TITLE III
TOWNS, CITIES, VILLAGE DISTRICTS, AND UNINCORPORATED PLACES

CHAPTER 36
REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSIONS

Regional Planning Commissions

Section 36:47

    36:47 General Powers and Duties. –

[Paragraph I effective until September 13, 2026; see also paragraph I set out below.]


I. A regional planning commission's powers shall be advisory, and shall generally pertain to the development of the region within its jurisdiction as a whole. Nothing in this subdivision shall be deemed to reduce or limit any of the powers, duties or obligations of planning boards in individual municipalities. The area of jurisdiction of a regional planning commission shall include the areas of the respective municipalities within the delineated planning region. It shall be the duty of a regional planning commission to prepare a comprehensive master plan for the development of the region within its jurisdiction, including the commission's recommendations, among other things, for the use of land within the region; for the general location, extent, type of use, and character of highways, major streets, intersections, parking lots, railroads, aircraft landing areas, waterways and bridges, and other means of transportation, communication, and other purposes; for the development, extent, and general location of parks, playgrounds, shore front developments, parkways, and other public reservations and recreation areas; for the location, type, and character of public buildings, schools, community centers, and other public property; and for the improvement, redevelopment, rehabilitation, or conservation of residential, business, industrial and other areas; including the development of programs for the modernization and coordination of buildings, housing, zoning and subdivision regulations of municipalities and their enforcement on a coordinated and unified basis. A regional planning commission may authorize its employees or consultants to render assistance on local planning problems to any municipality or county which is not a member of said regional planning commission. The cost of such assistance shall be paid entirely by the municipality or county to which the service is rendered or partly by said municipality or county and partly by any gift, grant, or contribution which may be available for such work or by combination thereof. Said commission shall keep a strict account of the cost of such assistance and shall provide such municipality or county with an itemized statement.

[Paragraph I effective September 13, 2026; see also paragraph I set out above.]


I. A regional planning commission's powers shall be advisory, and shall generally pertain to the development of the region within its jurisdiction as a whole. Nothing in this subdivision shall be deemed to reduce or limit any of the powers, duties or obligations of planning boards in individual municipalities. The area of jurisdiction of a regional planning commission shall include the areas of the respective municipalities within the delineated planning region. It shall be the duty of a regional planning commission to prepare a comprehensive master plan for the development of the region within its jurisdiction, including the commission's recommendations, among other things, for the use of land within the region; for the general location, extent, type of use, and character of highways, major streets, intersections, parking lots, railroads, aircraft landing areas, waterways and bridges, and other means of transportation, communication, and other purposes; including a consideration of habitat strongholds as defined in RSA 207:1, XIII-a and wildlife corridors as defined in RSA 207:1, XXXVI; for the development, extent, and general location of parks, playgrounds, shore front developments, parkways, and other public reservations and recreation areas; for the location, type, and character of public buildings, schools, community centers, and other public property; and for the improvement, redevelopment, rehabilitation, or conservation of residential, business, industrial and other areas; including the development of programs for the modernization and coordination of buildings, housing, zoning and subdivision regulations of municipalities and their enforcement on a coordinated and unified basis. A regional planning commission may authorize its employees or consultants to render assistance on local planning problems to any municipality or county which is not a member of said regional planning commission. The cost of such assistance shall be paid entirely by the municipality or county to which the service is rendered or partly by said municipality or county and partly by any gift, grant, or contribution which may be available for such work or by combination thereof. Said commission shall keep a strict account of the cost of such assistance and shall provide such municipality or county with an itemized statement.
II. For the purpose of assisting municipalities in complying with RSA 674:2, III(l), each regional planning commission shall compile a regional housing needs assessment, which shall include an assessment of the regional need for housing for persons and families of all levels of income. The regional housing needs assessment shall be updated every 5 years and made available to all municipalities in the planning region.
III. In preparing a comprehensive plan for the development of the region within its jurisdiction, each regional planning commission may use the framework for the state's comprehensive development plan in RSA 9-A:1, III as the basis for its plan. Such plan shall be updated every 5 years or sooner if desired by the regional planning commission. Prior to its adoption, the plan shall be distributed to every library, planning board, and board of selectmen/aldermen/city council in each of the communities within the region, and to the division of planning and community development. The regional planning commission shall address in writing all comments received prior to the publication of a final draft. A public hearing shall be held by the regional planning commission with 30 days' notice published in all newspapers of general circulation in the region, and shall state where the document can be viewed, the time and place of the public hearing, and shall allow for written comments. For each regional plan, the division of planning and community development shall offer comments as to its consistency with the state plan. The first regional development plans affected by this statute shall be adopted within 5 years of the effective date of this paragraph and renewed at least every 5 years thereafter.
IV. Regional planning commissions shall make a good faith effort to inform and respond to their local communities regarding the purposes and progress of their work in developing the regional development plan.

Source. 1969, 324:1. 1988, 270:2, eff. July 1, 1988. 2002, 178:6, eff. July 14, 2002; 229:8, eff. July 1, 2002. 2003, 319:9, eff. July 1, 2003. 2004, 257:44, eff. July 1, 2004. 2017, 156:64, eff. July 1, 2017. 2021, 91:198, eff. July 1, 2021. 2026, 190:6, eff. Aug. 18, 2026; 337:3, eff. Sept. 13, 2026.