Title XVIII, Fish and Game

The general court of this state hereby ratifies the following compact to become effective at such time as the legislative bodies of any 2 of the eligible states also ratify it. Article I. Purposes The purposes of this compact are to: A. Provide close and effective cooperation and…

The interstate wildlife violators compact is hereby enacted into law and entered into by the State of New Hampshire with any and all states legally joining therein in accordance with its terms. The compact is substantially as follows: ARTICLE I Findings, Declaration of Policy and…

As used in this chapter unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings: I. "Accompanied by," or "accompany" means when a person is within sight and when actual physical direction and control can be effected. II. "…

No person shall engage in the business of guiding, until he has registered with the executive director and procured from him a license so to do.

I. Any person who wishes to become a hunting or fishing guide but who has not completed the written and oral board requirements to become a licensed guide as required in RSA 215:2, may purchase an apprentice guide license. Additional requirements for an individual to qualify for …

I. A person shall not operate a snowmobile on the traveled portions or the plowed snowbanks adjacent to class I, class II, class III, or class III-a highways. II. Notwithstanding any provisions of the law to the contrary, a person may operate a snowmobile on a class I, class II, …

I. A person shall not operate an OHRV on the traveled portions or the plowed snowbanks adjacent to class I, class II, class III, or class III-a highways. II. Notwithstanding any provisions of the law to the contrary, a person may operate an OHRV on a class I, class II, class III,…

I. No person shall operate, sell, or offer for sale an ATV, trail bike, UTV, or any other OHRV which produces total vehicle noise of more than 96 decibels of sound pressure on the "A" scale when measured in accordance with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1287 standard.…

I. The operator or owner of any trail bike, or other OHRV shall, when required by any law enforcement officer, submit his or her vehicle to a sound test conducted according to the applicable provisions of RSA 215-A:12. II. The executive director may adopt sound level limits and t…

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,…

Application for a license shall be made to the chief of the fish and game law enforcement division. The executive director shall prescribe rules and regulations under which such licenses shall be issued. I. Every new applicant applying for a New Hampshire guide's license for the …

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.

I. The bureau of trails, established in RSA 215-A:2, 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 …

The executive director shall furnish a copy of the rules and regulations under which such licenses are issued, with the necessary application form to applicants for license under this chapter. The executive director shall maintain a register of all persons licensed as guides in t…

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 sell, offer to sell, or operate in this state, a snowmobile manufactured after July 1, 1981, unless it meets the minimum safety standards for snowmobile product certification of the Snowmobile Safety and Certification Committee in effect at the time of its manu…

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 operator or owner of any snowmobile shall, when required by any law enforcement officer, submit his or her vehicle to a sound test conducted according to the applicable provisions of RSA 215-C:28. II. The executive director may adopt sound level limits and test procedures …

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

Any licensed guide who violates any provision of this title, or who violates any rule or regulation promulgated by the executive director, or who makes any false statement in his application for a license, or who otherwise, in the judgment of the executive director, is deemed uns…

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 cultural and natural resources, as a member of the bureau of trails, shall adopt rules under RSA 541-A relative to: I. The use and control of snowmobile trails, facilities, and lands under bureau control or lease; II. Complete and specific pr…

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…

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…

I. No person shall operate a snowmobile 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 …