HB 1297 New Hampshire House · 2026 Regular Session

relative to property owned pursuant to the public trust doctrine.

HB 1297 prevents individuals from acquiring ownership of property held under the public trust doctrine (such as beaches, waterways, or public lands) through long-term occupation without permission. It amends New Hampshire law to explicitly include such public trust property in the prohibition against adverse possession, alongside existing protections for town houses, schoolhouses, and church lots. This clarifies that the public cannot lose access to these shared resources due to prolonged, unauthorized use by private individuals. The bill takes effect 60 days after enactment.
Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Dec 1, 2025 Last action Feb 27, 2026
Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
5
Key actions
1
Committee
2
Feb 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Minority Committee Report: Ought to Pass
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Committee
Majority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate 02/13/2026 (Vote 12-6; RC) HC 10 P. 99
lower
Dec 1, 2025
Introduced
Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Judiciary HJ 1 P. 14
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of James Newsom
James Newsom
DDemocratic
NH
Merrimack 9