Hi, I was wondering what the laws are for shooting on your own property in NH is?
Or if there is a website that might help.
Thanks
Or if there is a website that might help.
Thanks
-
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
Shooting on your own property in NH
- Thread starter Maggotlyfe
- Start date
Thank. I am looking foward to moving to NH in the spring!
Oh I was also wondering should I call the local police and ask or just move in and start shooting and hope they dont get called?
The police and people aren't gonna give a crap, one way or another, as long as you are following the required laws to do so.
This ain't MA ya know. People don't call the cops because of a fart in the wind.
MisterHappy
NES Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2009
- Messages
- 28,378
- Likes
- 17,544
The police and people aren't gonna give a crap, one way or another, as long as you are following the required laws to do so.
This ain't MA ya know. People don't call the cops because of a fart in the wind.
This may be true, but:
You're new, and "from away"...letting the neighbors know as a courtesy might be a nice gesture.
A friend who has property that's been in his family since the glaciers pulled back got static from a new neighbor "from away" that was not used to his back-yard shotgun practice. While he's completely within his rights, and has historical precedent on his side, he sometimes accomodates his neighbor, out of
neighborlieness.
It's a tricky sentence to parse:
IOW, if you are not inside a 'compact part of a town', but are within 300 feet of a house, you either need permission from that house's occupant, or permission from the owner of the land you are standing on. If there's no house, and the land isn't posted, no permission required by law (just by politeness).
When I asked a game warden, he agreed that the law permits you to shoot from any part of your land (assuming not in a compact area, the target and backstop are also on your property, safe direction,etc), so even if your neighbor builds a house within X feet of your property line, that does not suddenly make hundreds of square feet of your property unlawful to shoot from. Of course the warden I was talking to is not the officer who would respond if my neighbor was upset by my target practice...
RSA207-3-a said:
IOW, if you are not inside a 'compact part of a town', but are within 300 feet of a house, you either need permission from that house's occupant, or permission from the owner of the land you are standing on. If there's no house, and the land isn't posted, no permission required by law (just by politeness).
When I asked a game warden, he agreed that the law permits you to shoot from any part of your land (assuming not in a compact area, the target and backstop are also on your property, safe direction,etc), so even if your neighbor builds a house within X feet of your property line, that does not suddenly make hundreds of square feet of your property unlawful to shoot from. Of course the warden I was talking to is not the officer who would respond if my neighbor was upset by my target practice...
Yeah, ain't it great? Usually pretty quiet up here, but I step outside on Saturday mornings and it sounds like popcorn popping.Racenet said:
Last edited:
If I feel like plinking away in my backyard, I just grab the .22 with subsonics...neighbors don't care I'm sure if I make some noise, but blowing off a brick or two would get rather tiresome to listen to for the neighbors...if I want to go louder, I just go to a local pit or a range somewhere...
I know that I had a neighbor that was a car nut / dirt track racer and he would rev his engine constantly almost all day on a summer Saturday while he was working on it and it got tiresome after a while...
I know that I had a neighbor that was a car nut / dirt track racer and he would rev his engine constantly almost all day on a summer Saturday while he was working on it and it got tiresome after a while...
Last edited:
See, for me, the part that's difficult to decipher is the "Compact Area" part. Not sure what that means. Is that something you have to figure out for yourself, or is it on the town zoning map or something? I currently have a situation where we have permission from the landowner to shoot. One of the neighbors is probably within 300' of that spot. We may/may not be able to get his permission. But the greater worry is the compact area thing.
namedpipes
NES Member
Go up to post #2 and read parts a, b and c. If your neighborhood doesn't match any of those descriptions, then you aren't in a compact area.
In my town, there is a sign that says 'compact area' as you enter the city center (which is one stop light, the town square, and town hall).
Ask him for permission, or just invite him to join you?
I agree, "compact part" definition is confusing. Safest option is to find a spot where you can shoot from which is 300 feet away from any dwelling, or if there is one dwelling within 300 feet, confirm that it is not is within 300 feet of another dwelling. This ensures there is no chance you are in a compact area.
I agree, "compact part" definition is confusing. Safest option is to find a spot where you can shoot from which is 300 feet away from any dwelling, or if there is one dwelling within 300 feet, confirm that it is not is within 300 feet of another dwelling. This ensures there is no chance you are in a compact area.
Ask him for permission, or just invite him to join you and he won't be calling the local cops, so you won't have to worry about compact area.
Agreed, that would be the best situation. But, this guy has a reputation of not being the easies guy to work with. I don't know if it's true or not. I've only met him once. It's annoying, because this place is pretty far off the road. It just so happens that everybody else is, too. The all have 1/2 mile driveways out there. So, the houses end up clustered a little. PITA.
namedpipes
NES Member
If you have 1/2 mile driveways I don't think you have to worry about being in a compact zone.
