New Hampshire Advances Bills To Promote More Housing Development

by Tristan Navera

New Hampshire lawmakers have narrowed in on compromises to several housing proposals, sending three significant bills to the desk of Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte.

The state's Republican-controlled legislature was able to pass two related housing bills before the session ended June 9. Two of them, House Bill 1010 and House Bill 1588, curtail some local government restrictions that stall housing development. The state has tried for several years to curb red tape.

While New Hampshire was among a wave of states pitching laws to remove local zoning restrictions that block home development, the pitch failed last year amid a local government revolt.

A 2025 study by the state's public housing corporation estimated home prices in the state are rising far faster than incomes. New Hampshire Housing said that housing costs surged 343% from 1998 to 2025, while median household income rose by 130%. So, where the median sales price was 2.8 times the median household income in 1998, it's 5.5 times the median income now.

Tailored zoning power changes

The two bills aim to compel local cities to allow multifamily development on commercially zoned land.

After a series of adjustments, HB1010 carries several important caveats. For instance, planning boards can require a developer to show that the land they want to build on has the right infrastructure. If it doesn't, they can compel the developer to build it. Commercial property conversions can't violate zoning dimension requirements.

HB1588 prohibits setbacks, height requirements, or other restrictions on commercial land that would differ from the existing commercial rules. It's an attempt to curtail extra rules that would disincentivize multifamily projects.

The New Hampshire Municipal Association supported the amended bill. It said the new iteration "makes significant positive updates" over a version pitched in 2025 without success. These changes give localities some leeway to continue to review projects.

New Hampshire State House, Concord, New Hampshire, USA. New Hampshire State House is the nation's oldest state house, built in 1816 - 1819. — New Hampshire lawmakers have taken aim at zoning restrictions that stall housing. (Getty Images)

Dead-end streets bill also passes

The legislature also passed Senate Bill 564, which addresses a limitation on housing development at dead-end roads. The bill blocks limitations on the number of homes built at dead-end roads with things like lot width requirements. It has exceptions for fire codes and conservation areas.

"I truly believe that this will free up a lot of land to allow these (developments) to move forward, while still maintaining site plan review," State Rep. Dillon Dumont said in a May conference on the bill.

The New Hampshire Association of Realtors® backed the bill. CEO Bob Quinn wrote that it will "balance housing production with public safety while reducing unnecessary regulatory barriers.

"By aligning New Hampshire law with established fire code standards, the legislation provides greater clarity regarding both the appropriate number of homes that may be served by a dead-end road and the factors that should be considered by local and state land-use review boards," Quinn wrote.

The municipal association opposed the bill, though. It said the idea "promotes unsafe, inefficient development patterns and imposes a one-size-fits-all mandate."

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