Title XXI, Motor Vehicles

"Imminent hazard" shall mean the existence of a condition that presents a substantial likelihood that death, serious illness, severe personal injury, or a substantial endangerment to health, property, or the environment may occur before the reasonably foreseeable completion date …

"Implement of husbandry" shall mean equipment designed or adapted and used exclusively for agricultural, horticultural, forestry, or livestock operations, for which use on a public way is incidental to its intended function. "Implement of husbandry" shall include a self-propelled…

"Intersecting way" shall mean any way which joins another at an angle, whether it crosses the other or not.

"IRP" shall mean the multi-jurisdictional commercial vehicle registration proration plan known as the international registration plan.

"Judgment" shall mean any judgment which shall have become final, rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction of any state, or of the United States.

"Junk motor vehicle dealer" shall mean any person or firm who has an established place of business at which he is engaged in the business of buying secondhand motor vehicles for the purpose of taking the same apart, or buying and selling parts of secondhand motor vehicles, or tir…

"License" shall mean any driver's license or any other license or permit to drive a vehicle issued under the laws of this state or a reciprocating state including: I. Any temporary or learner's permit; II. The privilege of an unlicensed person to learn to drive a motor vehicle as…

"Lienholder" shall mean a person holding a security interest in a vehicle.

"Light industrial use" shall mean manufacturing and distribution of products for wholesale or retail use where the operation includes the need for access to contiguous or nearby warehouses, showrooms, construction sites, or manufacturing facilities including crossing a way or por…

"Automobile utility trailer" shall mean any trailer suitable for towing by a passenger automobile or pick-up truck, and which is being towed by such vehicle for the purpose of hauling personal property intrastate or interstate; excepting such trailers when hauling livestock.

"Auto wholesale dealer" shall mean any person with an established place of business, who is exclusively engaged in the business of purchasing vehicles requiring registration for use upon a way, for resale to a retail or wholesale dealer. For the purposes of this definition, "excl…

"Light truck" shall mean any motor truck having no more than 2 axles.

"Maker's list price," as used in RSA 261:153 and 261:154, in the case of motor vehicles of foreign manufacture, shall mean the advertised port of entry retail list price, less the manufacturer's motor vehicle excise tax imposed by the United States if said motor vehicle excise ta…

"Manufacturer," as used in the provisions of RSA 261 relative to registration, shall mean every person engaged in the business of constructing or assembling vehicles of a type required to be registered hereunder at an established place of business in this state.

"Manufacturer's or importer's certificate of origin" shall mean the original written instrument or document required to be executed and delivered by the manufacturer to his agent or dealer, or a person purchasing direct from the manufacturer, certifying the origin of the vehicle.

"Metal tire" shall mean every tire the surface of which in contact with the highway is wholly or partly of metal or other hard, nonresilient material.

"Mobile carrier" means an electrically powered device that: I. Is operated on sidewalks and crosswalks and is intended primarily for transporting property. II. Weighs less than 80 pounds, excluding cargo. III. Has a maximum speed of 12.5 miles per hour. IV. Is equipped with a tec…

"Mobile service garage" shall mean a vehicle, whether motorized or non-motorized, designed specifically for the purpose of servicing motor vehicles and that: I. Contains an automotive lift, rated for at least 9,000 pounds, as an integral part of the vehicle. II. Meets all applica…

"Moped" shall mean a motor-driven cycle whose speed attainable in one mile is 30 miles per hour or less; if an internal combustion engine is used, the piston displacement shall not exceed 50 cubic centimeters and the power-drive system shall not require the operator to shift gear…

"Motor fuel" shall mean all products used in an internal combustion engine for the generation of power to propel motor vehicles or mechanical contrivances on or over the ways of this state.

"Motor home" shall mean a self-propelled, completely self-contained vehicle that includes the conveniences of a home, including cooking, sleeping, and permanent sanitary facilities, and a driver's seat that is accessible in a walking position from the living quarters.

"Motor fuel equivalent gallon" means the volume of alternative fuel it takes to equal the energy content of one gallon of gasoline or special fuel. The commissioner of safety shall adopt in rules under RSA 260:57 the applicable conversion rates for motor fuel equivalent gallons f…

"Motor truck" shall mean any truck of greater than 26,000 pounds manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating, or any motor vehicle equipped with other than pneumatic tires. The commissioner of safety may adopt rules under RSA 541-A to alter this weight limit to conform with federa…

"Bicycle" shall mean every pedalled vehicle propelled by human power upon which any person may ride, except child's tricycles and similar devices. The term shall include "electric bicycle."

