The 2025 New Hampshire legislative session is underway in Concord, and the NHAR Public Policy Committee is reviewing the over 1,000 pieces of legislation for their potential impact on private property rights – the affordability and availability of housing, as well as bills which might impact real estate licensing.
Not surprisingly, the lack of housing inventory which has led to our affordability crisis has also led to the introduction of a number of bills designed to address the situation. Most of the legislation from the House of Representatives has been released, and we expect additional Senate legislation to be introduced in the coming week.
Here are some of the bills designed to alleviate the New Hampshire housing crisis:
House Bill 342: Allowing property owners to build on their property without seeking a variance for minimum lot size or lot coverage if the proposed building density conforms to that of the surrounding neighborhood, as verified by the local planning board.
House Bill 382: Eliminating the authority of municipalities to adopt or enforce regulations that mandate minimum parking requirements.
House Bill 399: Establishing a commission to study the New Hampshire zoning enabling act.
House Bill 410: Relative to adding conditions to zoning boards of adjustment imposing restrictions on the building and development of residential properties.
House Bill 457: Prohibiting municipalities from adopting any ordinance that restricts the number of occupants of any dwelling unit to less than two occupants per bedroom.
House Bill 459: Relative to acreage requirements and zoning regarding sewer infrastructure and single-family residential uses.
House Bill 530: Increasing the amount of revenue transferred from the real estate transfer tax to the affordable housing fund.
House Bill 572: Creating the “partners in housing” program, a low-interest loan and grant program under the housing champions fund to assist municipalities, counties, and developers in building modestly priced housing.
House Bill 577: Expanding accessory dwelling units by right to include detached units, adding definitions related to accessory dwelling units, and increasing the maximum square footage
House Bill 604: Relative to a loan forgiveness program for low-income homeowners to build new accessory dwelling units or renovate existing structures into accessory dwelling units.
House Bill 623: Relative to prohibiting corporations from purchasing single-family homes for a certain amount of time.
House Bill 631: Permitting residential building in commercial zoning by right.
Senate Bill 55: Providing temporary exemptions from the land use change tax for qualifying housing projects.
Quote of the Week
“If we’re going to remain the economic beacon of New England, we need to tackle our housing crisis, which affects everyone from young families looking to buy their first home to businesses trying to hire more workers.
"Getting serious about boosting housing production starts with the state modeling good behavior and overhauling permitting processes. It means streamlining state agency approvals and partnering with local communities that make zoning decisions. By bringing everyone to the table — state leaders, local officials and the private sector — we can tackle this challenge and deliver results.”
–Governor Kelly Ayotte (Inaugural Address, January 9, 2025)
For more information, contact New Hampshire Realtors CEO Bob Quinn: bob@nhar.com