[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6598851,"mediaKeyId","3023709-8aa7d5710ff94fde62da282d2ad887c4","parentId",3023709,"title","Committee backs faster permit-by-notification process for some alteration-of-terrain projects","audioSeconds",970,"startMs",6554000,"endMs",7524000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3023709-8aa7d5710ff94fde62da282d2ad887c4&start=6554&end=7524","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3023709-8aa7d5710ff94fde62da282d2ad887c4/thumbnail_6554000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6598851/New-Hampshire/Committee-backs-faster-permit-by-notification-process-for-some-alteration-of-terrain-projects","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6598851-c8ad1f16620206eb75bfe4cb4caefc09/orig.mp4?Expires=1771154697&Signature=O0Ck4LPKQ7xO3xctQ1VABrVIBc6qoaHy6kjqzGAm1DgznCZ5Qq75n5u3e5MDAo88Zs2xVHTOYicNj~6Wzqs-430qxpHXECGIKlUx7UjsEWItOvq9rEZiZUbw5vyTnRatTUxlJotPBkjYVMvjb1Y9sJ8s4-6o-su2X1vRhajMgSsgdXIVBoAsXwWGunQAx4Bg1qyoqrtVrlPF8SfKzPY6kylx6bQJlRmCx5UDesSxsYckLE0HN73vgfVAZY5vF7hUvFIMZ3J1DWf-3-4U7qx5zurYUKJo3KMVO-DjxVOSQA4wfE2L79c7LbCJmE5wXMtHKgou2sWlMcsjLmFLn9ucSA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hampshire Legislature","date","2025-04-16T18:18:35.59Z","article","Peter O'Neil, Senate communications director, introduced Senate Bill 110 on behalf of the prime sponsor and described the Senate-amended bill as directing the Department of Environmental Services to adopt rules establishing a permit-by-notification (PBN) process for certain alteration-of-terrain (AOT) projects and to set fees. \"It establishes fees for applications for terrain alteration and requires that the Department of Environmental Services is to adopt rules to establish by notification for certain projects ... encompassing an area less than 50,000 square feet,\" O'Neil said.

Matt Mayberry, chief executive officer of the New Hampshire Home Builders Association, supported the bill and said it would help move smaller residential developments through permitting faster. \"This is exactly what you folks have wanted forever ... it's a private-public partnership in which we're working with New Hampshire DES and there's a fast-track program that will be paid for by the developers,\" Mayberry said. He described the change from a 100,000-square-foot threshold down toward 50,000 square feet (as amended) as a way to let more small subdivisions proceed under a faster process.

Meredith Hatfield of The Nature Conservancy supported narrowing the bill’s application to housing projects and raised concerns about whether the fee increases in the amendment will cover DES staff time needed for compliance auditing. Philip (Bill) Trowbridge, manager of land resource management at DES, explained the AOT program’s objectives—erosion control, maintaining hydrology, and groundwater recharge—and said the department had worked with stakeholders to develop the PBN approach and could be ready to adopt rules by law-required deadlines. He noted the same language also appears in the governor’s HB 2 initiative.

Committee members asked about workload, inspections and the difference between larger AOT projects and the smaller, individual-home work. Trowbridge said DES expects to use audits and compliance assurance to ensure that PBN projects meet plan conditions and that most compliance is achieved voluntarily.

