Independent New Hampshire Journalism · Northfield, NHCorrection, Oct. 14, 2026, 4:58 p.m. EDT: This report twice identified the 2026 bill that answered the ConVal ruling as HB 1534. The bill was HB 1815, “AN ACT relative to education financing,” which Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed March 27, 2026 as Chapter 19, effective May 26, 2026. HB 1534 of the 2026 session was a different bill, “AN ACT relative to utility default service,” which the House voted inexpedient to legislate on March 5, 2026. Both references now give HB 1815 with its signing date and chapter number.
Correction and update, Sept. 22, 2026, 9:36 a.m. EDT: This article said the June 10, 2025 Rand decision was a Rockingham County Superior Court ruling against the Statewide Education Property Tax that the state Supreme Court upheld. On June 10, 2025, the New Hampshire Supreme Court held the tax constitutional, reversed the Superior Court’s ruling on excess SWEPT, and affirmed only on negative local tax rates in unincorporated places. The article also said the 2026-2027 budget cut or eliminated the Office of the Child Advocate, the Commission for Human Rights and the Housing Appeals Board; the final budget restored them after House cuts, per the New Hampshire Bulletin. It said more than 100 voters were reportedly turned away at spring 2025 town meetings; NHPR reported that officials keep no count, and the figure was removed. Those passages were corrected, and dated updates were added on HB 1569, SB 287, school funding, redistricting and 287(g) bills.
Update, Oct. 17, 2026, 8:18 p.m. EDT: This report now records later action on several bills, per the New Hampshire General Court dockets: in 2026 the House killed HB 1012 and lawmakers passed HB 1010 (Chapter 319); HB 631 took effect July 1, 2026; the Senate killed SB 14, HB 75 and HB 381 under Senate Rule 3-23 on Oct. 31, 2025; and the bill-outcome list now gives the HB 56 roll call and HB 73’s effective date.
By GSR Staff
New Hampshire’s 2025 session reshaped core parts of daily life: where and how we can build housing; how courts handle bail; how elections are run; how the state funds public schools; and how the state approaches addiction, fentanyl, and harm reduction. This report tracks the marquee bills, shows you how to follow any bill yourself on the General Court’s site, and records what followed in the 2026 session, as of Sept. 19, 2026.
Housing: the most sweeping zoning changes in years
Lawmakers sent a dense package of housing bills to the Governor’s desk, with a clear theme: curbing local rules that constrain supply and speeding up approvals.
Accessory dwelling units (ADUs), expanded.
House Bill 577, signed July 15, 2025 (Chapter 197), makes one ADU (attached or detached) a by-right use on any single-family lot in municipalities with zoning. The law bars towns from imposing special exceptions or conditional use permits, caps an ADU’s living space at 950 sq. ft. unless the municipality allows more, and bars towns from setting a cap below 750 sq. ft. It also prevents ADU-only limits harsher than what’s required of single-family homes (parking, aesthetics, lot coverage) and allows separate electric service. The law took effect July 1, 2025.
Multifamily on commercially zoned land.
House Bill 631 requires municipalities to permit multifamily residential development in commercial zones where adequate infrastructure exists (roads, water, sewer), with narrow exceptions for sites demonstrably unsuitable due to air, odor, noise, or transportation conditions. It’s intended to unlock strip malls, underused office parks, and downtowns for mixed-use housing. Gov. Ayotte signed HB 631 in July as part of a broader housing slate.
Parking reform.
Senate Bill 284 caps local minimum parking at no more than one space per dwelling unit statewide. The House removed earlier exceptions; the final bill limits municipalities from mandating higher minimums that can kill otherwise viable projects. SB 284 passed the Senate and House and was included among the housing bills the Governor signed.
Faster state permitting.
In the budget trailer bill (HB 2), the state imposed 60-day review clocks on DOT and DES for certain permits tied to housing projects, addressing chronic delay risk for developers and municipalities alike.
“Hot housing summer,” with caveats.
NHPR’s July 24, 2025 roundup reported that Gov. Kelly Ayotte “signed 10 bills” in the housing package, while noting a lack of new state funding for affordable housing programs after lawmakers rejected proposals to boost the Affordable Housing Fund and Housing Champions. The regulatory reforms are significant, but the financing side remains contested.
How it affects you:
– Homeowners can plan a detached ADU with a standard building permit, subject to ordinary single-family rules.
– In commercial zones with infrastructure, developers (and towns) can pursue mixed-use and multifamily where it wasn’t allowed.
– Projects can assume lower parking mandates and faster state reviews.
For municipal staff, the New Hampshire Municipal Association published a short, plain-English explainer on the new ADU rules—helpful for local zoning rewrites.
Justice & public safety: bail overhaul enacted; fentanyl minimums stall; harm reduction advances
Bail reform rollback enacted (HB 592).
