Title XVIII, Fish and Game

No person under the age of 18 shall operate any OHRV within this state without wearing protective headgear which meets or exceeds the specifications of FMVSS 218.

I. No person shall operate an OHRV unless it is equipped with: (a) At least one, but not more than 2 headlights, all in working order, when operating at any time during the period from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise. (b) One or more rear taillights, all in worki…

No state agency, municipality, or other governmental entity shall sell or transfer ownership of, in whole or in parts, a 3-wheeled ATV designed or marketed for use as an off highway recreational vehicle.

I. With bylaws or ordinances city or town councils and boards of selectmen may regulate the operation of OHRVs within city or town limits, providing they do not conflict with provisions of this chapter. I-a. (a) Any municipality that enacts an ordinance or bylaw under paragraph I…

I. The provisions of this chapter shall be enforced by all duly authorized representatives of the department of fish and game and by every police and law enforcement officer including, but not limited to, members of the state police, sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, policemen, and cons…

The commissioner of the department of natural and cultural resources may designate employees of the bureau as forest and park patrol officers. The chief supervisor appointed under RSA 215-A:16, II and the forest and park patrol officers shall have the authority of peace officers …

I. The court or justice of any court in which a complaint for a violation of any law or any rule adopted pursuant to RSA 541-A, brought by a conservation officer of the New Hampshire fish and game department, is prosecuted shall remit the amount of any fine or forfeiture paid pur…

I. (a) Unless otherwise provided, any person who violates this chapter or any rule relating thereto shall be guilty of a violation. In addition thereto, the operator or owner or both of any OHRV shall be responsible and held accountable: (1) To the owner of any lands where trees,…

There shall be established in the division of parks and recreation of the department of natural and cultural resources a bureau of trails. The chief supervisor of the bureau shall report directly to the director of the division of parks and recreation.

No person shall carry on an OHRV, or a trailer towed by same, any firearms unless said firearm is unloaded. This section shall not apply to law enforcement officers carrying firearms in the course of duty or to pistols or revolvers carried by any person who is not prohibited from…

I. Registration of an OHRV or snowmobile does not constitute a license to operate said vehicle on private land. Any person operating an OHRV upon the land of another shall stop and identify himself upon the request of the landowner or his duly authorized representative and, if re…

Any person registering for operation under this chapter any 3-wheeled ATV as an off highway recreational vehicle is encouraged to receive adequate training and education in the safe operation of 3-wheeled ATVs. The New Hampshire fish and game department may provide a suitable ATV…

I. A person who conveys to another the ownership of his registered OHRV may register in his name another OHRV for the remainder of that registration year, at a reduced rate of $17.50, provided that the reverse side of the registration form is completely filled out and submitted t…

The original white registration certificate shall be returned to an OHRV registration agent completed on the reverse side with the probable date lost; the reason the decals or plates are missing, specifying, for example, lost, destroyed, or stolen; and the signature of the owner.…

A registration certificate which is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed may be replaced by a duplicate registration, upon payment of a fee of $5 and completion of an affidavit setting forth the circumstances of the loss or destruction of the registration. The duplicate registra…

The fees to be collected under this chapter are as follows: I. Individual resident registration- $72 for each 2-wheeled trail bike registration or $81 for each other OHRV registration upon presentation of a valid driver's license issued to a New Hampshire resident 18 years of age…

All OHRVs operated in this state by the federal government, the state, or any political subdivision of the state shall be exempt from registration fees; however, such vehicles shall be registered with a permanent plate or set of plates and a certificate, in such a manner as may b…

I. Any person who is in the business of selling OHRVs shall be required to be licensed as a dealer with the executive director. The executive director shall assign a distinguishing number to the dealer and issue appropriate plates. The dealer may use the plates for pleasure purpo…

The fish and game department shall provide to OHRV and snowmobile dealers and rental agents a disclosure statement to inform buyers and renters of OHRVs of the laws and penalties relative to OHRV operation, including but not limited to, the need for permission to operate on the p…

I. An OHRV not registered for highway use which is registered in Vermont, Maine, or Quebec shall be deemed to be properly registered for the purposes of this chapter if it is registered in accordance with the laws of the state or province in which it is registered, but only to th…

I. All provisions, including the penalties, suspensions, and prohibitions of the New Hampshire financial responsibility law, and the provisions of statutes relative to the operation of a motor vehicle, shall apply to an OHRV being operated upon a public highway. I-a. The operator…

I. No person shall operate an OHRV on land not owned or leased by such person or such person's parent, grandparent, or guardian unless such person: (a) If under 14 years of age, is accompanied at all times by a person at least 18 years of age who has met the conditions of subpara…

I. The bureau shall have the responsibility to provide coordination between the department of natural and cultural resources, division of forests and lands, the fish and game department, and the department of transportation, with respect to matters pertaining to OHRVs and snowmob…

