HB 683-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2025 SESSION
25-0569
06/08
HOUSE BILL 683-FN
AN ACT relative to off-highway recreational vehicles.
SPONSORS: Rep. Ouellet, Coos 3; Rep. Cole, Hills. 26; Rep. Lascelles, Hills. 14; Rep. Durkin, Coos 1
COMMITTEE: Resources, Recreation and Development
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ANALYSIS
The bill removes the requirement for a petitioner to bear the expense of verified mail notification to abutters of property for which OHRV use is sought and expands the list of counties where OHRV operations on designated highways are authorized to include Carroll, Cheshire, Hillsborough, Merrimack, and Sullivan counties.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
25-0569
06/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
AN ACT relative to off-highway recreational vehicles.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Operation of All OHRVs. Amend RSA 215-A:6, IX(a) to read as follows:
IX.(a) Pursuant to RSA 215-A:15, and following a duly noticed public hearing advertised at least 14 days in advance in a public location in the city or town and notification to abutters by verified mail pursuant to RSA 21:53, city or town councils and boards of selectmen may authorize the use of sidewalks and class IV, class V or class VI highways and bridges, or portions thereof, for use by OHRVs. The operation of OHRVs may also be allowed on sidewalks adjacent to class I, II, III, or III-a highways pursuant to RSA 236:56, II(e). Operators of OHRVs using said roads, or portions thereof, shall keep to the extreme right and shall yield to all conventional motor vehicle traffic. The bureau, or its designee, shall so post such highways where authorized. Following a duly noticed public hearing, except in the case of an emergency closure, such city or town authorities may change the allowable usage of a class IV, class V, or class VI highway by OHRVs by giving notification to the supervisor of the bureau and removing any signs that no longer apply. [The petitioner shall bear the expense of verified mail notification to abutters of property for which OHRV use is sought under this paragraph.]
2 Limitations of OHRV Operation on Class I, II, III and III-a Highways. Amend RSA 215-A:10, IV(a) to read as follows:
IV.(a) Notwithstanding any provisions of the law to the contrary, a person may operate an OHRV on a class I, class II, class III, or class III-a highway that has been designated open for use, in Carroll, Cheshire, Coos, [county or in] Grafton, Hillsborough, Merrimack, and Sullivan [county] counties, by the bureau of trails, with the approval of the department of transportation and the department of safety and a public meeting in each community which would be directly affected by such designation. The bureau, or its designee, shall sign any approved sections of highway for OHRV use.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
25-0569
Revised 2/3/25
HB 683-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
AN ACT relative to off-highway recreational vehicles.
FISCAL IMPACT:
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Estimated State Impact | ||||||
| FY 2025 | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | ||
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Revenue Fund(s) | None | |||||
Expenditures* | $0 | Indeterminable | ||||
Funding Source(s) | General Fund | |||||
Appropriations* | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Funding Source(s) | None | |||||
*Expenditure = Cost of bill *Appropriation = Authorized funding to cover cost of bill | ||||||
| ||||||
Estimated Political Subdivision Impact | ||||||
| FY 2025 | FY 2026 | FY 2027 | FY 2028 | ||
Local Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Local Expenditures | $0 | Indeterminable | ||||
METHODOLOGY:
This bill removes the requirement for a petitioner to bear the expense of verified mail notification to abutters of property for which off-highway recreational vehicle (OHRV) use is sought and expands the list of counties where OHRV operations on designated highways are authorized to include Carroll, Cheshire, Hillsborough, Merrimack, and Sullivan counties. The Department of Natural and Cultural Resources states the number of additional sections of sidewalks, highways, bridges and trails that would be approved by the municipalities for OHRV use and would need signage is not known, and therefore, the cost of providing and installing additional signage would impact the Bureau of Trails budget and is indeterminable. The Fish and Game Department states it expects it would initially handle complaints of OHRV use on these highways, by phone or in person, but expects any costs to be absorbed within its normal operating budget.
The New Hampshire Municipal Association states this bill could increase municipal costs in the affected counties by an indeterminable amount, related to sending verified mail notification to abutters of property for which OHRV use is sought. The Association states this would likely be less than $10,000 per year.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Fish and Game Department, and New Hampshire Municipal Association
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 12, 2025 | House | Hearing |
| Feb. 12, 2025 | House | Exec Session |
| Feb. 12, 2025 | House | Floor Vote |
March 6, 2025: Inexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 03/06/2025 HJ 7
Feb. 19, 2025: Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 02/12/2025 (Vote 14-1; CC) HC 14 P. 14
Feb. 5, 2025: Executive Session: 02/12/2025 02:00 pm LOB 305
Feb. 5, 2025: Public Hearing: 02/12/2025 01:00 pm LOB 305
Jan. 21, 2025: Introduced (in recess of) 01/09/2025 and referred to Resources, Recreation and Development HJ 3 P. 22