"Biodiesel" means a renewable special fuel that is composed of mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids, is derived from vegetable oils or animal fats, and meets the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifications D6751.

"Motor vehicle" shall mean: I. Except where otherwise specified in this title, any self-propelled vehicle not operated exclusively on stationary tracks, including ski area vehicles; II. As used in RSA 261:148 relative to municipal permits for registration, includes all trailers a…

"Motor vehicle business" shall mean a business which is principally engaged in one or more of the following activities: buying, selling, or exchanging motor vehicles requiring registration for use upon a way, motor vehicle mechanical service, motor vehicle collision repair servic…

"Motor vehicle liability policy" shall mean a policy of liability insurance which provides: I. Indemnity for or protection to the insured and any person responsible to the insured for the operation of the insured's motor vehicle, trailer, or semi-trailer who has obtained possessi…

"Motor vehicle master key" shall mean: I. A key which may or may not be one of a set of similar keys, each key being made to operate a series or group of locks of the total lock series or group, the key or keys being constructed to take advantage of unplanned construction similar…

"Motorcycle" shall mean every motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than 3 wheels in contact with the ground, but excluding electric bicycles, tractors, and mopeds. The term shall also include 3-wheel scooters with enclo…

"Motorcycle driver" shall mean any person who drives a motorcycle.

"Motor-driven cycle" shall mean any motorcycle or motor scooter with a motor which produces not to exceed 5 horse-power, and any bicycle with motor attached except any electric bicycle.

"Muffler" shall mean a device consisting of a series of chambers or baffleplates or other mechanical design for the purpose of receiving exhaust gases and effectively reducing noise.

"Next of kin" shall mean the spouse, child, parent, stepparent, sibling, or legal guardian of the individual in question.

"Neighborhood electric vehicle" shall mean any 4-wheeled electric vehicle that has a maximum speed which is greater than 20 miles per hour but not greater than 25 miles per hour, and which complies with the federal safety standards established in 49 CFR section 571.500.

"Nonresident" shall mean: I. Except as provided in paragraph II, any person whose legal residence is in some state, district or country other than New Hampshire, but a nonresident, having a regular abode or place of business within the state for more than 6 months in any year, sh…

"Nonresident CDL" shall mean a document issued by the department which authorizes a driver to drive a class of motor vehicle. The certificate shall be issued in accordance with the standards contained in 49 CFR 383.

"Number plate" shall mean the sign or marker furnished by the director, on which is displayed the registration number or mark of a vehicle assigned thereto by the director, which shall bear on the face thereof a permanent or changeable designation of the effective period.

"Number plate scanning device" or "LPR" means a license plate reading device that is mounted to a vehicle, that is attended to and operated by a law enforcement officer, and that uses automated high speed camera and optical character recognition technology to passively read, inst…

"Off highway recreational vehicle" shall mean any mechanically propelled vehicle used for pleasure or recreational purposes running on rubber tires, tracks, or cushion of air and dependent on the ground or surface for travel, or other unimproved terrain whether covered by ice or …

"Open road tolling lane" shall mean any lane on a toll road so designated by a traffic control device or lane control system at which certain vehicles equipped with transponder devices for the payment of tolls are permitted to travel at highway speeds without reducing speed or st…

"Bus" shall mean every motor vehicle designed for carrying more than 10 passengers and used for transportation of persons; and every motor vehicle, other than a taxicab, designed and used for the transportation of persons for compensation.

"OHRV" shall mean an off highway recreational vehicle.

"Out-of-service order" shall mean a declaration by the Federal Highway Administration or an authorized local, state or federal enforcement officer, or an enforcement officer from the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Canada, or Mexico, that a driver, or a commercial motor vehicle, or …

"Owner" shall mean: I. For purposes of the provisions of this title relative to registration, any person holding title to a vehicle, or having exclusive right to the use thereof for a period of greater than 30 days; II. [Repealed.] III. For purposes of the provisions of this titl…