The most high-profile criminal justice bill of the year, HB 592, rewrote bail procedures and eliminated the magistrate system created in the prior reform era. It passed both chambers and was signed March 25, 2025 (Chapter 3), taking effect Sept. 21, 2025. Supporters touted closing a “revolving door”; critics warned of higher pretrial detention. Official bill records and the Governor’s release confirm the timeline.
Mandatory minimums for fentanyl (SB 14) falter; psilocybin penalty reforms tangled.
A Senate plan to impose mandatory minimum sentences for certain fentanyl offenses (SB 14) cleared the House with amendments that also reduced penalties for low-level psilocybin possession. The House adopted the compromise 185–182 on June 26, 2025, and the Senate tabled it the same day; the bill did not become law.
Harm reduction and services (HB 73).
The Legislature enacted an expansion of harm reduction in statute (HB 73, signed May 29, 2025, Chapter 41), revising the Governor’s Commission and directing DHHS to establish access points that deliver services like naloxone distribution, syringe access, and drug-checking—evidence-based tools that reduce mortality and disease.
Firearms: background checks/waiting period defeated; “in-state” NFA exemption stalled.
The House rejected proposals to expand background checks and impose a 72-hour waiting period; HB 56 was voted Inexpedient to Legislate. A separate push (HB 381) to exempt in-state-only firearms from the federal National Firearms Act advanced but ultimately stalled.
Elections & redistricting: new absentee and registration rules; mid-cycle map redraw stalls
New absentee and registration documentation (SB 287, SB 218).
On Aug. 1, 2025, the Governor signed SB 287 and SB 218, adding documentation requirements when requesting absentee ballots and when using the state’s absentee registration affidavit. SB 287 lets voters include a photocopy of a valid photo ID (or a notarized signature) with an absentee application or present ID at the town clerk’s office; SB 218 requires proof of citizenship and residence when registering absentee. Supporters call this parity with in-person requirements; disability and voting-rights advocates warned of access barriers. Three visually impaired voters sued over SB 287; Rockingham County Superior Court Judge David Ruoff dismissed the case in December 2025, and the plaintiffs appealed to the New Hampshire Supreme Court in February 2026 (Union Leader).
A joint memo from the Attorney General and Secretary of State, issued in September 2025, summarizes all 2025 election-law changes for local officials. If you need the canonical reference list of what changed and how to implement it, that’s it.
Voter ID context.
Separate from 2025’s bills, HB 1569 (2024) eliminated the affidavit exception, required ID without exception starting with town meeting season 2025, and required new registrants to show documentary proof of citizenship. NHPR reported that some would-be voters were sent home for documents and that officials keep no count of how many were turned away. On May 28, 2026, U.S. District Judge Samantha Elliott struck down the proof-of-citizenship requirement and restored the qualified voter affidavit; the state appealed to the 1st Circuit (NHPR).
Mid-decade redistricting push, frozen.
A bid to re-open congressional maps mid-cycle drew national attention—then fizzled. Sen. Dan Innis floated a redraw, but Gov. Ayotte said the “timing is off.” In January 2026, House Election Law Committee Chair Ross Berry said “the political will does not exist in Concord” to redraw the maps (Boston Globe).
287(g) oversight bills.
Democrats filed proposals for the 2026 session to increase transparency around the federal 287(g) program, including a bill from Rep. Alexis Simpson to bar masked police during ICE operations (NHPR). On Feb. 12, 2026, the House killed HB 1570, which would have required local budget approval before police sign 287(g) agreements, 198–161 (Union Leader).
Related video embed (quick briefing):
Education funding: Supreme Court decisions force the issue back to the State House
Two rulings set the table for 2026 policy fights:
- Rand (June 10, 2025): The New Hampshire Supreme Court held the Statewide Education Property Tax (SWEPT) constitutional, reversing a 2023 Rockingham County Superior Court ruling that towns may not keep excess SWEPT revenue. It affirmed only the finding that negative local education tax rates in certain unincorporated places violate the state constitution (Rand v. State).
- ConVal (July 1, 2025): The New Hampshire Supreme Court held that the state’s base “adequacy” amount is insufficient under the Constitution and told lawmakers to fix the shortfall, commonly cited as $500M+ annually. It did not mandate a precise dollar figure but squarely returned the problem to the Legislature and Governor.
In the 2026 session, lawmakers answered ConVal with HB 1815, “AN ACT relative to education financing,” which Gov. Ayotte signed March 27, 2026 as Chapter 19, effective May 26, 2026. It limits the state’s obligation to basic instruction plus aid for students with disabilities, students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and English language learners, and it does not increase state aid (NHPR).
