5/29/26: Housing Matters Newsletter

Welcome back to our weekly newsletter!

Thursday at 4 pm, the deadline passed for the committees of conference to agree on compromise legislative language. If the committee members did not reach an agreement (or did not sign the agreement), the legislation is done for the year.  If the committee members reached an agreement, the legislation now moves on to the full House and Senate for a vote on June 4th to adopt or reject the negotiated compromises.

Adopting the committee of conference reports for HB 1010, HB 1042, and HB 1588 are Housing Action NH’s top priorities for next Thursday’s session. Below you’ll find a full summary of the housing-related committees of conference.

Thursday, June 4th, will be the final meeting of the spring for the state legislature. They will meet one more time in the fall to take up any veto override votes.

Thank you to all who have been following along through these final legislative deadlines!

As always, if you have questions about the legislation we mention in the newsletter or housing-related proposals that aren’t included, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

If you were forwarded this newsletter and would like to receive future updates, you can sign up here.

Best,

Nick Taylor

Executive Director

Housing Action NH

nick@housingactionnh.org

Committee of Conference (CoC) Outcomes

HB 1010, relative to multi-family residential development on commercially zoned land.

• Status: Compromise Signed
• This bill makes technical clarifications to last year’s residential-in-commercial-zones law (HB 631), including clearer standards around infrastructure adequacy, water access, wastewater disposal, and traffic impacts. Housing Action NH supports this proposal.

HB 1042, raising the unified contingent credit limit and relative to the cap on outstanding obligations for which the housing finance authority is allowed.

• Status: Compromise Signed
• This bill raises New Hampshire Housing’s debt limit, helping ensure the agency can continue financing affordable housing and homeownership opportunities across the state. The CoC agreed to raise the debt limit by $1 billion, a reduction from the $5 billion increase in the Senate proposal. The debt limit has no impact on the New Hampshire state budget or credit rating. Housing Action NH supports this proposal; however, we were disappointed that the agreement wasn’t for a higher limit. This will likely mean that further legislation will be needed next year.

HB 1091, relative to unauthorized camping on private property.

• Status: Not Signed
• The CoC met on 5/20 and appeared to have agreed on a compromise between the House and Senate positions; however, the report was never signed, which means the legislation is defeated for the year. The House position required that municipalities offer non-financial penalties for violations of camping ordinances. The Senate version attached SB 521 to the proposal, which the House had previously voted to interim study, which allowed law enforcement to enforce no trespassing orders on private property without a written order. Housing Action NH did not have a position on the legislation.

HB 1499, relative to additional grounds for eviction under the landlord and tenant statute, relative to the responsibility of local school districts to provide meals to students during school hours, and reimbursing schools for meals provided to students at no cost and making an appropriation therefor.

• Status: No Agreement
• The House and Senate were unable to reach an agreement on this bill, which combined expanded eviction criteria with expanded free and reduced-price lunch eligibility. The House opposed the expanded lunch program, and the Senate was unwilling to remove that language from the bill. This bill is defeated for the year.

HB 1540, relative to municipal health ordinances and accessory dwelling units and relative to on-premises licenses for licensed barbershops and salons.

• Status: Not Signed
• This bill clarified that municipalities retain the authority to enforce local health ordinances related to septic and maintenance when regulating accessory dwelling units. The Senate also attached language allowing for barbershops and salons to sell alcohol. The final committee of conference report was not signed, and the bill was defeated for the year.

HB 1588, relative to the regulation of accessory parking for vehicles by local legislative bodies and multifamily housing within commercial districts by municipalities.

• Status: Compromise Signed
• This bill responds to efforts by some municipalities to undermine last year’s residential-in-commercial zones law by adopting overly restrictive local ordinances intended to prevent development. The CoC agreement clarifies that local implementation must align with the intent of state law. The agreement allows municipalities to conduct site plan review and impose frontage, setback, and height restrictions, but limits other restrictions. The compromise also reinstates the special assessment district process that the House passed, but the Senate erroneously removed. Housing Action NH supports this proposal.

HB 1709, prohibiting certain unlawfully present felons from occupying or renting real property, relative to pet vendor foster home and defining pet vendor foster facility, and providing procedures for the potential confiscation of livestock involved in cruelty to animal cases.

• Status: Compromise Signed
• This bill prohibits unlawfully present individuals who have been convicted of a felony and re-entered the country from renting property. The Senate added unrelated legislation related to pet vendor foster homes and livestock cruelty. The CoC agreement removes the provisions on livestock cruelty.

SB 564, prohibiting certain municipal development restrictions.

• Status: Compromise Signed
• This bill would prevent municipalities from imposing development restrictions on dead-end roads beyond applicable fire safety standards. It also alters how municipalities can regulate the placement of utilities in certain buffers and open spaces.

Heading to the Governor

As a reminder, the following housing-related proposals are all heading to the Governor for her signature or veto. Housing Action NH’s higher-priority proposals are noted.

HB 1021, amending the date to provide written notice to a municipality of a taxpayer’s election to be assessed under the low-income housing tax credit program.

HB 1079, allowing accessory dwelling units to be built within or attached to certain non-conforming structures.

HB 1103, allowing municipalities to utilize community revitalization tax relief credits on a wider variety of properties and structures. * This is a priority for Housing Action NH.

HB 1112, relative to snow removal responsibilities in lease agreements.

HB 1336, relative to regulated conditional deposits. * This is a priority for Housing Action NH. We oppose this legislation because it would allow landlords to charge renters a security deposit equal to two months’ rent if the tenant meets certain criteria, which adds costs at a time when it is already difficult for many Granite Staters to afford housing.

HB 1523, relative to disclosure requirements for condominium associations.

HB 1598, relative to notice and proceedings for tenants and landlords engaged in eviction processes.

HB 1681, relative to the definition, inspection, and local approval of tiny houses and yurts as innovative housing structures.

HB 1726, relative to the sale of surplus state-owned land and establishing a commission to study the sale of state-owned property.

SB 56, relative to consolidating the New Hampshire health and education facilities authority within the business finance authority and establishing a surplus land revitalization program.

SB 415, relative to a certain exemption in interest in condominium units and abbreviated registrations. * This is a priority for Housing Action NH.

SB 490, establishing a task force to assess the development of housing at Great Bay community college and authorizing the college the right to use vacant property for the purpose of developing housing.

SB 492, authorizing the department of military affairs and veterans services to license and lease property in which the department holds a property interest.

SB 523, establishing a committee to study the implementation of a residential builder registration system.

SB 541, relative to capital appropriations for regional drinking water infrastructure.