthened
The budget law limited the governor to three renewals of a state-of-emergency declaration, placing further renewals under legislative control.
Source: GenCourtMobile — HB2
Link to this winCell 411 code opened for community development
Shire Free Church announced that it had made the code for Cell 411, an app for alerts to trusted contacts, open source. The project sought volunteer developers and testers to help repair and improve the software; the announcement did not describe a completed relaunch.
Source: Project organizer’s announcement — Cop Block
Link to this winPublic notice required for known immigration checkpoints
The budget law requires state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies informed of a federal immigration checkpoint to publish notice on their websites within 24 hours of the scheduled checkpoint or as soon as practical. The notice includes the date, municipality, and geographic area when known.
Source: NH General Court — HB2, section 608
Link to this winInterest and Dividends Tax repeal moves two years closer
The 2023 budget law accelerated the Interest and Dividends Tax repeal from January 1, 2027 to January 1, 2025. It removed the planned 2-percent and 1-percent stages of the phaseout established in 2021. This entry records the legislative decision; the 2025 entry records the repeal taking effect.
Tax record: NH Revenue — 2023 tax-law changes, HB2 sections 85–88
Link to this win2022Medical Freedom, Open Government, Fewer Barriers23 milestones
Year source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins in New Hampshire
Vaccine-registry entry requires explicit consent
Patients—or parents and guardians for minors—must have the opportunity to opt in or out of the state immunization registry. Identifying and vaccination information cannot be entered without explicit written or electronic consent. Signed June 24, 2022; effective July 1, 2023.
Bill record: NHLA bill record — HB1606 enacted text
Link to this winHomeschool records stay in parents’ hands
The law expressly confirmed that homeschool portfolios remain parents’ property and revised annual evaluation rules, including removing the fixed 40th-percentile test benchmark. It also required public-school participation policies to treat eligible homeschool and other nonpublic pupils no more restrictively than resident public-school pupils. Signed June 2, 2022; the records and evaluation changes took effect on passage, and the participation provision on August 31, 2022.
Bill record: New Hampshire General Court — HB1663 enacted text
Link to this winBusiness Profits Tax falls to 7.5 percent
The legislature set the Business Profits Tax rate at 7.5 percent for taxable periods ending on or after December 31, 2023. The broader law also provided a one-time payment toward specified local-government retirement contributions. Signed June 17, 2022; the tax provision took effect on passage for those later taxable periods.
Bill record: NHLA bill record — HB1221 enacted text
Link to this winState enforcement of federal vaccine mandates restricted
The law prohibited state enforcement of federal requirements that individuals provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
Source: NH General Court — HB1455
Link to this winGovernment-compelled business vaccine rules prohibited
The law prohibited the state from requiring businesses to impose vaccination or immunity-documentation requirements. Businesses retained their own choice of policies.
Source: NH General Court — HB1495
Link to this winMedical freedom protections extended to state facilities
The law extended statutory medical-freedom protections in immunization requirements to state medical facilities.
Source: NH General Court — HB1604
Link to this winFamily visitation during medical care protected
The law established protections for patients to have family or support people present during medical care, subject to specified facility and safety provisions.
Source: NH General Court — HB1439
Link to this winCivil liberties protected during emergencies
The law prohibited suspension of civil liberties during a declared state of emergency.
Source: GenCourtMobile — HB440
Link to this winEmergency healthcare licenses made permanent
The law made pandemic-era emergency healthcare licenses permanent, preserving access to practitioners who had come to New Hampshire with licenses from other states.
Source: Josiah Bartlett Center — SB277
Link to this winCare protected regardless of vaccination status
The law prohibited healthcare providers from refusing care or services based on a patient’s vaccination status.
Source: NH General Court — HB1003
Link to this winVaccine-registry discrimination protections expanded
The law expanded protections against discrimination based on an individual’s decision not to participate in the state vaccine registry.
Source: NH General Court — HB1488
Link to this winRight to withdraw from the vaccine registry clarified
The law strengthened notice of the right to withdraw from the state immunization registry and remove vaccination information.
Source: NH General Court — HB1608
Link to this winHousehold-goods carrier regulation repealed
The law repeals state regulation of household-goods carriers, reducing entry barriers for businesses that transport people’s belongings.
Source: NH General Court — HB207
Link to this winHomestead food licensing threshold raised
The law raises the annual sales threshold for qualifying homestead food licensing exemptions from $20,000 to $35,000. Food types and sales channels remain subject to the law’s conditions.
Source: LegiScan — enacted bill text
Link to this winElection challengers given clearer observation rights
The law requires appointed election challengers to be positioned so they can see and hear hand counting and maintain a line of sight on electronic ballot-counting devices.
Source: LegiScan — enacted bill text
Link to this winState participation in federal firearm enforcement limited
The law restricts state and local resources from supporting federal firearm, ammunition, and knife regulations inconsistent with New Hampshire law. It preserves specified cooperation and record-sharing exceptions.
Source: NH General Court — HB1178
Link to this winA proposed bail-reform rollback blocked
The proposal to change pretrial-release rules did not become law. Its conference report was tabled in the Senate, and the bill was ultimately recorded as inexpedient to legislate at adjournment.
Source: NH General Court — HB1476
Link to this winCanaan police report ordered into public view
In Provenza v. Town of Canaan, the New Hampshire Supreme Court unanimously upheld disclosure of a report investigating an allegation of excessive force. The Valley News, represented by the ACLU of New Hampshire, prevailed in its request for the report under the Right-to-Know Law.
Source: ACLU of New Hampshire — case outcome
Link to this winBarrington ends its case against a home gunsmithing business
After zoning appeals were decided in favor of 2A Tactical, Barrington dropped its lawsuit over the home gunsmithing business. The outcome resolved this local enforcement dispute; it did not repeal the town’s zoning rules.
Source: NH Journal — zoning dispute outcome
Link to this win97 NHLA-endorsed candidates win legislative seats
The New Hampshire Liberty Alliance reported that 97 of its endorsed candidates were elected as state representatives or senators after the 2022 election. This records an electoral organizing milestone, rather than a change in law or a count of Free State Project participants.
Source: NH Liberty Alliance — post-election report
Link to this winVaccination decisions protected in parental-rights proceedings
The law prohibits using a parent’s decision not to vaccinate a child as evidence in a proceeding to terminate parental rights. Signed July 8, 2022, this provision took effect January 1, 2023.
Source: NH General Court — HB1280
Link to this winHoit Road Marsh OHRV prohibition repealed
The law repealed the statutory prohibition on off-highway recreational vehicle travel at Hoit Road Marsh in Concord. Approved May 3, 2022, it took effect July 2, 2022.