Budget and taxes: $15.9B biennium, with policy riders
The Governor signed HB 1 and HB 2 on June 27, 2025, enacting a $15.9 billion two-year budget through mid-2027. The budget passed after weeks of friction and an additional HB 282 compromise aimed at education-funding concerns and retirement system changes.
What’s in the budget (high level):
– Overall appropriations of ~$15.89B.
– Increases for special education and some lower-property-value districts; boosts for certain public safety retirement benefits.
– Expanded funding for nursing facilities and regional drinking water projects.
– Cuts to the University System of New Hampshire and a $51 million reduction to the Department of Health and Human Services. The House version had cut the Office of the Child Advocate, the Commission for Human Rights and the Housing Appeals Board; the final budget restored them (New Hampshire Bulletin).
– Medicaid policy changes (premiums/work requirements) pending federal sign-off that could affect access.
– Numerous fee increases and revenue changes; legalization of slot machines to raise revenue (Citizens Count).
– Maternal health supports (see Momnibus 2.0 below).
For the official action and chaptering details, see the HB 1 docket/text; the Legislative Budget Assistant also posted committee-of-conference materials.
Maternal health: “Momnibus 2.0”
SB 246 (Momnibus 2.0)—some portions ultimately folded into the budget—expands maternal depression screening, supports a perinatal psychiatric provider consult line, rural maternal health EMS, explores barriers facing maternity wards, and improves leave protections for postpartum and infant medical appointments. The Senate advanced the package early with bipartisan support; advocates report the final components were signed into law via the budget.
Primary documents (bill text and Senate release) and coverage by the New Hampshire Bulletin/NHPR provide detail on the policy mix and the state’s maternal health gaps (e.g., closures of 11 maternity wards since 2000; behavioral health as a leading factor in maternal mortality).
Environment & energy: forest carbon sequestration moratorium and study
HB 123 emerged as a consequential environmental finance bill. After extensive amendments, lawmakers established a moratorium on forest carbon sequestration contracts and a commission to study fiscal, forest-management, and industry impacts, including treatment of pre-sequestration timber tax revenue. The final version was signed July 15, 2025 (Chapter 164). Coverage chronicles the path from a tax-extension idea to a study-first moratorium.
Official versions and docket confirm title changes and amendments along the way. Municipal and liberty-group trackers also archived key amendments.
Cannabis: House-passed possession bill dies in Senate
The House again passed simple possession legalization (HB 75)—no retail market, no tax regime—but the Senate tabled the bill on April 17, 2025, by a 15–9 vote, and it did not become law.
How to follow any bill yourself (fast)
1) Find the bill page.
Go to the General Court’s Bill Status system and search by bill number or keyword. Each bill page shows sponsors, hearing dates, amendments, and final status. Example: the HB 592 page shows its chapter number, committee history, and a subscribe link.
2) Read the text versions.
The bill page links every version (as introduced; amended; enrolled; chaptered). For HB 123, you can see how the title morphed and why it matters.
3) Track calendars and journals.
House and Senate calendars/journals list votes, “ought to pass” recommendations, and floor amendments. For HB 75, the journal shows the “Laid on Table” action.
4) Use nonpartisan bill summaries—sparingly.
Tools like Citizens Count, FastDemocracy, BillTrack50, and LegiScan summarize and time-stamp actions, helpful when the General Court’s site is busy. Always verify with the official docket.
What followed in 2026
Education funding fix.
Lawmakers answered ConVal with HB 1815, signed March 27, 2026 without new state aid (see the education section above). Rand left SWEPT in place.
Election policy and implementation.
SB 287 and SB 218 took effect Sept. 30, 2025. The disability-rights challenge to SB 287 was dismissed in December 2025 and appealed to the New Hampshire Supreme Court in February 2026.
Redistricting chatter vs. practical politics.
National pressure for mid-cycle maps collided with gubernatorial resistance, and in January 2026 the House Election Law Committee chair said the votes were not there. The next regular redistricting follows the 2030 census.
Housing, round two.
Regulatory reform passed, but funding gaps persist (Affordable Housing Fund, Housing Champions). In 2026 the House killed HB 1012, which would have repealed the ADU law (16-0 committee vote; House voice vote Feb. 5, 2026), and lawmakers passed HB 1010, which revises the commercial-zone law and gives planning boards more discretion; Gov. Ayotte signed it July 15, 2026 (Chapter 319). HB 631 itself took effect July 1, 2026.
Public safety and substance use.
The Senate killed SB 14 under Senate Rule 3-23 on Oct. 31, 2025. HB 73 (Chapter 41) took effect June 28, 2025, directing DHHS to establish harm-reduction access points.
Quick reference: bill outcomes highlighted in this report
- HB 577 (ADUs) — Signed; allows for the construction of either attached or detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) by right, with a default size envelope ranging from 750 to 950 square feet. It places limits on potential extra local hurdles that may have previously restricted such developments. This legislation aims to facilitate housing options while ensuring community standards are maintained. Effective July 1, 2025.