Well, that's where the confusion with the definition with that comes in.... According to Google Earth, the proposed spot is about 250+- feet away from the nearest corner of the neighbor's house. If we piss that guy off, it'll piss off the landowner who's land we are using. Then we're done.
Time to invest in suppressors
Is that house part of a cluster/chain of 6 houses, all within 300 feet of each other? If not, then don't worry about compact area.
Just because your shooting spot is legal, doesn't mean you won't piss off the neighbor 250 feet away with your shooting.
I shoot in my yard and I have houses somewhat nearby. Shoot safe, have a solid backstop(shooting down into a hill in my case) and you shouldn't have a problem as long as your neighbors are cool with it. Be respectful of your neighbors, I usually only go out for 15-30 minutes or so at a time. Usually 9mm but I have fired much bigger in the past. I've had an officer come out twice in the last 11+years we've been here and they didn't see any problem - pretty sure some MA transplant neighbors called it in. Often times I can hear someone is already shooting somewhere when I go out or they start shortly after I do. Welcome to NH - be safe and enjoy your new found freedom.
Hi All
I'd like to chime in about this... I once asked a Fish and Game officer about this. The law that Andy in NH referenced (RSAs 207:3-a, 207:3-c, and 644:13) is the one that the Fish and Game officer and I discussed. It is illegal to discharge a firearm in a compact part of a town or city. If you live in a residential neighborhood then your house probably would be considered part of a compact area, unless the properties are so large that the there is more than 100 yards between the residential structures on the properties.
Even if your neighbors do not call the police, I believe that if you were to shoot in your backyard, some officers would consider it a violation of the rules referenced above. I was talking to the game officer because i was wondering if it would be OK to hunt in a compact area with a bow (not a firearm) if I had permission from each of the residents of the compact area. One Fish and Game officer said yes it would be OK (I still have his answer on my voicemail) while another officer that I asked said no it would still be illegal. However, both agreed that discharging a firearm in a compact area would be illegal (i called the officer back who had left me the voicemail). I don't know how this would apply to a self-defense scenario where a home owner is protecting life/limb, but I think for plinking/target shooting, shooting in the compact area, even if it's your property, it would be considered illegal.
Anyway, be careful. I believe shooting a firearm in your own backyard could be interpreted as being illegal, unless you have a lot of land between you and any other neighbor (including part-time neighbors).
My daughter has a friend whose father got in trouble because he was firing a gun in his yard (in a pit with a safe backstop). My daughter said that the dad only got a warning but that the police did tell him that what he was doing was illegal and that he had to stop.
I'd like to chime in about this... I once asked a Fish and Game officer about this. The law that Andy in NH referenced (RSAs 207:3-a, 207:3-c, and 644:13) is the one that the Fish and Game officer and I discussed. It is illegal to discharge a firearm in a compact part of a town or city. If you live in a residential neighborhood then your house probably would be considered part of a compact area, unless the properties are so large that the there is more than 100 yards between the residential structures on the properties.
Even if your neighbors do not call the police, I believe that if you were to shoot in your backyard, some officers would consider it a violation of the rules referenced above. I was talking to the game officer because i was wondering if it would be OK to hunt in a compact area with a bow (not a firearm) if I had permission from each of the residents of the compact area. One Fish and Game officer said yes it would be OK (I still have his answer on my voicemail) while another officer that I asked said no it would still be illegal. However, both agreed that discharging a firearm in a compact area would be illegal (i called the officer back who had left me the voicemail). I don't know how this would apply to a self-defense scenario where a home owner is protecting life/limb, but I think for plinking/target shooting, shooting in the compact area, even if it's your property, it would be considered illegal.
Anyway, be careful. I believe shooting a firearm in your own backyard could be interpreted as being illegal, unless you have a lot of land between you and any other neighbor (including part-time neighbors).
My daughter has a friend whose father got in trouble because he was firing a gun in his yard (in a pit with a safe backstop). My daughter said that the dad only got a warning but that the police did tell him that what he was doing was illegal and that he had to stop.
I've had no issues. However the end of my property line is near large power lines, approximately 300 yards away from my house. One two occasions there were folks shooting underneath the lines and the local PD showed up. Only saw two PD cruisers on my street and on that day, I saw four. No lights or sirens.
Of course, the power line property is owned by NHCOOP or or PSNH or something and the shooters didn't likely have permission from the land owner.
Not sure whatever came of it.
Of course, the power line property is owned by NHCOOP or or PSNH or something and the shooters didn't likely have permission from the land owner.
Not sure whatever came of it.
Penalty for violation is generally a fine of $100 for the first offense
When I step outside on a Saturday morning, it sounds like popcorn popping. Mostly 22 and pistol caliber, but either one of my neighbors has full auto, or I am hearing the police range from several miles away. I know one guy in my town whose neighbors called the cops on him in relation to shooting on his own property. Officer was very polite, suggested that maybe he should limit the skeet shooting sessions to an hour or two. Not because of the law, but just to be neighborly.