Source: NH General Court — HB571
Link to this winExecutive Council protest review ends without charges
The attorney general closed the review of the September 29, 2021 Executive Council protest without bringing criminal charges. The state cited available constitutional and statutory defenses, along with evidentiary issues, in concluding that it could not prove potential charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: Attorney General’s statement reproduced by Patch
Link to this win2021School Choice, Tax Relief, Limits on Emergency Power8 milestones
Education Freedom Accounts established
New Hampshire created Education Freedom Accounts, allowing eligible families to direct state education funding toward qualifying educational expenses. The program’s founding law took effect in 2021, opening another path for families to choose how their children learn.
Source: NH statutes — Education Freedom Accounts
Link to this winBusiness taxes reduced and investment-tax repeal scheduled
The budget law reduced business tax rates, raised the Business Enterprise Tax filing threshold, and scheduled the phaseout of the Interest and Dividends Tax. A later law accelerated that phaseout.
Source: NH General Court — HB2
Link to this winMeals and rooms tax rate reduced
The budget law reduced the meals and rooms tax rate, lowering the tax applied to qualifying restaurant meals and lodging.
Source: NH General Court — HB2
Link to this winLegislative oversight of emergency powers expanded
The budget law strengthened legislative authority to terminate emergency orders and required recurring legislative consideration of extended emergencies.
Source: NH General Court — HB2
Link to this winReligious liberty protected during emergencies
The law required religious organizations to be allowed to operate during an emergency to the same degree as other essential organizations.
Source: NH General Court — HB542
Link to this winFirearm display alone distinguished from reckless conduct
The law clarified that simply displaying a firearm does not by itself constitute reckless conduct.
Source: NH General Court — HB195
Link to this winPandemic business fines slated for refunds
A provision in the signed state budget called for refunds of fines imposed on businesses for violating pandemic emergency orders. In July, the attorney general’s office said it would reimburse five businesses that had paid; cases involving three others had been dropped in June.
Source: Associated Press — fine refunds
Link to this winA one-year $100 million break in statewide property taxes
The 2021 budget lowered the statewide education property-tax revenue target from $363 million to $263 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, applying to tax periods beginning April 1, 2022. It also provided supplemental education payments where the reduction would otherwise lower a municipality’s total education grant. This was a one-year reduction in the statewide levy; it did not eliminate local property taxes or guarantee the same change in every household’s total bill.
Bill record: NHLA bill record — HB2, sections 322–324
Link to this win2020Holding the Line Against New Mandates3 milestones
Source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins in New Hampshire
A payroll-funded paid-leave mandate stops at the veto
The proposal would have created a family and medical leave insurance program funded by payments of 0.5 percent of covered wages, which employers could withhold from employees. Governor Sununu vetoed it on July 10, 2020, and the House sustained the veto on September 16; it did not become law.
Bill record: NHLA bill record — HB712 text and docket
Link to this winCheckout-bag fees fail to become law
The House-passed version would have required specified recycled-content standards and a 10-cent charge for qualifying plastic and paper checkout bags, capped at 50 cents per purchase. The Senate laid the bill on the table on June 16, 2020; it did not become law. The final proposal concerned both plastic and paper bags.
Bill record: NHLA bill record — HB559 text and docket
Link to this winCroydon shifts to state police coverage
Croydon’s three-member select board voted unanimously to dissolve the town’s one-person police department. Law enforcement coverage shifted to New Hampshire State Police.
Source: NBC5 — select board decision
Link to this win2019Ending the Death Penalty, Holding the Line on Taxes3 milestones
Death penalty repealed
The legislature overrode the governor’s veto of HB455 on May 30, 2019. The law replaced the death penalty for capital murder with life imprisonment without parole.
Source: NH General Court — HB455
Link to this winPayroll-tax paid-leave proposal stopped
The governor vetoed the proposed family and medical leave program, and the Senate sustained the veto on September 19, 2019.
Source: NH General Court — SB1
Link to this winBusiness-tax cuts survive the budget compromise
After the original budget trailer was vetoed, the September compromise retained a 7.7 percent Business Profits Tax rate and a 0.6 percent Business Enterprise Tax rate for taxable periods ending on or after December 31, 2019. Future rates were tied to revenue results, allowing a rise, a further cut, or continuation of those rates; the agreement did not guarantee every previously scheduled reduction. Governor Sununu signed HB4 on September 26, 2019.
Bill record: NHLA bill record — HB4, sections 200–202
Link to this win2018Privacy Enters the Constitution11 milestones
Annual source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins of 2018
Constitutional protection for personal privacy
Voters added a constitutional protection for private and personal information. The amendment recognized a right to be free from government intrusion into that information.
Original record: NH General Court — CACR16
Link to this winTaxpayer challenges to unlawful spending
Taxpayers can challenge unlawful government spending.
The amendment gave eligible taxpayers a route to challenge unlawful state or local spending in Superior Court without proving a separate personal injury beyond their taxpayer status.
Original record: NH General Court — CACR15
Link to this winMore oversight of electricity charges
HB317 required legislative approval before increasing the system benefits charge on electricity bills. It preserved an exception for the energy-efficiency portion authorized by the Public Utilities Commission’s August 2, 2016 order.
Bill record: NH General Court — enacted bill status · Adopted text
Link to this winMeeting minutes identify who made each motion
HB1347 required meeting minutes under the Right-to-Know Law, including minutes of nonpublic sessions, to name the members who made and seconded each motion. Signed June 12, 2018, the change took effect January 1, 2019.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winSimpler rules for short-event charity raffles
Charitable organizations could sell raffle tickets at events lasting 12 hours or less without a raffle permit or the usual printed-ticket requirements. The law also replaced the December 31 expiration of charitable gaming licenses with a period ending after 12 months or the tenth game date. Effective August 11, 2018.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winShorter agency deadlines and online business filings
HB1104 shortened general agency review deadlines and added approval by default when applicable deadlines were missed, subject to exceptions and continuing legal requirements. It also required online filings for several business and nonprofit entities by January 1, 2020. Signed June 21, 2018; effective January 1, 2019.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winAircraft fees move to a simpler schedule
HB124 repealed separate aircraft registration fees and established operating fees based on aircraft weight, with a $100 fee for antique, experimental, and glider aircraft. It also changed airport revenue distributions and reporting requirements. Signed June 12, 2018, with implementation beginning July 1, 2018 and additional provisions effective January 1, 2019.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winPerformers permitted to drink while entertaining
Dancers and entertainers at premises serving alcohol were exempted from the prohibition on employees drinking while working. The exemption did not extend to other employees or licensees. Signed June 8, 2018, HB1285 took effect August 7, 2018.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winStatewide rules replace local seed restrictions
HB1233 preempted local regulation of seeds and barred local restrictions on fertilizer types used for agriculture. It retained municipal planning and zoning authority, including certain native-plant and invasive-species requirements. Signed June 8, 2018; effective August 7, 2018.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winVehicle idling allowed on your property
HB1227 clarified that the unattended-vehicle rule does not prohibit a person in charge of a vehicle from leaving it idling on their own property. Signed May 15, 2018, the exemption took effect July 14, 2018.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winBeverage vendor fees follow sales volume
The final law established annual beverage vendor license fees of $120 for 1–10 barrels sold, $240 for 11–100, $360 for 101–200, and $1,920 above 200, for each manufacturer represented. It changed the fee schedule rather than eliminating vendor fees. Signed June 25, 2018; effective August 24, 2018.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this win2017Constitutional Carry and Cannabis Reform22 milestones
Annual source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins of 2017
Constitutional carry enacted
SB12 removed the license requirement for carrying a concealed pistol or revolver for people otherwise legally permitted to possess firearms. Signed February 22, 2017, it took effect that day.
