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Bill to ban multi‑year municipal building moratoria draws split testimony over local authority
Summary
SB 163 would limit municipalities’ ability to impose long or blanket moratoria on building permits; proponents call moratoria a tool some towns use to block development, while municipal representatives say the authority is a rare, necessary pressure valve
Grant Bossie, deputy chief of staff for the New Hampshire Senate, introduced SB 163 on behalf of Sen. Howard Pearl, saying the bill would prohibit blanket moratoria on building permits and require municipalities to consider applications on their merits rather than block development by indefinite delay. “Current New Hampshire law allows towns to enact temporary moratoria on building permits under specific conditions,” Bossie said. “They can only be for up to 1 year, but they can be extended indefinitely.”
Supporters described moratoria and lengthy permit…
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