At exec session the committee voted to recommend SB 110 FN, recording a 15–1 vote in favor. Representative Steve Donnelly moved OTP and Representative Heather Darby seconded. Representative Vail recorded the lone no vote. The committee noted the bill aligns with broader efforts in HB 2 to streamline permitting and consolidate some functions under DES while increasing fees to cover program costs.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Resources, Recreation and Development (04/16/2025)","oneSentenceSummary","An amended bill would let DES establish a permit-by-notification (PBN) pathway and adjust fees to speed review for certain mid-size land‑disturbing projects; the committee recommended the measure to align with a broader housing-permitting push.","taxTitle","Resources, Recreation and Development, House of Representatives, Committees\t, Legislative, New Hampshire","taxId",17760,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6598856,"Committee advances bill to let DES penalize contractors who repeatedly violate shoreland and stormwater rules",4143,3555000,7698000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3023709-8aa7d5710ff94fde62da282d2ad887c4&start=3555&end=7698","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3023709-8aa7d5710ff94fde62da282d2ad887c4/thumbnail_3555000.jpg","/articles/6598856/New-Hampshire/Committee-advances-bill-to-let-DES-penalize-contractors-who-repeatedly-violate-shoreland-and-stormwater-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6598856-a7ae0891efc4b6d910eed453c4013b83/orig.mp4?Expires=1771154697&Signature=XhkAiLpOVeJj8s3gsxU-jmIL~iaKYNJ27v01QaqrHeivbFHU5n3hxlQMpisUb8sH34yo23vroIMEnyGrtdrI2yBYUlifGvVuxi2I9bOfqeYrhNw4P76DjQow2SvTs8-gfqfkKO2aCBphC8u2xjoYOQeQ~Pzv0hljZn605Ez4j4s8gJHaxeBmQDjinyPDA75Dcpj8-s71MemGrSltxTxlEeCLQzoq38t6y16Cqnnvu5SlU4ZrbV7HMueosRQp9o2DlswO74WGN2mmwFG14~sIV1WDnAOMbP4rfocXIWL8mAlmdx2uWwuVfJYpxF~jYs1rxXC5jeiAtudO0LEWGsmmKA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Howard Pearl introduced Senate Bill 299 to the House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee, saying the existing penalty scheme under the shoreland program does not allow DES to pursue contractors who repeatedly create violations if a property owner cooperates and restores the site. \"In such cases, the contractor receives an unfair advantage over more reputable competitors,\" Senator Pearl said.

Andrea Lamoreaux, president of New Hampshire Lakes, testified in support and said the measure \"closes a loophole\" and would protect lakes and homeowners from bad actors. \"Many property owners rely on contractors to know what type of work is allowed under the law and what permits are required,\" Lamoreaux said.

Darlene Forst of DES also testified in support and said the agency circulated a letter backing the legislation. Forst described the department's enforcement practice and noted that outreach and education are DES’s first approach. She said the department is concerned about situations where a licensed professional repeatedly performs work that exposes soil, spreads fertilizer within regulated buffer zones, or otherwise creates irreparable harm. DES said a tool to address repeat violators would be valuable and that fines would go to the general fund.

Committee members asked about outreach and education for contractors; Forst described past outreach efforts with industry groups and said DES would welcome a statutory definition of \"contractor\" to make enforcement clear. The committee also heard that the bill as introduced had broad support from lake associations.

At executive session the committee voted unanimously to recommend the bill. Representative DuPont moved that SB 299 ought to pass; Representative Bridal seconded. The roll call recorded unanimous approval and the committee logged the bill as recommended to pass.","The committee recommended passage of a bill closing an enforcement gap by allowing DES to pursue contractors who repeatedly cause violations under shoreland and stormwater rules even when property owners cooperate in remediation.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6598861,"Proposal for Hampton Beach pier advances amid questions about cost, maintenance and local impacts",4219,3246000,7465000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3023709-8aa7d5710ff94fde62da282d2ad887c4&start=3246&end=7465","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3023709-8aa7d5710ff94fde62da282d2ad887c4/thumbnail_3246000.jpg","/articles/6598861/New-Hampshire/Proposal-for-Hampton-Beach-pier-advances-amid-questions-about-cost-maintenance-and-local-impacts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6598861-93c113a46de7bffb87b30f4672ca8294/orig.mp4?Expires=1771154697&Signature=drsAELR61ii2JhDQxfdmaJzYzQmsSzuF33la5LqN6hJKzvMX2xOe02RO2jj1PsJ-k713nejmxNVXk3rxiIXY2nngtFIsOvyWvshUyia7Xz-LtBXiEcgZH-gCtKCGQwI0tqxLrnoVRjBXnaUgk0fcoUFzpLJvb9GDC79P7n37bb0KeVZp2lj~c7d2He6a7T9aTfJwtSDNcoRy5hnhv11U8rMk9a~CGeAHU4QxLdgBpvDMQyTlr5JR1~i3L72kaSSxkHv7N3R~lcJGBnRi288GdLIu2-1-yh2-F47ZF-LJ5OQfFBGm-v1OseQ41mMGPFnOgYBLbSLEAN0MJ8sgfD~e-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Abarth (District 12) presented Senate Bill 241, which would establish a Hampton Beach State Park Pier Fund and authorize the division of parks and recreation to use gifts, grants and private donations to site, permit, design and construct a public pier at Hampton Beach. \"We're not asking for anything other than a dollar and to set up the fund,\" the senator said. \"We want to make it so that private donations, grant money can be put into the fund for the construction of the pier.\"