- HB 631 (Multifamily in commercial zones) — Signed July 15, 2025 (Chapter 201), effective July 1, 2026, and revised in 2026 by HB 1010 (Chapter 319); requires allowing multifamily housing in designated commercial zones, ensuring adequate infrastructure is in place; targeted exceptions may apply to specific areas or circumstances to accommodate varying community needs and development goals.
- SB 284 (Parking minimums) — Signed; this legislation caps local minimum parking requirements at one space per housing unit, aiming to reduce unnecessary parking space mandates that often hinder housing development and affordability in urban settings.
- HB 2 (Budget trailer) — Signed; implementing a series of provisions to streamline processes, this legislation introduces 60-day state permit clocks for certain housing-related reviews, aimed at improving the efficiency and speed of housing project approvals across the state.
- HB 592 (Bail) — Signed on the 25th of March, 2025; in effect starting from the 21st of September, 2025.
- SB 14 (Fentanyl minimums) — Failed for 2025; tabled after the House amended the proposal to include significant psilocybin reforms that sparked extensive discussions among lawmakers and stakeholders.
- HB 73 (Harm reduction expansion) — Signed; directs the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to stand up access points and updates the Commission to enhance the availability of critical harm reduction services throughout the community, ensuring that individuals have better access to resources and support.
- HB 56 (Background checks/waiting period) — Failed; the House voted it Inexpedient to Legislate 216–154 on Feb. 20, 2025.
- HB 381 (In-state NFA exemption) — Passed the House 205–168; the Senate replaced its text with a firearm-manufacturer liability provision, tabled it May 8, 2025, and killed it under Senate Rule 3-23 on Oct. 31, 2025.
- SB 287 & SB 218 (Absentee/registration documentation) — Signed Aug. 1, 2025; effective Sept. 30, 2025. A disability-rights challenge to SB 287 was dismissed in December 2025 and appealed in February 2026.
- HB 1 & HB 2 (Budget) — Signed; total ~$15.9B allocated for various sectors including education, healthcare, and infrastructure, aimed at fostering sustainable growth and improving public services across the state.
- SB 246 (Momnibus 2.0) — Major components enacted via budget to support diverse family needs, improve access to resources, and enhance maternal health outcomes across the community.
- HB 123 (Forest carbon sequestration moratorium & study) — Signed; establishes a commission to evaluate and oversee the management of forest lands; implements a temporary moratorium on new carbon sequestration projects to allow for comprehensive research and assessment of environmental impacts; aims to balance ecological preservation with economic interests in the forestry sector.
- HB 75 (Cannabis possession) — Died in the Senate; tabled 15–9 on April 17, 2025, and killed under Senate Rule 3-23 on Oct. 31, 2025.
“Under the Dome” watch-list videos (embed)
- ADUs & zoning changes explained:
- Bail law signing & debate:
- ConVal education funding ruling reaction:
- New absentee/ID requirements recap:
How we sourced this report
Primary sources include the New Hampshire General Court bill pages/dockets and official chaptering notices; contemporaneous reporting and nonpartisan policy briefs are used for context and impacts. Key citations:
- Housing: NHPR’s signed-bills roundup; NHMA’s ADU 2025 guide; citizens’ bill trackers.
- Justice: HB 592 chapter/date (LegiScan; Governor’s office); fentanyl bill trajectory; harm-reduction enactment.
- Elections: AG/SOS joint memo; Ballotpedia/NHPR coverage of SB 287/218; background on 2024 voter ID shift.
- Redistricting: Boston Globe, Jan. 14, 2026.
- Education: NHPR and WMUR on ConVal; docket summaries on Rand/ConVal.
- Budget: New Hampshire Bulletin on $15.9B budget; LBA/LegiScan documents; NHFPI analysis.
- Environment: HB 123 final; hearing coverage.
- Cannabis: HB 75 status (Senate tabled).
Keep following along
To follow a bill in any session, consider subscribing on any bill’s page via the “Subscribe to Docket” link (example shown on HB 592’s page). It’s the simplest way to get notice when a hearing is scheduled or an amendment appears.
Have a bill you want us to add to the tracker or a local angle we should report first-hand? Send tips to our desk granitestatereport@gmail.com and we’ll dig in for the next “Under the Dome: Follow the Bills” update.
Related from Granite State Report: New Hampshire’s Education Funding Fight Is Back · $182,000 to Buy a Median Home: Inside New Hampshire’s Housing War
Corrections: Granite State Report corrects verified errors promptly and appends a dated note identifying what changed and when. The corrections policy and the corrections register are public, and correction notes are never removed.