Source: NH General Court — SB12
Link to this winLocal schools retain control over Common Core
SB44 prohibited the education department and state board from requiring schools to implement Common Core standards. Local boards choosing another approach could adopt alternative standards. Changes to state academic standards also required legislative committee review and recommendation. Signed July 18, 2017; effective September 16, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winParents gain consent rights over nonacademic surveys
SB43 required written parental consent for nonacademic school surveys involving personal subjects, except for adult or emancipated students. The CDC youth risk behavior survey retained an opt-out process. Schools also had to offer parents access to surveys at least 10 days beforehand. Effective September 16, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winTuitioning opens a path to private schools
Districts without a public school at a student’s grade level could contract with approved nonsectarian private schools and pay tuition when the board determined it served the pupil’s best interest. Participating schools had assessment and reporting requirements. Signed June 29, 2017; effective August 28, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winCell-site surveillance gains warrant and deletion rules
HB474 required informed consent, a probable-cause warrant, or a recognized warrant exception to track a device with a cell-site simulator. Law enforcement had to delete data from people outside the court order by the end of the day. Enacted without the governor’s signature July 11, 2017; effective January 1, 2018.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winSmall-quantity cannabis possession decriminalized
HB640 reduced possession of up to three-quarters of an ounce of marijuana or five grams of hashish to a violation, generally carrying a $100 fine for an adult’s first or second offense. Repeated offenses could still become misdemeanors, and minors had separate procedures. Signed July 18, 2017; effective September 16, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winVeterinarians gain relief from prescription-monitoring rules
HB291 exempted veterinarians from mandatory prescription-database queries for pain-management opioids and replaced certain prescribing-rule requirements with veterinary treatment-plan and continuing-education provisions. Signed June 16, 2017; effective August 15, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — HB291 enacted text
Link to this winTherapeutic cannabis eligibility expands to pain and PTSD
HB157 made moderate to severe chronic pain a qualifying condition, effective August 15, 2017. HB160 broadened eligibility further to include moderate or severe PTSD and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and eased injury-documentation requirements. HB160 took effect August 27, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — HB160 enacted text · NHLA — HB157 enacted text
Link to this winFirecrackers and toy smoke devices become permissible
SB23 repealed the retail-sale ban on firecrackers, effective June 2, 2017. HB100 excluded qualifying toy smoke devices sold by licensed fireworks sellers from the smoke-bomb prohibition, effective June 16, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — HB100 enacted text · NHLA — SB23 enacted text
Link to this winIn-state beverages no longer need federal label approval
HB99 barred the Liquor Commission from requiring federal label approval for beverages sold exclusively in New Hampshire. Physical packaging samples were needed only when the commission considered them necessary. Signed June 16, 2017; effective August 15, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — HB99 enacted text
Link to this winBrewpubs can make and sell hard cider
HB98 added cider to brewpub manufacturing and sales privileges, within the license’s 2,500-barrel annual production limit. Brewpubs could sell their cider for consumption on or off the premises and to licensed retailers and wholesalers, with an additional annual fee. Effective August 15, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — HB98 enacted text
Link to this winPharmacies offer more adult vaccination options
SB65 added hepatitis A and B, Tdap, MMR, and meningococcal vaccines to those qualified pharmacists could administer to adults age 18 and older. Training, insurance, notification, and recordkeeping requirements remained. Signed June 16, 2017; the expanded vaccine provisions took effect January 1, 2018.
Bill record: NHLA — SB65 enacted text
Link to this winHepatitis-C cannabis eligibility no longer depends on antivirals
SB17 removed the requirement that hepatitis-C patients be receiving antiviral treatment for that condition to count toward therapeutic cannabis eligibility. Other qualifying requirements remained. Signed June 16, 2017, the change took effect that day.
Bill record: NHLA — SB17 enacted text
Link to this winParents receive advance notice of sex-education material
HB103 added at least two weeks’ advance notice of course material involving human sexuality or sexual education, along with access for parental review where practicable. Existing policy allowed parents to request an agreed alternative at their expense. Signed April 17, 2017; effective June 16, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winSyringe-service programs become legal
SB234 authorized self-funded health and community organizations to operate syringe-service programs, with treatment referrals, registration, and reporting requirements. It also permitted needle sales outside pharmacies and provided protections related to residual drug amounts for program participants. Signed June 16, 2017; effective immediately.
Bill record: NHLA — SB234 enacted text
Link to this winA temporary licensing bridge for nurses from nearby states
Currently licensed RN and LPN applicants from Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut could receive a 120-day temporary license while seeking New Hampshire licensure by endorsement. Effective August 9, 2017, this provision was scheduled for repeal July 1, 2019.
Bill record: NHLA — SB137 enacted text
Link to this winReligious slaughter and farm-transport rules eased
HB612 extended the humane-slaughter definition to qualifying practices of any religious faith and exempted farmers’ noncommercial livestock transportation from dealer-license requirements. It also consolidated meat-inspection exemptions and revised livestock transport rules. Signed June 16, 2017; effective August 15, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — HB612 enacted text
Link to this winA licensing exemption for virtual-currency businesses
HB436 exempted businesses selling or issuing payment instruments or stored value solely as convertible virtual currency, or receiving that currency for transmission, from state money-transmitter licensing. Those businesses remained subject to the state Consumer Protection Act. Signed June 2, 2017; effective August 1, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winBiweekly pay no longer needs special permission
HB194 allowed regular wage payments at intervals of up to 14 days, removing the need for special permission for biweekly payroll. Paydays still had to be designated in advance, with no cost to employees; less frequent schedules required authorization. Signed May 12, 2017; effective July 11, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winEducation scholarships cover more learning options
HB386 added college, accredited tutoring, and distance-education costs to eligible scholarship expenses. It also extended the business tax-credit application deadline from June 15 to November 15 and revised donation timing rules. Signed June 2, 2017; effective August 1, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winCorporations can seek reinstatement without a hearing
SB42 removed the hearing requirement for certain late reinstatements of administratively dissolved corporations and revivals of voluntary corporations. Public notice and an opportunity for comments remained for late business-corporation reinstatements, alongside application and fee requirements. Signed June 28, 2017; effective August 27, 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — final enacted text
Link to this winOverdose-call protections lose their expiration date
Removed the scheduled September 2018 repeal of the drug-possession protections established by HB270 in 2015 for people seeking medical help during an overdose. The underlying good-faith and evidence requirements remained. Signed June 2, 2017; effective August 1, 2017.
