New Hampshire Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules
New Hampshire rules on privacy, guests & animals for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: No landlord-specific camera statute, but it is a class A misdemeanor to install or use, without consent, any device to observe, photograph, record, or transmit images or sounds in a private place (which includes the interior of one's dwelling), or from outside a private place to capture… RSA 644:9, I-II; RSA 540-A:3, IV and V-d
The rules in New Hampshire
| Cameras & privacy | No landlord-specific camera statute, but it is a class A misdemeanor to install or use, without consent, any device to observe, photograph, record, or transmit images or sounds in a private place (which includes the interior of one's dwelling), or from outside a private place to capture images, location, movement, or sounds not ordinarily perceptible outside it. A landlord may not enter without the tenant's prior consent except for emergency repairs or under a court order. Visible cameras in common areas are not specifically regulated by state landlord-tenant law; the privacy statute turns on whether the place is one where a person may reasonably expect to be safe from surveillance. |
|---|---|
| Guests & occupants | No statute — lease governs guests and occupancy. A person who is not a tenant, subtenant, or implied tenant may not occupy residential property without permission of the owner, landlord, or agent. No statewide occupancy limit or roommate statute; local codes and fair-housing law limit unreasonable occupancy restrictions. RSA 540-A:3 was amended effective Jan. 1, 2025, Jan. 1, 2026, and Oct. 8, 2026. Source: RSA 540-A:3, IX |
| Service & support animals (state law) | Service animals may accompany their handler or trainer into any housing accommodation. Under state law a service animal performs work or tasks for a person with a disability; providing emotional support, comfort, or companionship does not count. It is a misdemeanor to fit an animal with a vest, harness, sign, or tag representing it as a service animal when it is not, or to impersonate a person with a disability to obtain service-dog accommodations. Disability discrimination in rentals is prohibited by the state fair-housing law. No state statute sets emotional support animal documentation rules or pet-fee limits. Emotional support animals are handled as reasonable-accommodation requests under the federal Fair Housing Act and RSA 354-A. RSA 167-D's 'housing accommodation' excludes owner-occupied single-family homes renting no more than one room. |
Related questions
- Can a landlord put cameras in or around a rental?
- Can a landlord limit overnight guests or roommates?
- Can a landlord deny a service or emotional support animal?
New Hampshire vs. neighboring states
| State | Cameras & privacy | Guests & occupants | Service & support animals (state law) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | No landlord-specific camera statute, but it is a class A misdemeanor to install or use, without consent, any device to observe, photograph, record, or transmit images or sounds in a private place (which includes the interior of one's dwelling), or from outside a private place to capture images, location, movement, or sounds not ordinarily perceptible outside it. A landlord may not enter without the tenant's prior consent except for emergency repairs or under a court order. RSA 644:9, I-II; RSA 540-A:3, IV and V-d | No statute — lease governs guests and occupancy. A person who is not a tenant, subtenant, or implied tenant may not occupy residential property without permission of the owner, landlord, or agent. RSA 540-A:3, IX | Service animals may accompany their handler or trainer into any housing accommodation. Under state law a service animal performs work or tasks for a person with a disability; providing emotional support, comfort, or companionship does not count. It is a misdemeanor to fit an animal with a vest, harness, sign, or tag representing it as a service animal when it is not, or to impersonate a person with a disability to obtain service-dog accommodations. Disability discrimination in rentals is prohibited by the state fair-housing law. No state statute sets emotional support animal documentation rules or pet-fee limits. RSA 167-D:1, 167-D:2, 167-D:4, 167-D:8, 167-D:10; RSA 354-A:10 |
| Maine | No landlord-specific statute. Under the general privacy crime, it is a Class D crime to install or use a device to observe, photograph or record in a 'private place' (such as a bathroom or bedroom) without the consent of those entitled to privacy there. Using a device outside a private place to capture images or sounds from inside that would not normally be visible or audible is also a crime. Intercepting oral or wire communications is a Class C crime unless the person recording is the sender or receiver of the communication. Cameras in common areas aren't specifically regulated. 17-A M.R.S. § 511; 15 M.R.S. §§ 709, 710 | No statute — the lease governs guests, occupancy limits and roommates. Maine's landlord-tenant chapters don't address guest stays or roommate additions. Fair housing law bars discrimination against families with children. 14 M.R.S. ch. 710 (§§ 6021-6030-K checked); 14 M.R.S. § 6027 | Under the Maine Human Rights Act, refusing to allow an assistance animal for a person with a physical or mental disability is unlawful housing discrimination. The only exceptions are if the animal poses a direct threat, would cause substantial property damage, or would substantially interfere with others' enjoyment. The landlord cannot charge a fee or deposit for an assistance animal, but the tenant is liable for damage it causes. Knowingly misrepresenting an animal as a service or assistance animal, including creating or supplying false documents, is a civil violation with a fine of up to $1,000 per occurrence. Landlords are generally not civilly liable for injuries or damage involving a tenant's assistance animal, except for gross negligence, recklessness or intentional misconduct. 5 M.R.S. § 4582-A(3); 17 M.R.S. § 1314-A; 17 M.R.S. § 1312(5); 14 M.R.S. § 6030-G |
