HB 1204 - AS INTRODUCED
2026 SESSION
26-2589
08/09
HOUSE BILL 1204
AN ACT relative to the grading and use of timber grown in New Hampshire.
SPONSORS: Rep. A. Davis, Coos 2; Rep. Tierney, Coos 1; Rep. Durkin, Coos 1; Rep. Cole, Hills. 26
COMMITTEE: Resources, Recreation and Development
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ANALYSIS
This bill allows certain timber grown in New Hampshire to be graded as spruce-pine-fir and requires the consideration of New Hampshire harvested timber for state building projects.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26-2589
08/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
AN ACT relative to the grading and use of timber grown in New Hampshire.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Eligibility of New Hampshire Lumber for SPF Grading. Amend RSA 426 by inserting after section 18 the following new section:
426:18-a Eligibility for SPF Grading.
Notwithstanding any provision of law or rule to the contrary, softwood timber harvested in New Hampshire at or above 44 degrees North latitude shall be eligible for classification and grading as spruce-pine-fir (SPF), provided that:
I. The timber is of a species customarily included in the SPF grouping under the American Softwood Lumber Standard (PS 20); and
II. The timber meets all applicable structural and visual grading requirements for SPF as established by a recognized grading agency accredited by the American Lumber Standard Committee.
2 New Paragraph; Public Safety and Welfare; New Hampshire Building Code; Building Requirements for State Funded Buildings. Amend RSA 155-A:13 by inserting after paragraph II the following new paragraph:
III. The material specification of any state-funded building in New Hampshire shall give preference to lumber harvested in New Hampshire, unless design criteria necessitates utilizing imported sourcing.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
Dec. 1, 2025: Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Resources, Recreation and Development