Bill record: HB545 — final enacted text
Link to this win2016More Homes, Fewer Healthcare Barriers29 milestones
Annual source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins of 2016
Special-service licensing follows certificate-of-need repeal
As certificate-of-need regulation ended, this law created licensing rules for cardiac catheterization, open-heart surgery and megavoltage radiation therapy. New facilities near critical-access hospitals faced an additional impact review. This was a replacement licensing framework, rather than the law that repealed certificate-of-need review. Effective July 1, 2016.
Bill record: General Court — SB481 enacted text
Link to this winStronger protections against property forfeiture
The law generally tied forfeiture to a criminal conviction, required clear and convincing evidence, and added protections for innocent owners. It preserved specified exceptions and agreements.
Original record: NH General Court — SB522
Link to this winMarijuana-record annulment becomes available sooner
Reduced the waiting period to seek annulment of a class A misdemeanor conviction for marijuana or hashish possession from three years to two. Applicants still had to complete their sentence and satisfy the applicable crime-free period and other annulment requirements.
Bill record: General Court — SB391 enacted text
Link to this winBusinesses gain a choice over asset-basis taxation
Changed business-profits-tax treatment of certain ownership-interest sales. Businesses could avoid automatically recognizing the full increase in asset basis as taxable profits, with corresponding adjustments to depreciation and later gains, or elect to recognize it and use the increased basis. Applied to transactions from January 1, 2016.
Bill record: General Court — SB342 enacted text
Link to this winLarger upfront deductions for business equipment
Raised the business-profits-tax Section 179 deduction limit to $100,000 for eligible property placed in service from January 1, 2017. This let qualifying businesses deduct more of an investment upfront instead of spreading the deduction over future years, subject to the applicable tax rules.
Bill record: NH Revenue — 2016 tax-law changes
Link to this winNo transfer tax for qualifying business reorganizations
Exempted qualifying real-estate transfers made without consideration during a change in organizational form, or between an entity and its owners. Ownership percentages and specified assets and liabilities had to remain unchanged. The law also clarified which financing transfers and nominal payments count as consideration. Effective June 21, 2016.
Bill record: General Court — enacted text
Link to this winBody-camera rules protect privacy and preserve evidence
Set rules for agencies choosing to use body cameras, including recording enforcement encounters, notifying people, restricting recording in private settings, and retaining evidence of serious incidents. It restricted facial-recognition analysis and indiscriminate recording, while providing specified public-access exceptions for force, firearm discharge and felony arrests. Effective January 1, 2017.
Bill record: Enacted text on LegiScan
Link to this winParents can issue youth employment certificates
Allowed parents and legal guardians to issue youth employment certificates as an alternative to school officials. Academic performance, age and health requirements remained, along with employer recordkeeping. Parents issuing certificates also took responsibility for supervision and coordination with the Labor Department. Effective August 23, 2016.
Bill record: Enacted text on LegiScan
Link to this winSunday business restrictions come off the books
Repealed the Sunday-business-activities law and removed later Sunday starting times for bingo and games of chance. It also allowed alcohol sales and consumption in approved stadium or skybox seating at intercollegiate events at licensed sports complexes; the interscholastic restriction remained. Effective August 23, 2016.
Bill record: Enacted text on LegiScan
Link to this winPublic-record delivery without copying is free
Prohibited fees for inspecting public records or delivering them without making a copy, including electronic delivery that requires no copying. Agencies could still charge actual copying costs and fees specifically authorized by another statute. Effective June 21, 2016.
Bill record: General Court — HB606 enacted text
Link to this winA new licensing route for specialty beer stores
Created a specialty license for retailers whose primary business was selling beer, allowing off-premises sales of beverages, wine and tobacco. The final law required at least 500 beer labels and $1,000 in wholesale food and nonalcoholic-beverage inventory. It also expanded purchasing options for liquor rectifiers. Effective July 1, 2016.
Bill record: Enacted text on LegiScan
Link to this winTelemedicine follow-up includes certain controlled prescriptions
Clarified when physicians and advanced-practice nurses could prescribe non-opioid Schedule II–IV drugs through telemedicine, including follow-up care and specified mental-health or opioid-treatment settings. Initial in-person examinations and subsequent examinations at least annually remained required. The prescribing provisions took effect August 8, 2016.
Bill record: Enacted text on LegiScan
Link to this winLow-speed coasting allowed for motorcycles and passenger cars
Exempted motorcycles and private passenger automobiles traveling under 15 miles per hour from the prohibition on downhill coasting with gears in neutral. The final law created this limited exemption rather than repealing the prohibition outright. Effective June 10, 2016.
Bill record: Enacted text on LegiScan
Link to this winTerminally ill patients gain a Right-to-Try option
Created a state framework for eligible terminally ill patients to try investigational treatments that had completed Phase I trials. Physician review, a recommendation or prescription, and written informed consent were required. Manufacturers could choose whether to supply treatment, and insurers were not required to cover it. Effective June 6, 2016.
Bill record: General Court — enacted text
Link to this winVacated convictions can be cleared from the record
Allowed people whose criminal convictions were subsequently vacated by a court to petition for annulment of their arrest record, court record, or both. The change extended an existing process available after acquittal, dismissal or non-prosecution, subject to the annulment statute. Effective January 1, 2017.
Bill record: Enacted text on LegiScan
Link to this winATM operators pay less to renew annual notices
Reduced the annual cash-dispensing-machine notification renewal fee from $50 to $5. The initial notification fee remained $50, and operators still had to submit their annual notice before July 1. The law also removed the certified-funds payment requirement. Effective July 18, 2016.
Bill record: Enacted text on LegiScan
Link to this winHands-free navigation is expressly permitted
Clarified that drivers of any age could receive spoken routing instructions through hands-free navigation devices or services. Turn-by-turn screen directions were also permitted on devices integrated into the vehicle or mounted on its dashboard, windshield or visor. Effective May 27, 2016.
Bill record: General Court — enacted text
Link to this winCommercial fishing vehicles qualify for agricultural plates
Extended agricultural registration rates and plates to qualifying trucks, tractors and cargo vans used exclusively in support of commercial fishing. Vehicles had to remain within ten miles of the boats’ docking area and serve specified product, maintenance, operational or crew-transport purposes. Effective January 1, 2017.
Bill record: General Court — enacted text
Link to this winClosed-session minutes must show decisions and individual votes
HB1418 required nonpublic-session minutes to meet the same minimum content standard as public minutes. HB1419 required the voting record of each member for every action taken in nonpublic session. Statutory grounds for withholding minutes remained. Both changes took effect January 1, 2017.
Bill record: General Court — enacted text · HB1418 — enacted text on LegiScan
Link to this winCrossbows gain a place in muzzleloader deer season
Authorized Fish and Game to adopt rules allowing crossbow deer hunting during the regular muzzleloader season for hunters holding a valid muzzleloader deer tag. It also specified that a muzzleloader license could cover hunting with a crossbow. Effective June 24, 2016.
