relative to municipal zoning requirements for child day care providers.

Section III now requires municipalities to 'shall allow' an existing building or portion thereof to be converted to a child care center (provided exterior dimensions don't change). Previously the text read 'A municipality allow' without the mandatory 'shall,' which made the obligation unclear or permissive. This strengthens the mandate, making it a clear requirement rather than an option for local governments.

Home-based child care is now allowed by right in the primary residence or an existing accessory structure (if any) on a lot where residential use is permitted, replacing the prior rule that limited it to an accessory structure of not more than 950 square feet.

The site plan review threshold for child care centers changed from a structure exceeding 5,000 square feet of gross floor area to a licensed capacity exceeding 30 children, making the trigger based on number of children served rather than building size.

Building conversion rules were simplified: instead of requiring exemptions from setbacks, height, and frontage when floor area/height/setbacks don't change, the amendment says a municipality must allow an existing building or portion thereof to be converted provided exterior dimensions do not change.

A new carve-out states that nothing in the section overrides private covenants, including homeowners' association covenants, meaning HOAs can still restrict home-based child care through their own rules.

The industrial-zone restriction was narrowed: municipalities may still restrict child care centers in industrial/manufacturing zones, but now with an explicit exception allowing a child care center that serves exclusively employees of a business located in those zones.

The new child care center section was renumbered from RSA 674:16-b to RSA 674:81, placing it in a different part of the Revised Statutes.