Nine housing bills died, and one passed both chambers before vanishing
Nine housing bills died, and one passed both chambers before vanishing
2026-09-15 · New Hampshire · Legislation · Did not pass
All of these are dead. None carries into 2027; the 169th General Court ended August 19, 2026 and a new biennium begins.
The one that got furthest
HB 685 (2025), "permitting in all residentially zoned areas by right the construction of manufactured housing," sponsored by Rep. Joe Alexander Jr. with nine co-sponsors and Sen. Innis.1
It passed the House on March 6, 2025 after a 17-0 committee report. It passed the Senate, amended, on May 8, 2025 after a 5-1 committee report. The House non-concurred and requested a committee of conference; the Senate acceded; the conference committee met on June 17, 2025.
Then: "Conference Committee Report: Not Filed" and "Conference Committee Report; Not Signed Off," dated June 19, 2025. A bill that had passed both chambers of the New Hampshire legislature died because the conference committee never filed its report. It was not revived in 2026.
The ADU cluster
HB 1012 (2026) would have repealed accessory dwelling units outright: "The following are repealed. I. RSA 674:71… II. RSA 674:72… III. RSA 674:73, relative to detached accessory dwelling units." Killed on the House floor by voice vote on February 5, 2026, after a unanimous 16-0 committee report.
HB 1136 (2026) would have amended RSA 674:71 and :72 and repealed RSA 674:73. Reported Inexpedient to Legislate 17-0 on March 3, 2026; died without a floor vote.
HB 1006 (2026), on on-site parking requirements for accessory dwelling units, was killed by voice vote on February 5, 2026 after a 17-0 committee report.
A correction on HB 1136 that matters
HB 1136 is widely described as the bill that would have barred separate condominium conveyance of an accessory dwelling unit from its principal unit. It did contain that provision, as new matter: "Subsequent condominium conveyance of any accessory dwelling unit separate from that of the principal dwelling unit shall be prohibited, notwithstanding the provisions of RSA 356-B:5, unless allowed by the municipality."
But that rule is in force today anyway. The sentence appears verbatim in the current text of RSA 674:72, I. The section's source note records amendments at 2025, 197:2, effective July 1, 2025, and 2026, 210:2, effective August 31, 2026 — the latter being Chapter 210, HB 1079 (2026), signed July 2, 2026.
We could not establish which of those two acts inserted it. The practical point for a New Hampshire board stands either way: an accessory dwelling unit cannot be separately conveyed as a condominium unit apart from the principal dwelling, unless the municipality allows it. HB 1136's death did not change that.
The manufactured-housing cluster
HB 1357 (2026), "permitting in all residentially zoned areas by right the placement of newly constructed manufactured homes," sponsored by House Majority Leader Rep. Jason Osborne with Reps. Rice, Alexander, Berry and Murphy. Committee report of Refer for Interim Study on a 16-1 roll call, adopted by the House on March 12, 2026 on a recorded division vote of 199-142. Interim study does not survive sine die; the bill is dead, and no successor appears on the 2027 list.
Its findings section is worth quoting for the distinction it drew: "Trailers and mobile homes are not the same as manufactured homes." It would have separated "manufactured housing" built to federal standards, "8 body feet or more in width and 40 body feet or more in length," from "mobile home," defined as one "built off-site prior to 1976."
HB 1016 (2026) would have gone the other way, repealing the municipal mandate entirely — its whole operative section read "RSA 674:32, relative to allowing for manufactured housing initiatives and construction, is repealed." Killed by voice vote February 5, 2026 after a 17-0 committee report.
HB 1007 (2026) would have repealed and reenacted RSA 674:32, replacing the current "reasonable and realistic opportunities" siting standard with a "reasonable efforts" standard, and applying NFPA 501A to parks existing as of July 1, 2024. Killed by voice vote March 11, 2026 after a 17-0 report. HB 1026 (2026), on the definition of manufactured housing, went the same way the same day.
The one that got a real floor fight
HB 1732 (2026), sponsored by Reps. Timothy Horrigan and Heath Howard, would have inserted a new RSA 674:61-a requiring that in any new development of more than six dwelling units, "At least 5 percent of the dwelling units shall be designated for individuals who qualify for a federal Mainstream Housing Voucher" and "At least 5 percent of the dwelling units shall be designed and constructed in accordance with universal design standards," applying to developments approved on or after January 1, 2027.
Killed on the House floor 187-157 on February 19, 2026 — a genuine contest, unlike most of this list.
Two more worth knowing about
HB 1098 (2026), on municipalities denying building or occupancy permits for property adjacent to class VI roads, was laid on the table February 5, 2026 and then recorded as "Died on Table, Session ended 08/19/2026" — the cleanest illustration in the data of what the August cutoff does. It is directly relevant to communities on unmaintained roads.
HB 604 (2025), a loan forgiveness programme for low-income homeowners building accessory dwelling units, was retained in committee in February 2025, sent to interim study in September 2025, and referred to interim study again on January 7, 2026. Retained, studied, studied again, dead. It is the best available demonstration that "retained" is not the same as "alive."
A caution about one bill that looks relevant and is not
HB 1147 (2026), "relative to the use of capital reserve funds," killed March 5, 2026, concerns municipal capital reserve funds under RSA 35. It is not a condominium or homeowners association reserve bill and should not be reported as one.
What to watch next
The filing rounds. Newly elected representatives file from around November 4, 2026; senators in December. The 2027 session convenes January 6.
Related New Hampshire HOA Topics
- Citizens Count, HB 685 (2025), permitting manufactured housing by right in residentially zoned areas — status through committee of conference ↩
- Citizens Count, HB 1357 (2026), newly constructed manufactured homes by right — status and summary ↩
- RSA 674:72, Accessory dwelling units (source note recording 2025, 197:2 and 2026, 210:2) ↩
- Citizens Count, HB 1732 (2026), housing accessibility and voucher allocation in new multi-unit developments ↩
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