Bill record: Enacted text on LegiScan
Link to this winAntique trailer plates no longer depend on axle count
Removed the single-axle requirement from the definition used for antique trailer registration. Otherwise qualifying trailers could obtain antique plates regardless of the number of axles. The remaining registration requirements were unchanged. Effective June 14, 2016.
Bill record: General Court — enacted text
Link to this winHunters can use firearm suppressors
The Hunters Hearing Protection Act repealed the state prohibition on using firearm suppressors to take wildlife and the penalty attached to that prohibition. It removed this hunting restriction without changing other applicable firearm and hunting requirements. Effective June 10, 2016.
Bill record: General Court — enacted text
Link to this winFarms gain stronger protection for agritourism
Defined agritourism as activities accessory to a primary farm operation and prohibited municipalities from banning it on property primarily used for agriculture. Local approvals and reasonable rules addressing traffic, parking and public safety remained available for new or expanded public-facing uses. Signed June 16, 2016.
Bill record: General Court — enacted text
Link to this winUlcerative colitis added to therapeutic cannabis eligibility
Added ulcerative colitis to the medical conditions that could qualify a patient for New Hampshire’s therapeutic cannabis program. Patients still had to meet the program’s other eligibility and certification requirements. Effective August 2, 2016.
Bill record: General Court — enacted text
Link to this winFine credit for jail time triples
Raised the amount credited against an unpaid fine for each day of imprisonment from $50 to $150. The change reduced the number of days required to discharge a fine under the affected conditional-sentence and nonpayment provisions. Effective May 19, 2016.
Bill record: General Court — enacted text
Link to this winMore room for accessory homes
The law required municipalities with zoning to allow an accessory dwelling within or attached to a single-family home, subject to permitted local standards. Approved in 2016, it took effect June 1, 2017.
Original record: NH General Court — SB146
Link to this winA mandatory minimum prison sentence removed
The law eliminated the mandatory minimum sentence for habitual offenders convicted of unlawfully operating a motor vehicle, restoring sentencing discretion.
Source: NH General Court — HB605
Link to this winMarijuana penalties eased ahead of decriminalization
The law changed marijuana possession from a class A misdemeanor to an unspecified misdemeanor and set a $350 fine for marijuana possession and possession of five grams or less of hashish. Possession remained a criminal offense. Approved June 21, 2016, the law took effect August 20; broader decriminalization followed in 2017.
Source: NH General Court — SB498, final text
Link to this winFederal road-fuel tax exemption narrowed
The law limited the road-fuel tax exemption for sales to the federal government to fuel used by the armed forces, removing the broader exemption for federal agencies and instrumentalities. Signed June 3, 2016, it took effect January 1, 2017.
Source: NH General Court — SB494
Link to this win2015Checking Surveillance, Making Room for Enterprise18 milestones
Annual source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins of 2015
Overdose calls gain protection from drug-possession charges
Protected people who promptly and in good faith sought medical help for an overdose, including victims, from specified drug-possession charges based on evidence obtained through the request. Other offenses remained outside the protection. Effective September 6, 2015; a planned 2018 expiration was removed by HB545 in 2017.
Bill record: NHLA — HB270 enacted text
Link to this winQuarterly reports compare state spending with the budget
Required Administrative Services to report actual versus projected expenditures for specified state funds and agencies, with explanations for substantial differences. Reports were due for three fiscal quarters and when the governor submitted a spending-reduction plan. Effective December 31, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — SB32 enacted text
Link to this winA warrant requirement for government location tracking
Required government officials to obtain a probable-cause warrant before installing a tracking device or obtaining location information from one, subject to consent, emergencies and other specified exceptions. The law also restricted private tracking without consent, with exceptions including certain parental uses.
Bill record: HB468 — enacted text on LegiScan
Link to this winCash-assistance EBT use restricted at additional businesses
Added restrictions on cash-assistance EBT use at tattoo and piercing businesses, specified tobacco shops, and marijuana dispensaries other than therapeutic cannabis treatment centers. It also required recipient and retailer education and reports on electronic blocking at prohibited locations. Effective September 18, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — HB219 enacted text
Link to this winPipeline siting standards must address property use
Required high-pressure gas pipeline siting rules to address safety, environmental effects and property owners’ ability to use and enjoy their land. The law also directed the state to consider participation in federal siting proceedings and authorized bonding conditions. It did not establish new eminent-domain compensation rights. Effective July 20, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — HB572 enacted text
Link to this winOverdose-reversal medication reaches friends and family
Allowed authorized professionals to prescribe or distribute opioid antagonists to people at risk of overdose and others positioned to help, including through standing orders. People and organizations could possess and administer the medication, with liability protections for actions taken in good faith and with reasonable care. Effective June 2, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — HB271 enacted text
Link to this winDistilleries gain an on-premises licensing option
Allowed a liquor manufacturer to obtain one on-premises license for its manufacturing premises, provided it met the requirements of that license. This opened a route to serving customers on site rather than granting an automatic exemption from licensing. Effective August 25, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — HB381 enacted text
Link to this winLandowners protected from claims over inherent outdoor risks
Provided that participants in outdoor recreation accept the activity’s inherent dangers and cannot sue a landowner, occupant or lessee for injuries resulting from those risks. Examples included terrain, snow, rocks, trees and collisions. The protection concerned inherent risks rather than blanket immunity for every injury. Effective January 1, 2016.
Bill record: NHLA — HB290 enacted text
Link to this winTable-stakes poker expands charitable cash-game play
Allowed monetary-chip poker under table-stakes rules: forced bets remained capped at $4 per player, while wagers during a hand could reach the chips already on the table. Chip purchases during a game were limited to $150. Effective July 1, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — HB169 enacted text
Link to this winMore medical conditions qualify for therapeutic cannabis
Expanded the therapeutic cannabis law’s qualifying conditions to include epilepsy, lupus and Parkinson’s disease, among others. Patients still had to meet the accompanying debilitating-condition or symptom criteria and the program’s other requirements. Effective September 4, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — HB476 enacted text
Link to this winParents gain notice and opt-out rights for personal school surveys
Required districts to notify parents of nonacademic surveys and their purpose, make them available for review at school and online at least ten days beforehand, and allow parents to opt out in writing or electronically. The policy requirements took effect August 25, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — HB206 enacted text
Link to this winInsurance promotion prizes lose a $1,000 annual cap
Removed the $1,000 annual prize-value limit for qualifying contests, sweepstakes, raffles and drawings promoting insurance products. Entry still had to be free and open to non-policyholders, with no policy purchase required to enter or receive a prize. Effective January 1, 2016.
