Title III, Towns, Cities, Village Districts, and Unincorporated Places

Any person who violates a regulation established under RSA 41:11 or 41:11-a, and for which no penalty is otherwise provided under title XXI pertaining to motor vehicles, shall be guilty of a violation.

The selectmen may establish regulations relative to businesses obtaining municipal permits. Any person who violates a regulation established under this section shall be guilty of a violation.

I. The local governing body may establish regulations restricting the use of water from private wells or public water systems for outdoor lawn watering when administrative agencies of the state or federal government have designated the region as being under a declared state or co…

The selectmen may remove from office any collector of taxes, town clerk, or any treasurer, who, in their judgment, has become insane or otherwise incapacitated to discharge the duties of the office. They may proceed without notice in any case arising under this section.

At the close of each fiscal year the selectmen shall make a report to the town, giving a particular account of all their financial transactions during the year, and of the financial condition of the town at the close of the year, including a schedule of all its assets and liabili…

The selectmen shall cause their report, and those of other town officers required by law to make reports, to be published in pamphlet form at the expense of the town and make the same available to the voters of said town at least 7 days prior to the date of the annual meeting.

I. If adopted in accordance with RSA 41:14-c, the select board shall have the authority to acquire or sell land, buildings, or both, and to demolish or otherwise dispose of buildings, provided, however, they shall first submit any such proposed acquisition, sale, demolition, or d…

If adopted in accordance with RSA 41:14-c, in towns with 10,000 or more inhabitants, the selectmen shall have the authority to establish, and amend town ordinances and codes after they hold 2 public hearings at least 10 but not more than 21 days apart on the establishment or amen…

I. Towns may adopt the provisions of RSA 41:14-a at any duly warned meeting. Once adopted, these provisions shall remain in effect until specifically rescinded by the town at any duly warned meeting. II. Towns with 10,000 or more inhabitants may adopt the provisions of RSA 41:14-…

The property tax rates of cities and towns shall be set in accordance with the provisions of RSA 21-J:34-37.

Every town at the annual meeting shall choose, by ballot, a town clerk, who shall record all votes passed by the town while she or he remains in office, and discharge all the duties of the office according to law. The position of town clerk shall be elected regardless of the form…

I. At any annual town meeting under an article in the warrant, the voters may vote to determine if they are in favor of having a 3-year term for town clerk. The governing body will determine whether the vote will be by official ballot or by special ballot. If the town has adopted…

The governing body may institute proceedings to remove a town clerk from office whenever, upon examination by the department of revenue administration, a certified public accountant, or a public accountant licensed by the state under RSA 309-A, the accounts are found to contain a…

If the town clerk shall be absent from any town business meeting and there is no deputy clerk to act in his stead, the town shall choose by unofficial ballot by majority vote a town clerk pro tempore who shall be sworn and shall perform all the duties of the town clerk for that b…

Each town may have a deputy town clerk who shall be qualified in the same manner as the town clerk and who shall perform all the duties of the town clerk in case of his or her absence by sickness, resignation, or otherwise subject to the provisions of RSA 669:65. A deputy town cl…

Every town clerk, after the annual elections, shall report the names and post office addresses of each town officer required to be reported to the commissioner of revenue administration. The commissioner shall adopt rules under RSA 541-A stating the title of each town officer to …

In addition to the officers which towns are hereinafter required to elect at the annual meeting, any town may choose one or more collectors of taxes, agents, overseers of public welfare, constables, police chiefs or other police officers, and every other officer who may be direct…

I. At any annual town meeting under an article in the warrant, the voters may vote to determine if they are in favor of having a 3-year term for a tax collector. The governing body shall determine whether the vote will be by official ballot or by special ballot. If the town has a…

Any town may, at any annual meeting under an article in the warrant for the meeting, elect a board of assessors of 3 members, by a majority vote of the legal voters present and voting at the meeting.

Upon written petition of not less than 2 percent of the legal voters of any town, addressed and delivered to the selectmen not later than 35 days before any annual meeting, the following question, as requested in the application, shall be submitted to the voters at the meeting: "…

Whenever the selectmen of a town shall receive a petition under the provisions of RSA 41:2-d, they shall post notice of a public hearing to be held in said town, and printed in a newspaper of general circulation within said town, for a discussion of the proposed change in town as…

A town which has voted to adopt the provisions of this chapter may rescind its action in the same manner, and the provisions of RSA 41:2-d of this chapter so far as applicable apply. The question "Are you in favor of eliminating the board of assessors as elected officers?" shall …

The assessors, however elected, shall constitute a Board of Assessors for the town, who shall perform all the duties relative to taking the inventory and the appraisal of property for taxation, and in regard to the assessment and abatement of taxes and issuing warrants for the co…

