SB 440 New Hampshire Senate · 2026 Regular Session

relative to the adoption of energy efficient and clean energy districts by municipalities.

SB 440 modifies how New Hampshire municipalities can create energy-efficient and clean energy districts. It requires towns without charters (and village districts) to hold at least one public hearing before adopting such districts, with specific notice rules: 10-day advance notice posted in two public locations (including the municipality's website), detailing district boundaries and proposals. The bill also allows 50 registered voters to petition for a town meeting vote on district adoption. These changes streamline the process while adding transparency and community input requirements, directly affecting local governments seeking to establish district-based energy initiatives.

Issues: ✓ Energy ✓ Environment

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Nov 2025

Committee Review

May 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

May 2026

Signed into Law

Jul 2026

Introduced Nov 21, 2025 Signed Jul 9, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Version adopted by both bodies → CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION · 3 edits

MINOR

No substantive policy changes were made between the adopted version and the final chaptered version of SB 440. The differences are entirely technical: section numbers were renumbered to the chapter format (e.g., '1' became '250:1'), line wrapping was adjusted throughout, and standard approval/effective date lines were added at the end.

TECHNICAL

Section numbers changed from sequential (1, 2, 3, 4) to chapter format (250:1, 250:2, 250:3, 250:4), which is standard when a bill is enrolled as a chapter.

Approval date (July 02, 2026) and effective date (July 02, 2026) were added at the end of the document, as is standard for final chaptered bills.

Line wrapping and formatting was adjusted throughout the document to fit the final chapter layout, with no changes to the actual legal language.

Introduced → As Amended by the Senate · 7 edits

MODERATE

The Senate amendment significantly restructured the adoption process for energy efficient and clean energy districts, adding a new opt-out provision allowing non-charter municipalities and village districts to prohibit new districts entirely, lowering the voter petition threshold from 50 to 25 registered voters, expanding notice requirements to include newspaper publication (with a website alternative), and clarifying county authority over unincorporated places. A new definition section was also added to replace 'unorganized place' with 'unincorporated place.'

SCOPE

A new paragraph VI was added allowing non-charter municipalities and village districts to vote to prohibit the establishment of new energy efficient and clean energy districts or dissolve existing ones, providing a formal opt-out mechanism that did not exist in the introduced version.

A new paragraph III was added giving county commissioners explicit authority to adopt this chapter and create one or more districts in unincorporated places by resolution, separating this from the general charter-municipality provision for clarity.

ELIGIBILITY

The voter petition threshold for placing district adoption on an annual meeting warrant was lowered from 50 registered voters to 25 registered voters, making it easier for residents to trigger a public vote on district creation.

REQUIREMENT

Public notice requirements were expanded: the introduced version only required posting in 2 public places (one could be a website), while the amended version requires publication in a paper of general circulation OR website posting with specific prominence requirements, plus posting in 2 additional public places. The 10-day notice period now explicitly excludes the day of posting and the day of the hearing.

The content required in public notice changed: the introduced version required a description of district boundaries and either the full text of the proposed ordinance or an adequate statement, while the amended version requires a statement describing the area plus where a map is on file, and any other information to improve public understanding.

For charter municipalities, the adoption process changed from acting 'in accordance with its normal procedures for passage of resolutions, ordinances, and other legislation' to acting 'in accordance with its municipal charter,' making the governing document more specific.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'Municipality' in RSA 53-F:1, VIII was amended to replace 'unorganized place' with 'unincorporated place,' aligning terminology throughout the bill.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Jul 9, 2026

Signed into law

Signed by the Governor on 07/02/2026; Chapter 250; Effective 07/02/2026

upper

Jun 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Enrolled Bill Amendment # 2026-2141e Adopted, VV, (In recess of 06/04/2026); SJ 14

upper

Jun 10, 2026

Introduced

Enrolled Bill Amendment # 2026-2141e: AA VV (in recess of) 06/04/2026 HJ 15

lower

May 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

Ought to Pass: MA VV 05/14/2026 HJ 13 P. 25

lower

May 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee Report: Ought to Pass 05/05/2026 (Vote 20-0; CC) HC 19 P. 15

lower

Feb 26, 2026

Introduced

Introduced (in recess of) 02/19/2026 and referred to Municipal and County Government HJ 5 P. 124

lower

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee Amendment # 2026-0353s, AA, VV; 02/05/2026; SJ 3

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-0353s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 02/05/2026; SJ 3

upper

Jan 29, 2026

Upper · Passed

Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-0353s, 02/05/2026; Vote 5-0; CC; SC 4

upper

Nov 21, 2025

Introduced

Introduced 01/07/2026 and Referred to Commerce; SJ 1

upper

0 primary · 5 co-sponsors