Senator Abarth emphasized accessibility benefits and said the pier could let people with limited mobility enjoy the beach and extend the season for tourism. \"I think this would be a wonderful thing for individuals who are handicapped to be able to stroll out on ... the pier,\" the senator said, describing meetings with users and anecdotal support.

Opposition testimony came principally from Representative Chris Munz, a Hampton resident, who recounted four previous bills and studies since 2021 and said many local constituents were unaware of the project and that the pier's projected costs and impacts had not been resolved. \"That study characterizes the project as an accessibility improvement that is 'high cost with moderate public support' that has physical environmental impact,\" Munz said, and urged the committee not to advance the bill as written.

Other witnesses included Vanessa Blaise of the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities, who said the council supports better, permanent access to the beach for people with disabilities and that temporary measures such as mats and the limited number of beach wheelchairs were insufficient. \"Disabled people and their families travel and they spend money,\" Blaise said, urging the committee to consider the economic benefits of accessibility.

Committee members asked about cost estimates, locations and long-term maintenance. Senator Abarth said prior feasibility studies estimated costs ranging from about $12 million to as much as $27 million depending on design; she said the bill sets an initial appropriation at $1 to create a fund that can accept donations and grants. Lawmakers raised concerns about storm damage and who would pay for repairs; the senator suggested the fund and potential user fees could defray maintenance but offered no firm long-term funding guarantee.

Representative Munz and other Hampton residents told the committee they worry about traffic, parking and strain on local services, and they urged the legislature to prioritize other infrastructure and waterfront resiliency work in the area. The committee also heard environmental concerns such as piping plover habitat near two proposed locations.

At executive session the committee voted 9–7 on an \"ought-to-pass\" recommendation for SB 241 FN A. Representative Mark Bridal moved to recommend passage; Representative DuPont seconded. Opponents said the bill was premature without clearer funding and maintenance plans and without broader implementation of accessibility measures identified in an October 2024 accessibility study.

Supporters said the fund would allow fundraising to proceed without an upfront state appropriation and that a pier could provide meaningful, durable access for people with disabilities while drawing visitors to the shore. The amended bill sets a 2035 sunset for the fund and indicates unused funds would revert to state park accounts for accessibility or park purposes if a pier is not built.","A bill to create a fund and enable private donations for a public pier at Hampton Beach was advanced by the committee; supporters cited accessibility and tourism benefits, opponents cited cost, maintenance liabilities and incomplete planning.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6598865,"Committee hears bill to let DES waive removal on some dwellings over water",2140,319000,2459000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3023709-8aa7d5710ff94fde62da282d2ad887c4&start=319&end=2459","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3023709-8aa7d5710ff94fde62da282d2ad887c4/thumbnail_319000.jpg","/articles/6598865/New-Hampshire/Committee-hears-bill-to-let-DES-waive-removal-on-some-dwellings-over-water","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6598865-f3c4a7d8244521493d92371f68d108f8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771154697&Signature=VdsWJ07QJwAYtDlquKSGy23Py9Xb6fGYQBFGpJHgTgrpqxCT~qvCkAoHCoHxKLtFd5ydtz0dx~7Jl0qauJI0I9SMN5lsGzj4v5fNBNox4jtcwQTc6sTGkGiiz0hdH~~DbQ-hCHIIBN1vD2dxKxgDCdQQsPT3Qqu34oT-bL0nWMw8TgRUV6VTZ6hGNYXFSic~pyhxsd0SoYN3XygHN07IUY4xlr0XvJY-7gNdZlKlM1xfqgQ2ldu4gTqHP4fVod42m4eXz9IcRwOGPm9SCZg0YYeIc8ndPO0m4Sc6Ndb~ViIzO4SHyMWGfjuSmDJIoyb~A0E5LFPEpp35ZUhktjwWVw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tricia Malillo, Senate majority caucus director, presented Senate Bill 27 to the House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee as the sponsor could not attend. \"It simply would specify how improvements can be made to dwellings over water,\" Malillo said, explaining the measure would align certain improvements with state building codes.

