Bill Text: NH HB262 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relative to group licenses for dogs.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-07 - Introduced 01/08/2025 and referred to Environment and Agriculture House Journal 2 P. 12 [HB262 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2025-HB262-Introduced.html
HB 262-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2025 SESSION
25-0537
09/08
HOUSE BILL 262-FN
AN ACT relative to group licenses for dogs.
SPONSORS: Rep. Bordes, Belk. 5
COMMITTEE: Environment and Agriculture
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ANALYSIS
This bill allows any owner of 7 or fewer dogs to alternatively obtain a group license, adds additional fees for owning more than 7 dogs, and imposes additional requirements on holders of group licenses.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
25-0537
09/08
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
AN ACT relative to group licenses for dogs.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Licensing of Dogs; Group Licenses. Amend RSA 466:6 to read as follows:
466:6 Group Licenses.
I. The owner or keeper of [5 or more] 7 or fewer dogs [shall] may annually by April 30 pay the required [fee] fees and obtain a license authorizing the owner or keeper to keep the dogs upon the premises described in the license, or off the premises while under such owner's or keeper's control. Such owner or keeper shall not be required to obtain a "commercial kennel" license under RSA 466:4, III unless such person has a commercial kennel as defined under RSA 466:4, III. A group license shall only be valid for up to 7 dogs.
II. No town clerk shall refuse to issue a group license to an owner or keeper who has complied with the requirements of this subdivision.
III. The fee shall be [$20] $28 for the group license, $2 of which shall be remitted to the town clerk for deposit into the companion animal neutering fund, established in RSA 437-A:4-a, as the companion animal population control fee, and $18 shall be retained by the town or municipality. If the owner of a group license owns or keeps more than 7 dogs, the owner shall obtain an individual license for each additional dog. The fee for such a license shall be the fee established in RSA 466:4, plus an supplemental fee equal to the number of individual dog licenses that holder owns minus 7.
IV. No fee shall be required for dogs which are under the age of [3 months] 6 weeks.
IV-a. The holder of a group license shall not sell, gift, or trade any dog prior to obtaining a license for the dog.
V. Upon request, an owner or keeper shall receive numbered license tags for each dog included under the owner's or keeper's group license.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.
25-0537
12/30/24
HB 262-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
AN ACT relative to group licenses for dogs.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Legislative Budget Assistant has determined that this legislation has a total fiscal impact of less than $10,000 in each of the fiscal years 2025 through 2028.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
New Hampshire Municipal Association