SB 45 - AS INTRODUCED
2025 SESSION
25-1060
08/05
SENATE BILL 45
AN ACT clarifying the placement of political signs on municipal property.
SPONSORS: Sen. Gray, Dist 6
COMMITTEE: Election Law and Municipal Affairs
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ANALYSIS
This bill clarifies the conditions under which political advertising may be placed on municipal 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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
25-1060
08/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
AN ACT clarifying the placement of political signs on municipal property.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Placement of Political Advertising; Municipal Property. Amend RSA 664:17 to read as follows:
664:17 Placement and Removal of Political Advertising.
I. No political advertising shall be placed on or affixed to any public property [including highway rights-of-way] or private property without the owner's consent or as provided below.
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. Political advertising may be placed within state-owned rights-of-way as long as the following conditions are met:
(a) [the] The advertising does not obstruct the safe flow of traffic.
(b) [and the] The advertising is placed with the consent of the owner of the land over which the right-of-way passes.
(c) The advertising is not more than 10 feet from the property line and no larger than 32 square feet.
V. Unless the town or city prohibits political advertising on its rights-of-way, political advertising may be placed on town or city owned rights-of-way following the conditions of paragraph IV.
VI. 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. Political advertising placed on or affixed to any public property may be removed by state, city, or town maintenance or law enforcement personnel. Political advertising removed on or 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 |
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: 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: 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