The selectmen shall forthwith deliver to the chairman of the elected board of assessors, all warrants for the assessment of state and county taxes which may be addressed to them, and all certified copies of the votes of school districts for raising district taxes which may be del…

If a town votes to adopt the provisions of this subdivision, the change shall not take effect until the first annual town meeting following the meeting upon which the questions were acted upon. At the next annual meeting following the meeting where action was taken, the town shal…

He shall, within 30 days after the annual town meeting, report to the assistant state librarian the name of any public library within the city or town; the names and post-office addresses of all the officers of each; the town, person or persons in whom the ownership of said libra…

For the purposes of this chapter, every library regularly open to the public, or to some portion of the public, with or without limitations, shall be considered a public library, whether its ownership is vested in the town, in a corporation, in an organized association, or in ind…

The chairmen of boards of selectmen, of school boards, village commissioners, and all other public officers of a town organization shall promptly supply the town clerk of their respective places of office with 2 copies of any report made by them and printed, and such city or town…

Any town clerk or other public officer, or the officer or owner of any public library, failing to comply with the foregoing provisions of this subdivision, shall be guilty of a violation.

The town clerk shall furnish, to any person requesting it and tendering pay therefor, an attested copy of any public record in his custody; and for neglect or refusal to do so he shall be guilty of a violation.

I. Town clerks shall be entitled to a minimum fee of $2 for recording a bill of conditional sale, a personal property mortgage or for a copy of any public records in his or her custody except copies of vital statistics, for recording writs of attachment, discharging a mortgage on…

Every town, except those towns that have voted to appoint a town treasurer under RSA 41:26-e, shall choose a treasurer by ballot at the annual meeting.

I. At any annual town meeting under an article in the warrant, the voters may vote to determine if they are in favor of having a 3-year term for the elected town treasurer. The governing body shall determine whether the vote will be by official ballot or by special ballot. If the…

The governing body may institute proceedings to remove the elected treasurer from office whenever, upon examination by the department of revenue administration, a certified public accountant, or a public accountant licensed by the state under RSA 309-B, the accounts are found to …

Any town may, under an article in the warrant for the annual town meeting, vote to authorize the appointment rather than the election of a town treasurer. Such appointment shall be made in accordance with RSA 669:17-d by either the board of selectmen, or in the case of a town ope…

If any town, at the annual meeting, shall fail to elect a treasurer and fail to adopt the provisions of RSA 41:26-e, it shall be the duty of the selectmen to appoint a treasurer within 6 days thereafter, to hold office during their pleasure or until another is chosen or appointed…

I. The town treasurer shall have custody of all moneys belonging to the town, and shall pay out the same only as follows: (a) Upon orders of the selectmen in a public meeting or by a noncontemporaneously signed manifest signed by a majority of the board; or, (b) In the case of a …

Each town may have a deputy treasurer who shall be qualified in the same manner as the town treasurer and who shall perform all the duties of the town treasurer in case of the treasurer's absence by sickness, resignation, or otherwise. A deputy treasurer shall be appointed by the…

All town officers shall continue in office until the next annual meeting and until others shall be chosen or appointed and qualified in their stead, except in cases where the law otherwise directs. If a board of officers is balloted for and one or more of them are chosen the term…

Town notes shall be signed by a majority of the selectmen and countersigned by the treasurer.

Financial audits play a fundamentally vital role in helping to preserve the integrity of the public finance functions and by maintaining citizens' confidence in their elected leaders. Properly performed audits provide independent assurance that financial information presented is …

Any municipality that has not hired an auditor under RSA 21-J:19 shall, at the annual meeting, under an article in the warrant, choose one or more auditors. The terms of office shall be staggered so that after the year of adoption one auditor shall be chosen for a term of office …

I. All municipalities shall annually, or more often as necessary, conduct an audit of the accounts of any officer or agent handling funds of the municipality. Elected auditors conducting such audits shall follow audit procedures in rules adopted by the commissioner pursuant to RS…

I. A complete report of any audit or procedure conducted under RSA 41:31-c shall, upon completion, be made available to the public in accordance with RSA 21-J:19. II. Unless otherwise required by law, within 10 days of the acceptance by the governing body of any completed audit, …

Any town may, under an article in the warrant for the annual town meeting vote to elect a board of 2 or more auditors for the terms as herein provided. The terms of office shall be staggered so that after the year of adoption one auditor shall be chosen for a term of office for t…

Each town, at the annual meeting, may determine the rate or amount of compensation to be allowed the collector of taxes for his services. Such compensation may be based upon statutory fees, a fixed compensation in lieu of statutory fees, a fixed compensation and statutory fees, o…