SB 45 - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
02/13/2025 0258s
2025 SESSION
25-1060
08/05
SENATE BILL 45
AN ACT clarifying the placement of advertising signs on state-owned property.
SPONSORS: Sen. Gray, Dist 6
COMMITTEE: Election Law and Municipal Affairs
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill clarifies the conditions under which political advertising may be placed on public property.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
02/13/2025 0258s 25-1060
08/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
AN ACT clarifying the placement of advertising signs on state-owned property.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Placement and Removal of Political and Other Advertising. RSA 664:17 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
664:17 Placement and Removal of Political and Other Advertising.
I. No advertising, including but not limited to political advertising, shall be placed on or affixed to any private property without the owner's consent. No advertising, including but not limited to political advertising, shall be placed on or affixed to any state-owned public property. This paragraph shall not apply to advertising that is placed on or affixed to state-owned rights-of-way with the consent of the owner of the land over which the right-of-way passes so long as the advertising does not obstruct the safe flow of traffic or violate any other applicable law.
II. All political advertising shall be removed by the candidate no later than the second Friday following the election unless the election is a primary and the advertising concerns a candidate who is a winner in the primary.
III. Signs shall not be placed on or affixed to utility poles or highway signs.
IV. No person shall remove, deface, or knowingly destroy any political advertising which is placed on or affixed to public property or any private property except for removal by the owner of the property, persons authorized by the owner of the property, or a law enforcement officer removing improper advertising.
V. Political advertising placed on or affixed to any public property may be removed by state, city, or town maintenance or law enforcement personnel.
VI. Political advertising removed prior to election day by state, city, or town maintenance or law enforcement personnel shall be kept until one week after the election at a place designated by the state, city, or town so that the candidate, or a member of the candidate's campaign or local political committee of the same party may retrieve the items.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
| Date | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Feb. 5, 2025 | 2025-0258s |
| Date | Body | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 14, 2025 | Senate | Hearing |
| Jan. 14, 2025 | Senate | Hearing |
| Feb. 13, 2025 | Senate | Floor Vote |
| April 22, 2025 | House | Hearing |
| April 29, 2025 | House | Exec Session |
April 8, 2025: ==CANCELLED== Executive Session: 04/29/2025 10:00 am LOB 306-308
April 8, 2025: Public Hearing: 04/22/2025 01:20 pm LOB 306-308
March 28, 2025: Introduced (in recess of) 03/27/2025 and referred to Election Law HJ 11
Feb. 13, 2025: Ought to Pass with Amendment #2025-0258s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 02/13/2025; SJ 5
Feb. 13, 2025: Committee Amendment # 2025-0258s, AA, VV; 02/13/2025; SJ 5
Feb. 5, 2025: Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2025-0258s, 02/13/2025; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 9
Jan. 9, 2025: Hearing: 01/14/2025, Room 103, LOB, 09:50 am; SC 5
Jan. 9, 2025: Introduced 01/09/2025 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 3
Jan. 9, 2025: Introduced 01/09/2025 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 3
Jan. 9, 2025: Hearing: 01/14/2025, Room 103, LOB, 09:50 am; SC 5
Jan. 9, 2025: Introduced 01/09/2025 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 3
Jan. 9, 2025: Introduced 01/09/2025 and Referred to Election Law and Municipal Affairs; SJ 3