The "Compact Part" definition in RSA 644:13 is almost readable. The one clear part is that you can safely assume that if you can stand on your property and be 100 yards from a building (and 5 from a road), that spot is not within a compact part. Now you just need to put the backstop anywhere else it can safely be located on your property.
Cleaning up the blood and gray matter is going to cost more than paying a hundred buck "violation" fine. But we're talking about New Hampshire, LEO isn't going to write you up for a petty "violation" under RSA 644:13 in a one-off self-defense situation!
100 yards between dwellings doesn't really require all that much land. If you have a couple of acres and sufficient space for a range and a safe backstop, you are probably not in a "compact part".
Again, this is NH, towns and town cops can't make up their own rules. If FoF is within the law, he can tell the cops to go pound sand. If his neighbors don't like the noise, maybe should do the polite thing and get a suppressor, or switch to airguns.
When I step outside on a Saturday morning, it sounds like popcorn popping. Mostly 22 and pistol caliber, but either one of my neighbors has full auto, or I am hearing the police range from several miles away. I know one guy in my town whose neighbors called the cops on him in relation to shooting on his own property. Officer was very polite, suggested that maybe he should limit the skeet shooting sessions to an hour or two. Not because of the law, but just to be neighborly.
Last edited:
Even in our neighborhood, which is pretty rural, with all neighbors having 3+ acres, I don't think we meet either the 100 yards to dwellings, or 500 to a road. And we have a 600' driveway. So, the question remains; guess, and try to interpret the law, or take the chance and go ask the cops opinion?
Sometimes better to ask for forgiveness than permission
Google Earth Pro is now free, so you can draw lines between all the houses and determine if your situation fits the criteria of "Any contiguous area containing 6 or more buildings which are used as either part-time or permanent dwellings and the spaces between them where each such building is within 300 feet of at least one of the others, plus a perimeter 300 feet wide around all the buildings in such area.”
I wasn't clear about the law for roads; RSA 207:3-c reads "from within 15 feet of the traveled portion of or across any class I through V highway of the state" (Class VI highways are usually unpaved dirt paths).
Definitely a tough call. You can always ask the cops; then if you don't like their answer, try for a second opinion?
Google Earth Pro is now free, so you can draw lines between all the houses and determine if your situation fits the criteria of "Any contiguous area containing 6 or more buildings which are used as either part-time or permanent dwellings and the spaces between them where each such building is within 300 feet of at least one of the others, plus a perimeter 300 feet wide around all the buildings in such area.”
I understand the part of 6 buildings, all of which within 300 feet of each other and that you must be 300 feet away from any of them to be out of the compact area. My question would be,
"Any contiguous area containing 6 or more buildings which are used as either part-time or permanent dwelling"
The need for a clear definition of the word "building". This is probably the easy part, in the dictionary.
Also, what the definition of "part time " and "permanent " is?
"Part time dwelling " needs to have a minimum time frame. When does it become permanent dwelling. Both of which relate to dwelling. What does it mean to dwell in a building? These questions probably can be answered in residency laws. I believe that in the past I have read that, if the owner or someone with permission from the owner, walks into said building at least once a year, it can be deemed occupied and therefore be a... dwelling. This is questionable part.
If the building is less/under the time frame for part time dwelling , then "not a compact zone"
If the building is not a dwelling, then "not a compact zone"
I am asking these questions, because where do tool sheds, chicken coops, deer blinds, teenage forts, become building and or dwellings? If you sleep through the night in your toolshed once a year does that make it a part time dwelling? Bottom line would be, when does a building become a building, and what does it take for said building to become a part time dwelling. The building part is first , then you dwell in it. All of this would need to be what NH law definitions are used for building and dwelling. I will do some searching on my own. Good Luck and Thank You, A
"Any contiguous area containing 6 or more buildings which are used as either part-time or permanent dwelling"
The need for a clear definition of the word "building". This is probably the easy part, in the dictionary.
Also, what the definition of "part time " and "permanent " is?
"Part time dwelling " needs to have a minimum time frame. When does it become permanent dwelling. Both of which relate to dwelling. What does it mean to dwell in a building? These questions probably can be answered in residency laws. I believe that in the past I have read that, if the owner or someone with permission from the owner, walks into said building at least once a year, it can be deemed occupied and therefore be a... dwelling. This is questionable part.
If the building is less/under the time frame for part time dwelling , then "not a compact zone"
If the building is not a dwelling, then "not a compact zone"
I am asking these questions, because where do tool sheds, chicken coops, deer blinds, teenage forts, become building and or dwellings? If you sleep through the night in your toolshed once a year does that make it a part time dwelling? Bottom line would be, when does a building become a building, and what does it take for said building to become a part time dwelling. The building part is first , then you dwell in it. All of this would need to be what NH law definitions are used for building and dwelling. I will do some searching on my own. Good Luck and Thank You, A