Bill record: NHLA — HB171 enacted text
Link to this winCrossbow hunting authority extends to more species
Authorized Fish and Game rules allowing crossbows for game birds and animals other than deer during their regular firearms seasons. It also expressly added crossbows as an option for taking black bear. Location, training, licensing and other conditions could still apply. Effective August 7, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — HB336 enacted text
Link to this winHomemade food can reach retail store shelves
Allowed qualifying homestead food operations exempt from licensing to sell through retail food stores. The exemption retained the then-applicable $20,000 annual sales threshold, exclusion of potentially hazardous foods and package-label requirements. Effective August 4, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — HB200 enacted text
Link to this winAn observer exemption for approved water-ski courses
Exempted specified water-ski tow boats from carrying a separate observer when operated by an adult on an approved, state-permitted slalom course. The boat needed association approval and a wide-angle mirror of at least 48 square inches. The general observer requirement remained. Effective July 6, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — SB16 enacted text
Link to this winHousing-finance grants disclose their strings before acceptance
Required the Housing Finance Authority to disclose all municipal grant or loan conditions in writing at least fourteen days before acceptance, including conditions from federal or other third-party funders. It also required an annual independent financial audit and detailed operations report. Effective July 4, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — HB534 enacted text
Link to this winAlcohol advertising rules focus on inducing minors to drink
Repealed the separate prohibition on alcohol advertising that referenced minors. The remaining restriction covered material the Liquor Commission considered reasonably likely to induce minors to drink, while participating coupon offers still had to specify legal drinking age. Effective August 23, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — HB122 enacted text
Link to this winPetitioned town-warrant articles given a hearing
The law strengthened consideration of qualifying petitioned warrant articles in municipalities using the official-ballot referendum form of town meeting.
Source: NH General Court — HB102
Link to this win2014Private Lives, Fewer Prohibitions11 milestones
Annual source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins of 2014
You can talk about your pay
Clarified that employers may not fire, formally discipline, or discriminate against employees because they disclose their own wages, salary, or paid benefits. The change took effect January 1, 2015, alongside SB207, which established the pay-disclosure provisions and related protections.
Bill record: General Court — HB1188 enacted text · General Court — SB207 enacted text
Link to this winA business can choose a public-benefit mission
Created an optional benefit-corporation form for businesses pursuing social or environmental benefits alongside their commercial goals. Companies choosing this form must consider affected workers, customers, communities, and the environment, and publish annual benefit reports. Effective January 1, 2015.
Bill record: General Court — SB215 enacted text
Link to this winHome-food businesses get twice the room to grow
Raised the annual gross-sales threshold for the home-food licensing exemption from $10,000 to $20,000. It covered nonhazardous foods sold from the home, the owner’s farm stand, or farmers’ markets; other sales channels still required licensing at the time. Effective September 9, 2014.
Bill record: General Court — HB1138 enacted text
Link to this winSmall landlords can bring their own case to court
Allowed a member or employee of an LLC, corporation, or partnership with five or fewer members to represent the entity in circuit-court landlord–tenant matters without being a lawyer. Each appearance requires fresh written authorization from the organization. Effective September 9, 2014.
Bill record: HB590 — enacted text on LegiScan
Link to this winAdultery leaves the criminal code
Repealed the criminal offense of adultery and removed related references from family-mediation and proof-of-marriage statutes. Signed May 27, 2014; effective January 1, 2015.
Bill record: NHLA — HB1125 enacted text
Link to this winA district quota stops blocking charter transfers
Repealed the district limit on the number of pupils eligible to transfer to a chartered public school. This removed a statutory barrier to school choice. Signed May 27, 2014; effective July 26, 2014.
Bill record: NHLA — HB1392 enacted text
Link to this winPrivacy protections follow your phone into police custody
Required a probable-cause warrant to search information on a portable electronic device, including searches incident to arrest or during an inventory, unless a recognized exception applied. It also required prompt return of the device and provided remedies for unlawful searches.
Bill record: HB1533 — enacted text on LegiScan
Link to this winRental leases can use a longer payment schedule
Expressly allowed written leases requiring rent quarterly or less often. For those agreements, any security deposit collected in addition to the initial rent payment could not exceed one month’s rent. Signed May 27, 2014; effective July 26, 2014.
Bill record: NHLA — HB1274 enacted text
Link to this winTiny breweries gain a wholesale route to market
Allowed licensed wholesale distributors to buy beverages from nano-brewery license holders and resell them to other licensees in their original containers. This added a distribution option for small breweries. Signed May 27, 2014; effective July 26, 2014.
Bill record: NHLA — HB1217 enacted text
Link to this winA path to clearing more misdemeanor records
Made misdemeanor obstruction-of-justice offenses eligible for criminal-record annulment petitions, subject to the remaining requirements. It also made escape without physical force or injury to anyone else a class A misdemeanor, while retaining felony provisions for other cases. Effective January 1, 2015.
Bill record: General Court — HB1137 enacted text
Link to this winA restricted route back to work after a first DWI
Allowed eligible first-time DWI offenders to ask a court for limited driving privileges for employment, treatment, education, job training, or medical care. Approval required proof of need and financial responsibility, at least 45 days of suspension, and an ignition-interlock-equipped vehicle. Commercial-vehicle convictions were excluded. Effective January 1, 2016.
Bill record: General Court — HB496 enacted text
Link to this win2013Medical Cannabis Comes to New Hampshire9 milestones
Annual source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins of 2013
Small breweries can serve more than a sample
Allowed qualifying nano-breweries to serve their own beer by the glass without the usual one-four-ounce-glass-per-label limit. The expanded option required meeting specified restaurant requirements and paying an additional $240 license fee. Signed July 24, 2013; effective September 22, 2013.
Bill record: General Court — HB253 enacted text
Link to this winCorporate rules catch up with modern business
Rewrote the Business Corporation Act, including procedures for changing a corporation’s home jurisdiction or converting between corporations and other business forms. The updated framework also addressed electronic communications, shareholder approvals, and protections during reorganizations. Signed June 27, 2013; effective January 1, 2014.
Bill record: NHLA — SB41 enacted text
Link to this winRelated heating experience counts toward a gas license
Set a 2,000-hour field-experience requirement for fuel-gas service technicians, with up to 750 hours credited from relevant work on oil-fired heating equipment. Installation and piping specialties had 1,000-hour requirements and their own credit allowances. The law also consolidated plumbing and gas-fitting oversight under a mechanical licensing board. Signed July 24, 2013, with a statutory effective date of July 1.
Bill record: NHLA — SB189 enacted text
Link to this winInsurers face a 48-hour prescription-exception clock
Required an insurer to respond within 48 hours to a provider’s clinically supported request for a medically necessary prescription outside the plan’s formulary. If the insurer missed that deadline, the exception was deemed approved. Effective September 22, 2013.
Bill record: NHLA — SB45 enacted text
Link to this winLandowners gain protection when welcoming trail builders
Extended landowner liability protections to injuries involving people constructing, maintaining, or expanding recreational trails and related facilities on land made available without a fee or other consideration. The law covered facilities such as bridges, restrooms, and parking areas, subject to the existing statutory exceptions. Effective January 1, 2014.
Bill record: NHLA — SB108 enacted text
Link to this winTherapeutic cannabis program established
The law created a regulated program allowing qualifying patients to use cannabis for therapeutic purposes, with legal protections for use that complied with the program.