Attorney John Cronin, who described the proposal as coming out of a particular court case involving Newcomb family property, told the committee the bill would give the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) limited flexibility to approve exterior improvements \"in appropriate circumstances\" rather than ordering removal. \"We're looking to give waiver power, not in every circumstance, but in the appropriate circumstances when the DES looks at a situation and says it doesn't make any sense for the state and the taxpayers to spend thousands of dollars ... to order someone to tear down an improvement,\" Cronin said.

Cronin and others described a factual backdrop: older lakefront homes built decades ago that now sit in or over areas that modern law regulates as public water or shoreland. He said the Newcombs bought and rehabilitated a 1950s house with a back deck and small boathouse; the town building inspector approved plans and inspected construction, but a neighbor reported the work to DES and DES considered it a violation under the existing statute.

Darlene Forst, Wetlands Bureau administrator at DES, urged interim study. \"We have serious concerns about what these changes would require us to do, what the legislature's intent for us to do would be, and what the impact of this law across the state would be,\" she said. Forst called the bill's language unclear and flagged that the specific court case cited in testimony remained active and not fully adjudicated. She said the statute at issue involves the public trust in the beds of \"great ponds\" and pointed out legal limits where towns cannot regulate docks because the state retains authority over structures in public waters.

Committee members pressed on definitions and scope. Representative Heather Darby asked whether the bill would effectively require DES to be familiar with local building codes; Cronin said DES already reviews local permits submitted with applications and relies on local building departments for confirmation. Several members, including Representative Jennifer Gould and Representative Brian Nabb, raised concerns about the bill’s treatment of decks and the definition of \"footprint\" and whether the bill could allow unlimited deck expansions if decks were not considered living space.

The committee noted the bill grew out of litigation. Representative Bruce Sargent pointed to a New Hampshire Supreme Court appeal involving Robert Newcomb; Cronin said the court had remanded and that the matter illustrated a broader class of similar properties.

At executive session the committee voted to retain SB 27 for further work. Representative Steve Donnelly moved to retain the bill; Representative Mark Bridal seconded. The roll call recorded a 15–1 vote to retain the bill for future consideration.

Supporters framed SB 27 as a narrow fix to preserve the public interest while avoiding what they called costly and counterproductive teardown orders for minimal-impact improvements. DES and several lawmakers said the bill needs clearer statutory language and legislative guidance before the department could implement any waiver authority.

If enacted as written, SB 27 would direct DES to consider waiver requests for certain exterior improvements to dwellings over water; the statute(s) DES relied on and that witnesses cited in testimony were discussed at length during the hearing and remain part of the legal context to be resolved by the legislature or courts.","A Senate bill would let the Department of Environmental Services grant case-by-case waivers to avoid tearing down some older dwellings or improvements that extend over public waters; DES told the committee it wants interim study and clearer legislative guidance.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee backs faster permit-by-notification process for some alteration-of-terrain projects

Committee advances bill to let DES penalize contractors who repeatedly violate shoreland and stormwater rules

Proposal for Hampton Beach pier advances amid questions about cost, maintenance and local impacts

Committee hears bill to let DES waive removal on some dwellings over water