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Committee hears advocates and municipal groups split over ban on municipal ‘three-unrelated’ rules
Summary
Representative Diane Power and supporters urged passage of a bill to bar local zoning limits that cap unrelated occupants in a dwelling; municipal associations and zoning officials warned the change would interfere with local land-use regulation and public-safety oversight.
The Senate Commerce Committee heard testimony on House Bill 457, sponsored in the House by Representative Diane Power, a bid to prohibit municipal zoning ordinances that limit occupancy based on familial or marital relationship — commonly known as “three-unrelated” rules.
Representative Diane Power opened the hearing saying the bill seeks to stop ordinances that “unreasonably limit the number of unrelated people legally permitted to live together” and that such rules “artificially limit housing opportunities” in a state facing tight housing supply.
Opponents included the New Hampshire Municipal Association, which argued the proposal is the wrong place for a land‑use mandate. “Permitting group living in some zoning districts and not others is strictly…
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