The Bills We Scored

BillDescriptionCorrect stanceWhat we scored
HB 1005Would have repealed the commission created in 2025 to study New Hampshire’s zoning enabling act and how zoning power should be divided between the state and towns.AgainstSponsorship
HB 1006Would have required parking for accessory dwelling units to be on-site, or off-site only with municipal approval, taking that choice away from the property owner.AgainstSponsorship
HB 1007Would have weakened the requirement that towns allow manufactured housing, replacing it with a looser “reasonable efforts” standard.AgainstSponsorship
HB 1009Would have set a 1.5-minimum-space-per-unit limit on parking mandates for certain small and multifamily units, stricter than the one-minimum-space standard enacted in 2025.AgainstSponsorship
HB 1012Would have repealed the state law requiring municipalities to allow attached and detached accessory dwelling units.AgainstSponsorship
HB 1016Would have repealed the requirement that municipalities provide opportunities for manufactured housing.AgainstSponsorship
HB 1017Would have let municipalities count qualifying accessory dwelling units toward their workforce housing obligations.AgainstSponsorship
HB 1065Would have more narrowly circumscribed the 2025 law requiring municipalities to allow multifamily and mixed-use housing on commercially zoned land.AgainstSponsorship
HB 1079Allows accessory dwelling units to be built within or attached to certain non-conforming structures (signed into law, 2026).ForSponsorship
HB 1195Requires municipalities to allow licensed child care centers by right on commercially zoned land (signed into law, 2026).ForSponsorship
HB 1196Would have repealed the Housing Champion designation and grant program, which rewards towns that adopt pro-housing policies.AgainstRoll-call vote
HB 1251Would have required municipalities to approve residential projects whose density matches the surrounding neighborhood, barring downzoning inconsistent with existing development.ForSponsorship
HB 1300Puts a question on the 2026 ballot in every town on capping school district property tax levies at inflation plus new construction, and limits school central-office administrative spending (signed into law, 2026).ForRoll-call vote
HB 1351Would have allowed no-impact and low-impact home-based businesses by right statewide, with uniform standards preempting stricter local rules.ForSponsorship
HB 1357Would have allowed newly constructed manufactured homes by right in all residentially zoned areas.ForSponsorship
HB 1461Would have encouraged towns with sewer systems to extend service to neighboring communities through streamlined state review and funding priority.ForSponsorship
HB 1496Would have repealed the 2025 state cap on residential parking requirements, letting towns again mandate any number of spaces per unit.AgainstSponsorship
HB 1588Strengthens the requirement that towns allow multifamily housing in commercial zones, bars mandatory garages for each unit, and authorizes special assessment districts for infrastructure (signed into law, 2026).ForRoll-call vote
HB 1681Defines tiny houses and yurts as innovative housing structures and sets building-code and local approval pathways for them (signed into law, 2026).ForRoll-call vote
HB 1802Would have required training, testing and certification for members of local planning and zoning boards.ForSponsorship
HB 296Lets a town’s governing body authorize building permits on private roads by policy and sets a 30-day deadline for zoning appeals (signed into law, 2025).ForSponsorship
HB 399Established a commission to study New Hampshire’s zoning enabling act and recommend how zoning authority should be divided between the state and towns (signed into law, 2025).ForSponsorship
HB 410Would have barred municipalities from imposing “extraordinary restrictions” on housing, such as large minimum lot sizes or house sizes, unless narrowly tailored to health or safety.ForSponsorship
HB 413Extends protection of approved subdivisions and site plans from later rule changes from five to seven years and limits local building-code appeals (signed into law, 2025).ForSponsorship
HB 428Limits municipalities to administrative amendments of the state building and fire codes and bars local sprinkler mandates for most one- and two-family homes (signed into law, 2025).ForSponsorship
HB 457Bars municipalities from limiting occupancy below two people per bedroom or regulating occupancy by family relationship, occupation or student status (signed into law, 2025).ForSponsorship
HB 459Would have capped minimum lot sizes for single-family homes at the state septic minimum, or 22,000 square feet where sewer is available.ForSponsorship
HB 577Requires every district that allows single-family homes to allow an attached or detached accessory dwelling unit by right, with limits on stricter local rules (signed into law, 2025).ForSponsorship
HB 631Requires municipalities to allow multifamily housing on commercially zoned land where infrastructure is adequate (signed into law, 2025).ForRoll-call vote
HR 30A House resolution declaring that planning, zoning and land-use regulation should remain the responsibility of municipal government.AgainstRoll-call vote, sponsorship
SB 110Creates a faster, flat-fee permit-by-notification process for smaller terrain-alteration projects at the Department of Environmental Services (signed into law, 2025).ForSponsorship
SB 153Creates an optional expedited state driveway permit for residential developments of 20 or more units (signed into law, 2025).ForRoll-call vote (House), sponsorship (Senate)
SB 188Lets property owners hire licensed third-party professionals for building plan review and inspections, with reduced town fees and deemed approval if towns miss deadlines (signed into law, 2025).ForSponsorship
SB 281Lets owners of lots on class VI roads get building permits by recording a liability waiver, without governing-body approval (signed into law, 2025).ForSponsorship
SB 282Allows residential buildings of up to four stories to have a single stairway under conditions set by the state building code board (signed into law, 2025).ForSponsorship
SB 283Requires municipalities to exclude below-ground space from floor-area-ratio limits on new construction (signed into law, 2025).ForSponsorship
SB 284Bars municipalities from requiring more than one parking space per housing unit (signed into law, 2025).ForRoll-call vote (House), sponsorship (Senate)
SB 435Would have clarified the criteria zoning boards use to grant variances, including what counts as an unreasonable restriction, and required a consistent voting method.ForSponsorship
SB 508Would have required all grounds for a zoning board appeal to be stated up front and limited how many times towns can make applicants revise plans.ForRoll-call vote (House), sponsorship (Senate)
SB 564Bars municipalities from capping dead-end road lengths or the number of homes on them beyond fire-code needs and requires them to allow utilities in subdivision buffer areas (signed into law, 2026).ForSponsorship
SB 84Would have capped municipal minimum lot sizes for single-family homes, with lower caps where public water or sewer is available.ForRoll-call vote (Senate), sponsorship (House)