Original record: NH General Court — HB573
Link to this winTowns can let last call run until 2 a.m.
Allowed on-premises alcohol license holders to sell until 2 a.m. when their city or town adopted an authorizing ordinance. Without that local authorization, the usual 1 a.m. endpoint remained. Signed July 10, 2013; effective January 1, 2014.
Bill record: NHLA — HB575 enacted text
Link to this winNorthern I-93 gets a 70 mph limit
Raised the statutory speed limit from 65 to 70 miles per hour on I-93 from mile marker 45 to the Vermont border. The change applied to that specified stretch of highway. Signed July 2, 2013; effective January 1, 2014.
Bill record: NHLA — HB146 enacted text
Link to this winSurviving spouses allowed to keep Purple Heart plates
The law allowed a surviving spouse to retain a qualifying veteran’s Purple Heart plate for life unless the spouse remarried. Signed July 2, 2013, it took effect August 31, 2013.
Source: Final enacted text — Chapter 178
Link to this win2012Empowering Juries, Protecting Property9 milestones
Annual source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins of 2012
Jury rights affirmed
HB146 required courts in criminal proceedings to permit the defense to inform jurors of their right to judge the facts and the application of the law to those facts. Approved June 18, 2012, the law took effect January 1, 2013.
Source: NH General Court — HB146
Link to this winEmergency powers protect household essentials
Excluded property owned or intended for individual or family use from the emergency-taking provision. Property exceeding a household’s reasonable needs for the expected emergency remained subject to that provision. The protection took effect August 17, 2012.
Bill record: HB574 — enacted text on Live Free or Die Legal
Link to this winHome kitchens and small dairies gain licensing exemptions
Exempted qualifying home-food operations with annual sales below $10,000 from licensing for nonhazardous foods sold directly from the home, an owner’s farm stand, or farmers’ markets. It also exempted qualifying small dairies producing or processing less than 20 gallons of raw milk daily for specified direct sales. Labels and other conditions applied. Effective June 7, 2012.
Bill record: General Court — HB1402 enacted text
Link to this winThe state sets a deadline for certificate-of-need review
Enacted a prospective repeal of certificate-of-need review for proposed new institutional health services. The 2012 law originally scheduled repeal for June 30, 2015; subsequent legislation postponed it to June 30, 2016. The 2016 entry describes the specialized licensing framework that followed.
Bill record: NHLA — HB1617 enacted text
Link to this winWater reports must disclose fluoridation
Required fluoridated public-water systems to include a notice in the water-quality section of their consumer confidence reports. The required statement addressed dental-fluorosis risk for infants under six months exclusively consuming formula mixed with fluoridated water. Signed June 5, 2012; effective August 4, 2012.
Bill record: NHLA — HB1416 enacted text
Link to this winSmall-business tax thresholds rise, internet access stays untaxed
Raised Business Enterprise Tax filing thresholds from $150,000 to $200,000 in gross receipts and from $75,000 to $100,000 in enterprise value tax base, with inflation adjustments, for tax periods ending from December 31, 2013. It also allowed up to $25,000 in qualifying Section 179 deductions and excluded internet-access charges from the communications tax. Became law June 21, 2012, without the governor’s signature.
Bill record: NHLA — HB1418 enacted text
Link to this winNew Hampshire declines a state-run insurance exchange
Prohibited state agencies and political subdivisions from creating, enabling, or participating in a state-based Affordable Care Act insurance exchange. It allowed interaction with a federally facilitated exchange and specified state functions under legislative oversight. This limited state participation rather than preventing a federal exchange. Effective June 18, 2012.
Bill record: NHLA — HB1297 enacted text
Link to this winWinning state contracts go online
Required the state transparency website to include contracts entered into through requests for proposals, allowing the public and future bidders to review the resulting agreements. Signed June 7, 2012; effective July 1, 2012.
Bill record: NHLA — HB1686 enacted text
Link to this winExtra special-education rules require an explanation
Required reports identifying proposed special-education rules that exceed state or federal legal minimums and explaining why. Reports went to legislative education committee chairs and district superintendents, with an annual report also covering adopted rules. The law established disclosure and reporting requirements. Effective June 13, 2012.
Bill record: NHLA — HB1360 enacted text
Link to this win2011Standing Your Ground, Capping Local Taxes25 milestones
Annual source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins of 2011
Self-defense protections extend beyond the home
Removed the duty to retreat for a person who was legally present and was not the initial aggressor, when the statutory conditions for justified force were met. It also provided civil immunity for justified force and repealed certain mandatory minimum firearm sentences. Effective November 13, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — SB88 enacted text
Link to this winCommunities gain a route to local tax caps
Authorized local tax caps through municipal charters and a procedure for towns, school districts and certain other districts using town-meeting government. Caps could use a fixed dollar amount or percentage; adoption and override rules applied. It also validated existing charter tax caps. Effective July 5, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — SB2 enacted text
Link to this winPlanning boards cannot require sprinklers in one- or two-family homes
Prohibited local planning boards from requiring fire-suppression sprinklers in proposed one- or two-family residences as a condition of a local permit. Boards could still require another credible water source, such as a cistern, dry hydrant, or fire pond. Effective July 1, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — HB109 enacted text
Link to this winLocal wine reaches farmers’ markets and festivals
Allowed wine manufacturers to sell their own wines in original containers at farmers’ markets and licensed wine festivals, subject to Liquor Commission rules. It also removed the requirement to buy winery tasting samples back from the commission and created a wine-festival license for events lasting up to three days. Effective August 13, 2011.
Bill record: General Court — HB276 enacted text
Link to this winQuaker parrots become legal pets
Expressly allowed the possession and sale of monk parakeets, also known as quaker parrots, within New Hampshire. The change removed the state barrier to keeping and selling this species. Signed May 31, 2011; effective July 30, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — HB651 enacted text
Link to this winA $240 license opens a route for tiny breweries
Created a nano-brewery license for businesses producing no more than 2,000 barrels annually, with a $240 annual fee and a per-gallon charge. Licensees could sell their own beer at retail or wholesale; on-site consumption initially remained limited to one four-ounce glass per label per person. Effective July 1, 2011.
Bill record: General Court — HB262 enacted text
Link to this winKnife rules move to the state level
Added knives to the state’s authority over ownership, possession, use, sales, and related regulation, and nullified unauthorized municipal knife ordinances. Towns retained authority to zone knife businesses in the same manner as other businesses. Signed June 7, 2011; effective August 6, 2011.
