This story is part of a series of check-ins on where things stand on big issues like housing, immigration and education at the midpoint of the State House calendar. Find more stories at NHPR.org/crossover.
New Hampshire’s ongoing housing shortage has driven state lawmakers to consider a range of policies aimed at getting more housing built — now, and into the future. Here’s where the debate stands on legislation affecting housing, midway through the State House session.
Housing a priority from Day 1
New Hampshire lawmakers filed scores of bills on housing at the start of the 2025 legislative session, ranging from lot size changes, to lifting certain zoning, to revamping state policy on accessory dwelling units.
The interest was driven by several factors. Polling has indicated for some time that housing is a top concern for New Hampshire voters. Steadily rising home prices — with the median house in the state now selling for more than $500,000 — have been a source of anxiety for years. And Gov. Kelly Ayotte put the housing crisis at the center of her campaign for the corner office last year.
What housing bills are still in play?
Today, a good deal of the more than 60 bills touching housing are still alive in the Legislature, many of which would constitute some significant changes.
Those include:
- A bill that would allow people by right to build freestanding ADUs — or accessory dwelling units — of up to 950 sq feet on their properties.
- The creation of statewide standards on lot sizes.
- Introducing statewide limits on communities’ ability to restrict the siting of some kinds of homes.
- Allowing apartments to be built in commercially zoned areas.
All those bills have now passed one chamber of the Legislature, and their prospects look good to become law soon. And people who are pushing for big changes in housing policy say they feel good about how things have been going in Concord so far.
Limiting local control
“Local control” is a core tenet of how policy gets made in New Hampshire — or, at least, that’s what is often invoked. But that seems to have changed this year when it comes to housing.
The acuity of the shortage is a big factor: It’s harming the state’s economy, making it increasingly hard for people to afford to live here and for employers to hire people. That’s one reason we’ve seen the state’s business lobby, realtors, homebuilders and housing advocates all pushing on this. You also have bipartisan backing for plenty of these bills.
But these bills are certainly benefitting from changing attitudes at the State House around questions of local control that supersede concerns about the housing crisis.
The attitude that House Republican leaders have recently taken on local school budgets is illustrative — specifically, their desire to limit local spending decisions. Their motivation may in large measure be driven by financial and political concerns: They don’t want to be blamed for rising property taxes. But their comfort with limiting local say-so is perhaps making it easier for lawmakers to make statewide decisions on housing policy. That includes efforts this year to limit cities’ and towns’ ability to require certain numbers of parking spaces per apartment building, or not allowing local building codes to be more stringent than state codes.
In all, changing views on “local control” and how sacrosanct it should be are a factor here.
Ayotte’s role in the housing debate
In her inaugural address in January, Ayotte said she wants the state to “model good behavior” when it comes to approving housing projects, and has described her approach to the issue as “build, baby, build.” But it’s hard to say how much of a difference she’s having on the current legislative debate.
When she ran for governor, Ayotte said housing was a top priority. So far she’s done more on other issues, largely tied to public safety. But she has been consistent in her messaging on housing, casting the issue as mostly about housing supply and calling for more construction.
But she’s also largely avoided direct involvement in legislative debates on this front, at least so far. And the budget she proposed funds housing initiatives, but not as lavishly as some people close to the issue hoped. The sense around the State House is that Ayotte is not likely to do anything other than sign bills tied to housing that reach her desk. Those decisions obviously remain a ways off. But, so far, bills backed by folks who want more housing in New Hampshire have traction this year.
Landlord and tenant rights also part of the conversation
State lawmakers have also considered several bills affecting the rights of landlords and tenants. So far, the momentum in the Republican-controlled Legislature is pushing in the direction of strengthening landlord rights.
One proposal backed by the House would give landlords more leeway to get rid of tenants at the end of a lease for any reason. In other party-line votes, the House rejected bills aimed at giving tenants more leverage — like getting a right-of-first-refusal to buy if their landlord wants to sell the building where they rent. Republicans also voted down a Democratic proposal which sought to bar corporations from buying houses in New Hampshire — an idea GOP lawmakers derided as “socialist.”