| Massachusetts | No landlord-specific statute. Massachusetts is an all-party-consent state: secretly recording a conversation without the prior authority of ALL parties is a crime. It is also a crime to secretly photograph, videotape or electronically surveil someone who is nude or partially nude where they would reasonably expect privacy, without their knowledge and consent. The penalty is up to 2½ years in a house of correction and/or a $5,000 fine. Visible cameras in common areas aren't specifically regulated, but audio recording in those cameras raises wiretap concerns. M.G.L. c. 272, § 99 (definition of 'interception'); c. 272, § 105(b) | No statute on guests versus tenants or roommate rights — the lease governs. The State Sanitary Code sets occupancy limits: at least 150 square feet of habitable floor space for the first occupant and 100 square feet for each additional occupant. Each bedroom needs at least 70 square feet for one person, or 50 square feet per person if shared. 105 CMR 410.420(D); M.G.L. c. 186 and c. 239 (checked) | State fair housing law bans discrimination against tenants because of a disability or because they have a trained dog guide due to blindness or hearing impairment. Landlords must make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies and services when needed for a person with a disability to use and enjoy housing, which covers exceptions to no-pet rules for assistance animals. No state statute sets documentation rules, pet-fee limits, or penalties for misrepresenting an animal in housing. M.G.L. c. 151B, § 4(6), (7), (7A) |
| Vermont | No landlord camera statute, but Vermont's voyeurism law expressly prohibits intentionally conducting surveillance of, or photographing, filming or recording, a person without the person's knowledge and consent while the person is in a place where the person would have a reasonable expectation of privacy within a home or residence. It also bars viewing or recording a person's intimate areas or sexual conduct without consent where privacy is expected. Landlord entry requires consent or at least 48 hours' notice, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., for listed purposes, except in an emergency. 13 V.S.A. § 2605(b)-(d); 9 V.S.A. § 4460 | No statute — no statewide occupancy limit or guest rule; the lease governs. Vermont law allows a landlord to condition or prohibit subleasing in a written lease and to require written notice of any sublessee's name and contact information (without a written lease, the tenant must give that notice). The tenant must ensure persons on the premises with the tenant's consent do not disturb other tenants or damage the premises. 9 V.S.A. § 4456(b)-(c); § 4456b | Vermont fair housing law makes it unlawful to discriminate in renting a dwelling because a person relies on aids such as specially trained animals, or to refuse reasonable accommodations in rules, policies or services needed for a person with a disability to use and enjoy a dwelling. No state statute sets emotional-support-animal documentation rules, pet-fee limits or a housing misrepresentation penalty; federal Fair Housing Act standards govern those questions. 9 V.S.A. § 4503(a)(9)-(10) |
More New Hampshire rental law
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- New Hampshire Section 8, Records & Right to Counsel
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- New Hampshire Subletting, Lease Endings & Tenant Death
- All New Hampshire landlord-tenant rules
- Free legal help in New Hampshire
Compare privacy, guests & animals in all 50 states and DC →
New Hampshire Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules FAQ
Can a landlord put cameras in or around a rental in New Hampshire?
No landlord-specific camera statute, but it is a class A misdemeanor to install or use, without consent, any device to observe, photograph, record, or transmit images or sounds in a private place (which includes the interior of one's dwelling), or from outside a private place to capture images, location, movement, or sounds not ordinarily perceptible outside it. A landlord may not enter without the tenant's prior consent except for emergency repairs or under a court order. (RSA 644:9, I-II; RSA 540-A:3, IV and V-d)
Can a landlord limit guests or roommates in New Hampshire?
No statute — lease governs guests and occupancy. A person who is not a tenant, subtenant, or implied tenant may not occupy residential property without permission of the owner, landlord, or agent. (RSA 540-A:3, IX)
Can a landlord deny a service or emotional support animal in New Hampshire?
Service animals may accompany their handler or trainer into any housing accommodation. Under state law a service animal performs work or tasks for a person with a disability; providing emotional support, comfort, or companionship does not count. It is a misdemeanor to fit an animal with a vest, harness, sign, or tag representing it as a service animal when it is not, or to impersonate a person with a disability to obtain service-dog accommodations. Disability discrimination in rentals is prohibited by the state fair-housing law. No state statute sets emotional support animal documentation rules or pet-fee limits. (RSA 167-D:1, 167-D:2, 167-D:4, 167-D:8, 167-D:10; RSA 354-A:10)
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.