Bill record: General Court — HB544 enacted text
Link to this winPharmacists can offer more vaccines
Allowed qualified pharmacists to administer pneumococcal and shingles vaccines to adults, alongside influenza vaccination. It removed the Pharm.D.-or-three-years-of-licensure qualification while retaining a current license, vaccine-specific training, liability coverage, and other requirements. Effective August 26, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — SB93 enacted text
Link to this winHappy-hour prices can be advertised
Removed the ban on advertising references to happy hour and allowed licensees to advertise alcohol prices separately. Municipalities could still prohibit exterior reduced-price signs, and on-premises licensees had to make food available during reduced-price promotions. The billboard ban remained. Effective July 5, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — SB120 enacted text
Link to this winAn old stove-polish sales ban comes off the books
Repealed the prohibition on selling stove polish. Signed May 16, 2011, the change took effect January 1, 2012.
Bill record: General Court — enactment docket — HB143
Link to this winNew Hampshire stops taxing gambling winnings
Repealed the state tax on gambling winnings and expressly exempted qualifying lottery prizes from New Hampshire taxation. The repeal applied to winnings received on or after May 23, 2011; it did not repeal federal taxes. Signed May 9, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — HB229 enacted text
Link to this winPrivate technicians can put scales back into service
Allowed registered service technicians to seal commercial weighing and measuring devices, authorizing use of a licensed device unless the state rejected it. The law also set licensing fees in statute, removed the commissioner’s fee-setting authority, and required annual reports on complaints, inspections, and audits. Effective July 1, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — SB157 enacted text
Link to this winPension reform changes contributions and future benefits
The budget law increased member contribution rates, revised compensation used to calculate pensions, and raised retirement thresholds for affected police and firefighter members, with transition rules. It also changed retirement-system governance and medical-benefit provisions. Enacted June 29, 2011, with provisions taking effect on different dates.
Bill record: General Court — HB2 enacted text
Link to this winPublic employees regain a secret-ballot certification process
Repealed the written-majority-authorization route for certifying a public-employee organization as an exclusive bargaining representative, leaving the election process rather than card-check certification. Became law without the governor’s signature June 9, 2011; effective August 8, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — HB589 enacted text
Link to this winA tax appeal no longer costs you your privacy
Removed loss of tax-appeal rights as a penalty for refusing a property inspection or failing to file an inventory form; the monetary late-filing penalty remained. It also created a time-limited process for restoring qualifying lots merged by municipalities without owner consent. Effective July 24, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — HB316 enacted text
Link to this winThe state’s checkbook goes online
Required monthly agency expenditures on the state transparency website by the fifteenth of the following month. A check-register view had to show payment amounts, dates, recipients, and accounting categories, alongside budget totals. Information legally exempt from disclosure remained protected. Effective September 13, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — HB331 enacted text
Link to this winState hiring and college admissions face equal-treatment rules
Prohibited preferential treatment or discrimination based on race, sex, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation in specified state hiring and promotion and public-college hiring and admissions. Exceptions preserved certain bona fide sex-based qualifications and existing court orders or consent decrees. Enacted in 2011; effective January 1, 2012.
Bill record: NHLA — HB623 enacted text
Link to this winBoaters can choose switchable exhaust mufflers
Allowed boats to carry a switchable device that reduces exhaust noise to comply with statutory noise limits. This removed the prohibition on adjustable muffling equipment while retaining the noise standard. Signed April 25, 2011; effective June 24, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — HB441 enacted text
Link to this winBusinesses get ten tax periods to use unused credits
Extended the carryforward for unused Business Enterprise Tax credits against the Business Profits Tax from five to ten taxable periods. Enacted June 29, 2011 without the governor’s signature, the change applied to taxable periods ending on or after July 1, 2014.
Bill record: NHLA — HB187 enacted text
Link to this winPublic labor contracts lose a mandatory automatic extension
Repealed the statutory requirement that public-employee collective bargaining terms automatically continue when a bargaining impasse remains at contract expiration. The change removed the mandatory continuation provision. Became law without the governor’s signature and took effect March 1, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — SB1 enacted text
Link to this winOne permit can cover a year of charitable raffles
Allowed municipal governing bodies, at a charitable organization’s request, to extend a raffle permit to one year from issuance when the organization planned multiple raffles. The option replaced repeated event-by-event permits where approved locally. Effective July 1, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — HB155 enacted text
Link to this winDeliberative sessions cannot erase a warrant article’s subject
Prohibited amendments that eliminate the subject matter of a warrant article in towns using official-ballot voting. Amendments changing an appropriation’s dollar amount remained allowed, preserving that distinction while protecting the article’s subject for voters. Signed and effective February 4, 2011.
Bill record: NHLA — HB77 enacted text
Link to this winRental-property regulations eased
The law revised landlord-tenant procedures and reduced specified administrative and property-storage burdens on rental-property owners.
Source: NH General Court — SB70
Link to this winState agency support functions consolidated
The law required consolidation of specified state agency functions to improve administrative efficiency. It became law without the governor’s signature.
Source: NH General Court — HB635
Link to this winHealth and human services contracts targeted for consolidation
The law directed the Department of Health and Human Services to consolidate contracts to the fewest reasonably possible, reduce administrative costs, and report quarterly to legislative oversight bodies through June 2013. It established budget savings targets of $1.25 million for fiscal 2012 and $4.3 million for fiscal 2013.
Source: NH Liberty Alliance — final enacted text
Link to this win2010Knives, Campsites, and the Right to Self-Defense4 milestones
Year source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins in New Hampshire
Switchblades and other named knives leave the prohibited list
Removed stilettos, switch knives, daggers, and dirk-knives from the statute criminalizing their sale, possession with intent to sell, or carrying. Restrictions on the other weapons named in that statute remained. Signed and effective May 18, 2010.
Bill record: General Court — HB1665 enacted text
Link to this winCampers lose the campsite lodging tax
Removed campsites from the definition of a hotel under the meals and rooms tax, reversing their inclusion in 2009. The change eliminated that tax on campsite rentals while leaving the broader lodging tax in place. Signed and effective May 3, 2010.
Bill record: HB1445 — enacted text on Live Free or Die Legal
Link to this winDisplaying a firearm to warn away a serious threat gains protection
Established that displaying a firearm or other means of self-defense to warn away a threat is not a criminal act when a reasonable person would consider the threat likely to cause serious bodily injury or death to oneself or another. Signed July 23, 2010; effective January 1, 2011.
Bill record: General Court — HB160 enacted text
Link to this winRestaurants and lodging operators lose a $5,000 bond requirement
Repealed the mandatory $5,000 surety bond for meals and rentals operators, removing this licensing burden while leaving the tax-collection framework in place. Signed June 21, 2010; effective August 20, 2010.
Bill record: SB342 — enacted text on Live Free or Die Legal
Link to this win2009Freedom to Marry Becomes Law1 milestone
Year source: LibertyWin.org — Liberty Wins in New Hampshire
The freedom to marry extends to same-sex couples
Opened civil marriage to eligible couples regardless of gender and protected clergy from being required to officiate contrary to their religious freedom. It provided a route from existing civil unions to marriage, with remaining qualifying New Hampshire civil unions automatically becoming marriages on January 1, 2011. Signed June 3, 2009; effective January 1, 2010.
Bill record: General Court — HB436 enacted text
Link to this winHelp write the next chapter.
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