Weird Laws in New Hampshire

Historically, seaweed was a highly prized fertilizer for coastal farmers in New Hampshire. To prevent thieves from sneaking onto beaches under the cover of darkness and stealing this valuable agricultural commodity, a law was passed forbidding the gathering of seaweed from the shore between daylight and daylight.

Under an old city ordinance meant to maintain strict public order, patrons in taverns and cafés are forbidden from tapping their feet, nodding their heads, or otherwise physically keeping time to live music. The law was intended to prevent raucous dancing and boisterous behavior from spontaneously breaking out in polite establishments.

Drunk driving laws in this municipality extend beyond motorized vehicles to include any animal-drawn carriage or ridden livestock. Attempting to navigate a horse through town traffic after leaving the local tavern is treated as a severe traffic hazard and public safety risk.

In the late 19th century, the dairy lobby was terrified that cheap margarine would destroy the butter industry. New Hampshire, along with several other states, passed laws requiring margarine to be dyed an unappetizing color like pink so consumers wouldn't mistake it for real butter. While overturned by the Supreme Court, the legislative ghost of pink butter remains.

During Portsmouth's heyday as a bustling seaport, merchants frequently transported rum, molasses, and fish in heavy wooden barrels. To prevent damage to the city's costly brick sidewalks and to keep pedestrians from being bowled over, rolling casks along the footpaths was outlawed.

Trying to have a secret rendezvous? Think again. New Hampshire law makes it a misdemeanor to register at a hotel, motel, or inn using a fictitious name. This was originally implemented to deter illicit affairs, prostitution, and criminals attempting to hide from the authorities.

A progressive move in the 1970s made it entirely unlawful to charge a fee for the use of a restroom in any public facility. Legislators argued that access to a toilet is a fundamental human necessity, not a luxury to be monetized. Coin-operated bathroom stalls are strictly banned across the state.

If you've had a few too many at the county fair, you are legally barred from getting behind the controls of the Ferris wheel. New Hampshire law specifically outlaws the operation of mechanical carnival rides while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, for obvious safety reasons.

New Hampshire takes its breakfast condiments extremely seriously. It is a strict violation of state agricultural laws to misrepresent imitation pancake syrup as real maple syrup. The law protects the integrity of the state's maple sugar industry from cheap, high-fructose imposters.

New Hampshire's scenic backroads are lined with historical stone walls dating back to the 1700s. Because these walls often serve as legal property boundaries, dismantling them, stealing the rocks for landscaping, or defacing them is considered a specific property crime under state law.

To maintain the pristine, historical aesthetic of the Dartmouth College area, local ordinances forbid residents from stringing up clotheslines or airing out their unmentionables on the public green. The law ensures the town center remains picturesque for tourists and students rather than looking like a laundromat.

While ferrets might make good pets, they are ruthless underground hunters. State law specifically prohibits using ferrets to hunt, catch, or kill any wild bird or animal. This was likely enacted to prevent hunters from unfairly flushing rabbits and rodents out of their burrows.

In Manchester, throwing any object—including a snowball—across a public thoroughfare or at a vehicle is strictly forbidden. While seemingly anti-winter fun, the ordinance was designed to prevent startled horses from bucking and modern drivers from getting into icy accidents.

Protecting the local agricultural economy is serious business. State law expressly forbids any person from driving, bringing, or importing sheep infected with infectious diseases like 'scab' into New Hampshire. Violators could face steep fines and be forced to pay damages to local farmers whose flocks get sick.

Once garbage is placed on the curb for municipal pickup, it belongs to the city. Local ordinances in Dover prohibit unauthorized individuals from rummaging through or removing items from residential trash cans. The law aims to prevent identity theft, littering, and neighborhood disturbances.

Nashua health codes explicitly ban residents from keeping poultry within an apartment building or tenement. As urbanization increased in the early 20th century, city officials had to crack down on recent immigrants and farmers bringing their loud, messy livestock indoors.

In an effort to curb auto theft and joyriding, state traffic laws dictate that you must stop the engine, lock the ignition, and remove the key before walking away from your car. Leaving it running while you pop into a convenience store is technically a violation.

A holdover from historic 'blue laws' that mandated Sunday as a day of rest, auto dealerships in Keene (and much of the state) are forbidden from opening for business on the Sabbath. While most blue laws have been repealed, the auto lobby actually prefers this one, as it gives their sales teams a guaranteed day off.

As technology advances, the state's Fish and Game department has had to adapt. To maintain 'fair chase' ethics in hunting, it is strictly prohibited to use unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to locate, track, or assist in the hunting of moose, deer, or bear in the New Hampshire woods.

Unlike several neighboring New England states, New Hampshire maintains a strict prohibition against first-cousin marriages. The law was historically rooted in genetic concerns and Victorian-era morality, specifically voiding any marriage between individuals related closely by blood.