| What’s New |
TWO WEEKS until the start of the Annual Statewide Spring Commuter Challenge! Are you and your organization registered to participate yet?
CNHRPC’s new public engagement site CNHRPC Connect
(cnhrpc-connect.org) provides a forum for your feedback on projects.
One of the first projects we’d love your participation with is the Regional Plan Update 2026. This update of the 2015 Regional Plan document will help guide planning priorities in Central NH. Please visit the project page to take the related Regional Plan Survey 2026 and answer questions about other chapter topics.
What would you like to see on CNHRPC Connect?
Planning Lunches at Noon Monthly Webinar Series
| Register for the NH OPD Spring 2026 Planning and Zoning Conference on May 9 |
| The New Hampshire Office of Planning and Development (OPD) Spring 2026 Planning and Zoning Conference is a free, day-long online conference on Saturday, May 9 from 8:45 am to 3:30 pm. The conference will have three tracks: Planning Board, Zoning Board of Adjustment, and Special Topics. For additional conference details, including the agenda outlining each session by track, please see the 2026 Planning and Zoning Conference webpage. To Register: (Please register for one track only.) The details below provide all the registration links accordingly. A session chart, which includes the Microsoft Teams webinar links for each track/session, will be sent via email to all those who registered. You do not need to register for more than one track if you want to attend sessions from multiple tracks throughout the day. Planning Board Track Click to Register Zoning Board of Adjustment Track Click to Register Special Topics Track Click to Register All conference sessions will be recorded and available on OPD’s YouTube channel following the conference. For assistance registering, contact us at planning@livefree.nh.gov. |
CNHRPC 2025 Annual Traffic Count Results are Available:
Each year, CNHRPC conducts over 200 traffic counts at locations requested by NHDOT and local representatives. The data is used by CNHRPC and NHDOT to assist in decision making.
Please visit our page to view the results by town. To view even more traffic figures visit NHDOT’s data management system which includes counts from CNHRPC.
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
