Game cameras on private property
By BOB QUINN
Chief Executive Officer
Law changes governing the installation of tree stands and game cameras in New Hampshire went into effect on January 1.
Any game camera placed on private property must be labeled with the owner's name and contact information in a manner visible while mounted. Additionally, no game cameras can be placed on private property without permission of the property owner unless the property owner has posted signage on the property allowing the placement of such cameras.
You can learn more about the new law here.
Land use docket at Superior Court takes shape
Last summer, the legislature approved funding for the NH Superior Court to create a “land-use docket” which has jurisdiction to hear appeals from decisions of local land use boards, including, municipal planning boards, zoning boards, historic district commissions, and conservation commissions. The intent is to make such appeals quicker and less expensive for towns and property owners.
The land use review docket is authorized to review cases related to residential, commercial or industrial land use issues. Hopkinton lawyer Michael Klass will be the state’s first justice of the land use review docket. Judge Klass previously served as the attorney at the Housing Appeals Board.
House passes new PFAS notification requirement
This week, the House of Representatives passed a notification requirement for PFAS (Per and polyfluorinatedalkyl substances), alongside existing notifications for Radon, Arsenic and Lead prior to the execution of a Purchase and Sales Agreement for real estate transactions. Those existing notifications are in Section 12 of NHAR’s Purchase and Sales Agreement and are required under RSA 477:4-a.
NHAR worked with legislators and the Department of Environmental Services to remove language in the original bill which would have required the disclosure of groundwater contamination within 500 feet of the subject real estate. The Committee recognized that such a requirement would be unworkable.
PFAS, which both the NHDES and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) state may be harmful to human health, have been detected at elevated levels in wells in New Hampshire, predominantly in southern New Hampshire.
House Bill 398 will now head to the Senate.
House passes bill giving Fish & Game more authority over seasonal docks
Earlier today, the House of Representatives passed a bill granting Fish & Game new regulatory authority over placement of seasonal docks.
The sponsors of House Bill 472 testified that their intent in introducing the bill was to protect nesting wildlife from perceived threats posed by temporary seasonal docks. NHAR testified in opposition, because the wording of the bill would have made it practically impossible for a property owner to comply.
Legislators agreed that the bill was problematic. Instead, the House adopted an amendment to expand the authority of the Executive Director of NH Fish and Game to create and enforce regulations on temporary seasonal docks and anchored seasonal platforms, to protect endangered wildlife.
The bill will be heard in the Senate later this winter.
Quote of the Week
“While there is much work to be done, public sentiment is shifting toward support for municipalities to enact housing-friendly zoning changes."
Noah Hodgett, NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs, at the Housing We Need roundtable forum, organized by the Center for Ethics in Society at Saint Anselm College on Dec. 15.
For more information, contact New Hampshire Realtors CEO Bob Quinn: bob@nhar.com.