The commissioner of the department of natural and cultural resources, as a member of the bureau of trails, shall adopt rules under RSA 541-A relative to: I. [Repealed.] II. The use and control of OHRV trails, facilities, and lands under bureau control or lease; III. Complete and …

I. The commissioner of the department of natural and cultural resources, after notice and hearing pursuant to RSA 541-A, may impose an administrative fine not to exceed $250 for each offense upon any person who violates any provision of the department's administrative rules. Rehe…

Notwithstanding any conservation easement provisions or other contracts, laws, or rules to the contrary, all existing OHRV trails on the Connecticut Lakes headwaters working forest property shall remain open through the second Monday in October, which is Columbus Day.

I. Any person, organization or corporation who wishes to operate or to promote any snow traveling vehicle or OHRV or snowmobile event or contest involving the use of unregistered snowmobiles or unregistered OHRVs shall procure a permit from the executive director. The application…

All trails under the jurisdiction of the department of natural and cultural resources so far as possible and consistent with their primary functions, shall be made available for use by OHRVs subject to the fees, and rules as established by the directors of the division of parks a…

I. Except as provided in RSA 215-A:9 and RSA 215-A:10, the executive director is authorized to adopt and amend pursuant to RSA 541-A such rules and administrative procedures which are consistent with the provisions of this chapter relative to OHRVs that he deems necessary or advi…

I. The executive director shall report annually to the registrar of vital records pursuant to RSA 5-C:2 on any deaths or injuries occurring in the state related to the operation of OHRVs and snowmobiles. II. The executive director shall administer snowmobile or OHRV safety traini…

If any person shall wilfully or maliciously deface, destroy, remove, obstruct, alter or otherwise tamper with any trail sign, marker, posting, or other fixed monument along any trail or on anyone's property, upon conviction he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Further, said perso…

I. An owner may post all or any portion of his land against use by an OHRV. Such notices may read "SNOW TRAVELING VEHICLES PROHIBITED" or "OHRVs PROHIBITED" or may have in lieu of these words an appropriate sign with the designated symbol of sufficient size to be readable at a di…

Any OHRV or trail bike, as defined by RSA 215-A:1, V and XIV, respectively, which is also registered for use on the highways of the state shall comply with all OHRV requirements concerning safety equipment, sound emission levels, spark arrestors as well as all other requirements …

For OHRVs or trail bikes registered for use on the highway, directional flashers shall not be required unless said vehicle had this equipment installed as original equipment by the manufacturer.

OHRVs or trail bikes with knobby pattern tires, which have been registered for highway use, shall be permitted on all highways within the state except interstate highways.

For any trail bike registered for use on the highways, a high and low beam headlight shall not be required unless said vehicle had this equipment installed as original equipment by the manufacturer. This section shall not affect the requirements of RSA 215-A:14, I(a).

For any trail bike registered for use on highways, a speedometer and odometer shall not be required unless said vehicle had this equipment installed as original equipment by the manufacturer.

The use of any frozen surface of any public body of water by the owner or operator of any OHRV, shall be done at their own risk; and any accident resulting shall not be a legal responsibility of any town, city, or the state. The executive director may, in the interest of public s…

No person shall operate any OHRV in excess of 35 miles per hour during night hours, on the frozen surface of Back Lake in the town of Pittsburg. As used in this section, "night hours" means the hours between 1/2 hour after sunset and 1/2 hour before sunrise. Any person who violat…

The commissioner of the department of natural and cultural resources shall ensure that all sources of funding of the bureau of trails are reflected in the operating budget documents submitted by the department.

I. The general court declares it to be in the public interest to balance the demand for ATV and trail bike trails on state lands: (a) With other, non-motorized recreational trail uses; (b) Potentially conflicting management goals for state lands; and (c) Protection of wildlife an…

I. No ATV or trail bike trail shall be established after the effective date of this paragraph or subsequently maintained on state-owned property unless all of the following conditions are met: (a) The property has been evaluated by the bureau in cooperation with the department of…

Any new ATV or trail bike trail proposal on state-owned property shall be evaluated by the department of natural and cultural resources using a 2-step process. I. The new ATV or trail bike trail proposal shall be considered to have passed the initial screening process if the foll…

I. No person shall operate an OHRV on any portion of the Rockingham recreational trail west of Route 28 when it is not snow-covered. II. No person shall use the parking lot at the Windham depot along the Rockingham recreational trail during the period from 1/2 hour after sunset t…

I. Commission Established. There is established a commission to study the use of OHRVs in New Hampshire. II. Membership and Compensation. The members of the commission shall be as follows: (a) Four members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of …

The executive director shall, no later than September 1, 2025, establish any procedures that may be necessary to enable the online payment of both initial and renewal registration fees required or imposed under this chapter.