| What’s New |
Planning Lunches at Noon Monthly Webinar Series
| Next Event Scheduled for 12/18/2025 |
The next webinar in the Office of Planning and Development’s (OPD) Planning Lunches at Noon (PLAN) monthly webinar series is Best Practices for Planning Board’s – Proposing Zoning Amendments, Hearing Applications, and Issuing Decisions. When: Thursday, Dec. 18, from noon to 1 pm. Join OPD Principal Planners Noah Hodgetts and Brendan McDowell for an overview of New Hampshire’s zoning amendment process, including key dates for posting notices and conducting public hearings. They will also discuss best practices and tips for board members and planning staff on how to operate as a board when hearing an application. Topics will include applicable RSAs; organization and rules of procedure; determining application completeness; findings of fact; and the notice of decision. They will also cover general etiquette of a planning board. To register, click here. You will receive a confirmation email from Microsoft Teams. Be sure to check your spam folder if you do not receive the confirmation. This course is eligible for AICP Certification Maintenance (CM) credit. Certified planners who complete the course may claim CM credits in accordance with APA/AICP guidelines. Be sure to log your credits in your CM log upon completion. For more information, contact planning@livefree.nh.gov. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the OPD YouTube Channel. |
2025 Planning and Zoning Statute Changes
| 2025 Planning and Zoning Statute Changes and 2026 Zoning Amendment Calendars |
| The following new publications are available from the Office of Planning and Development: 2025 Planning and Zoning Statute Changes • 2025 Changes to Planning and Zoning Statutes: A Guide for Municipalities covers 13 laws enacted in 2025 affecting the state’s planning, zoning, and land use statutes including HB 2; HB 92; HB 168; HB 265; HB 272; HB 296; HB 413; HB 457; HB 577; HB 631; SB 281; SB 283, and SB 284. • 2025 HB 577 – Summary of Changes provides a line-by-line comparison of the ADU statute, RSA 674:71-73 as enacted in 2016 and RSA 674:71-73 as amended by 2025 HB 577. • The slides and recording of the Sept. 18 Planning Lunches at Noon (PLAN) webinar, Changes to Planning, Zoning, and Building Code Laws in 2025 can be found on the PLAN webinar page. 2026 Zoning Amendment Calendars • The 2026 Zoning Amendment Calendars for towns with Traditional Town Meeting and Official Ballot (SB2) Town Meeting in Spring 2026 are now available. For more information, contact planning@livefree.nh.gov. |
BEA 2024 Municipal Land Use Regulations Survey
RSA 675:9 designates the New Hampshire Office of Planning and Development (OPD) as the official state repository for all local land use regulations. It also empowers OPD to perform an annual survey of all municipalities to gather information related to new and/or revised land use ordinances. The findings from the 2024 survey include data on land use regulations for the state’s 234 municipalities, in addition to nine village districts with zoning authority and Coos County, which oversees zoning for 23 unincorporated areas in the North Country. For more information, contact planning@livefree.nh.gov.
2024 Survey Results – updated August 2025 | In 2024, 170 jurisdictions implemented updates to their zoning amendments. The results are accessible in various formats and can be accessed via the following hyperlinks:
- Story Map – Summary of survey results (PDF)
- Interactive Map – GIS map with layers broken down by 2024 survey topic.
- Community Snapshots – Survey results for each community, including links to regulations, master plans, and zoning ordinances. (Enter Ctrl +F on Windows or Command+F on Mac to search by community.)
- Adopted Zoning Amendments – Excel workbook summary.
- Subject Specific Tables – The data collected from the survey is categorized by topic in the order it was presented on the survey. All data is available to download from Google Drive.
- The webinar explaining the 2023 MLUR Survey is also available here.
Please take a moment to review and complete the new, NH Community Transportation Needs Assessment Survey Below!
Recent Changes to State Law Regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).
The NH Legislature recently passed two separate bills in 2025, that change planning and zoning rules: House Bill 577 updates the definition and statewide standards for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), allowing one ADU as of right (including detached units) and setting minimum and maximum size parameters and related standards; House Bill 631 requires municipalities to permit multifamily residential development on commercially zoned land where adequate infrastructure exists or can be provided, and includes provisions for adaptive reuse and dimensional exemptions in certain cases.
More information on ADUs can be found by clicking here.
More information about changes to Land Use and Zoning Regulations changes can be found by clicking here.
CNHRPC Regional Transportation Plan Corridor Spotlights
As part of the RTP, eight regionally significant corridors throughout the region have been identified to examine closely for key demographic trends, recent and historic land use patterns, and specific transportation projects. Titled Corridor Spotlights, the draft versions of these can be seen below. Also available for viewing is a historical timeline of transportation development within the region. CNHRPC Regional Transportation Plan Draft Documents:
- Historical Timeline
- Corridor Spotlights
CNHRPC Community Profiles are currently being updated with 2019-2023 ACS 5-year Data.
In the interim, to view the the previous set of community profile data (2014-2018 ) click here!
CNHRPC Member Communities
