House Bill 1357 would have required that newly built manufactured homes need to be permitted as a matter of right in all districts zoned to permit residential uses. Basically, manufactured housing would need to be treated the same as stick-built housing. NHAR testified in favor of the bill.
While members of the House Housing Committee agreed it was an important private property rights issue and increasing the supply of manufactured homes would help to alleviate the state’s housing issue, they voted to “interim study” the bill, which basically means it is dead for this session.
The Committee acknowledged the debate is less of a policy disagreement than a political challenge, trying to convince their fellow legislators to overcome the stigma attached to manufactured housing. Expect the bill to come up again next year.
Lengthen roads to alleviate shortage
Senate Bill 564 recognizes that arbitrary local restrictions on road length and caps on the number of lots on dead-end streets unnecessarily increase development costs and reduce the supply of housing.
The bill, which will be voted on later this week, prohibits municipalities from limiting the maximum road length so as to impede development, provided that the road fully complies with the state fire code, including emergency vehicle access. Nor could a town or city impose a numerical cap on the number of housing lots on a dead-end road provided the proposed lots are within current zoning restrictions and requirements.
Additionally, the bill would require municipalities to permit the placement of utilities, including to septic systems, electric distribution, drainage structures, and other utilities, within designated open space or perimeter buffer areas of subdivisions.
If, as expected, it passes the Senate, the House will likely hold a hearing in April.
Cyanobacteria: It takes a village, or better left to the state?
Under current NH law, as few as 10 property owners in a town have the right to create a village district for certain reasons (fire, water, sewer and other reasons) and, potentially, impose new fees or property restrictions (RSA 52:1). Senate Bill 493 would have added “Cyanobacteria Mitigation” as a valid reason to create a village district.
NHAR testified that such an allowance would potentially create a patchwork of rules and regulations around a water body, and such enforcement was better left to towns and the state. There have not been more than one or two village districts created over the past 50 years, so it doesn’t seem likely that the bill would have accomplished its goal of cyanobacteria mitigation.
NHAR would prefer Senate Bill 598, which would create a statewide task force to look at ways to combat cyanobacteria outbreaks. That bill has passed the Senate and will be taken up in the House later this spring.
Quote of the Week
“We sat down and did some really almost devastating math to see whether or not we could afford it. ... I think we both were kind of relieved, honestly, when we didn’t get it, because it would’ve been a massive strain.”
—Madeline Ables, a recent UNH law school graduate and New Hampshire native, remarking on trying to find a home in Concord. (Homes are becoming harder to afford. It’s especially tough for young buyers. Concord Monitor, February 11, 2026)
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For more information, contact New Hampshire Realtors CEO Bob Quinn: bob@nhar.com.