State agencies must notify towns and cities about certain actions

State agencies must ensure affected towns and cities receive written notice and a reasonable chance to comment. Notice goes to each affected municipality and must give it a reasonable chance to submit information, views, or comments. This covers permits, licenses, and other agency actions within a municipality that directly affect it, including actions involving land use, businesses, transportation, local finances, or services. Agencies may email the notice unless the town or city clerk objects. After an objection, the agency must use first-class mail. Agencies that email must keep current clerk addresses and a list of towns and cities that objected. This notice is required when an agency considers a covered action. The law took effect July 7, 2026.

State agencies must ensure the rivers coordinator and local river committee are notified before taking a covered action. This covers state agency actions affecting a river or river segment designated under New Hampshire's rivers law. Agencies must work with the rivers coordinator and local river committees to develop how committees are notified. For actions with a required public hearing, agencies must send copies of hearing notices for review and comment. When no hearing is required, they must provide copies of certain permit, certificate, or license applications. The application-copy rule has exceptions for certain small-impact activities, some routine road work on agricultural land, and other activities listed in state law. Notice must come before the agency takes the action.

Shoreland permit applicants must provide proof that required recipients were notified of the application by certified mail. This applies to applicants for permits under the Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act. Most applicants must show that the municipality and adjoining property owners were notified. They must also show notice to the local river committee when the project is in a designated river corridor covered by the law. Applicants for public roads, utility lines and related facilities, or public water access facilities need show notice only to the municipality and, when the river-corridor rule applies, the local river committee.