New Hampshire: how to request public records and find local records
Right-to-Know Law, RSA 91-A. Rules below are quoted or closely paraphrased from the linked official text. Last verified 2026-10-17.
Who usually holds what
- Government records (minutes, emails, budgets, permits): Ask the town, city, or state office that keeps the record, under RSA 91-A.
- Deeds and land records: County registries of deeds (10 counties). Records are indexed by owner name, not by street address.
- Birth, marriage and death records (genealogy): Town and city clerks, and the state Division of Vital Records Administration (Concord). Access to recent records is restricted to people with a direct and tangible interest.
- Probate (wills and estates): The Probate Division of the NH Circuit Court. Older estate files may also be at the State Archives.
- Town reports: New Hampshire State Library; online through the UNH Scholars' Repository.
Steps for a records request
- Identify the office that keeps the record (town or city office, county, or state agency). For town records, start with the town clerk or the office named on the town website.
- Describe the records you want as specifically as you can (type, date range, subject). You do not have to cite the law or give a reason, according to a clerk training document, but a written request makes the timeline easy to track.
- Note the date the office received it. Use the deadline calculator to mark the fifth business day.
- If the office cannot produce the record right away, expect either the record, a written denial naming the exemption, or a written time estimate and reason for delay.
- If you disagree with a denial or delay, see the remedies below before choosing court or the ombudsman, because choosing one can foreclose the other.
What the law says (with sources)
Every citizen has the right to inspect governmental records in the possession, custody, or control of public bodies and agencies, during regular or business hours, except as otherwise prohibited by statute or RSA 91-A:5. (RSA 91-A:4, I)
Source: NH RSA 91-A:4 · last verified 2026-10-17If a record is immediately available, the agency makes it available. If not, within 5 business days the agency must make the record available, deny the request, or give a written statement of the time reasonably necessary to decide and the reason for the delay, with an itemized cost estimate if a charge applies. (RSA 91-A:4, IV(a)-(b))
Source: NH RSA 91-A:4 · last verified 2026-10-17A denial in whole or in part must come with a written statement of the specific exemption authorizing withholding and a brief explanation of how it applies. (RSA 91-A:4, IV(c))
Source: NH RSA 91-A:4 · last verified 2026-10-17If a copier is used, the agency may charge the actual cost of the copy. No fee may be charged for inspection or delivery without copying, except under paragraph VIII. (RSA 91-A:4, IV(d))
Source: NH RSA 91-A:4 · last verified 2026-10-17A per-electronic-communication charge (not more than $1.00 each) may be made only for requests for electronic communications in excess of 250; there is no charge for the first 250. Agencies must have a policy that includes waiver for indigent requesters or financial hardship, and must waive it for indigent requesters or where disclosure is in the public interest and not primarily commercial (media requesters excepted). Multiple requests to the same body within 30 days count as one request. (RSA 91-A:4, VIII-IX)
Source: NH RSA 91-A:4 · last verified 2026-10-17An agency is not required to compile, cross-reference, or assemble information into a form in which it is not already kept. (RSA 91-A:4, VII)
Source: NH RSA 91-A:4 · last verified 2026-10-17A person aggrieved by a violation may petition the superior court (with or without a lawyer), or instead file a signed written complaint with the Right-to-Know Ombudsman with a $25 fee (waivable for inability to pay). Choosing court forecloses the ombudsman route, and filing with the ombudsman forecloses court until a final ruling or the ruling deadline passes. (RSA 91-A:7, 7-b)
Source: NH RSA 91-A:7-b · last verified 2026-10-17The Secretary of State's page, in a notice dated July 1, 2025, says the Right to Know Ombudsman position was vacant, that no action can be taken on ombudsman filings until it is filled, and that cases may still be filed in superior court. Check the page for current status before filing with the ombudsman.
Source: NH Secretary of State: Right to Know Ombudsman notice (dated July 1, 2025) · last verified 2026-10-17A court shall award reasonable attorney's fees and costs if it finds the lawsuit was necessary to enforce compliance or address a purposeful violation and the agency knew or should have known its conduct violated the chapter; bad-faith violations by an official carry a civil penalty of $250 to $2,000. (RSA 91-A:8)
Source: NH RSA 91-A:8 · last verified 2026-10-17A training document for New Hampshire town clerks states that a request is not required to be in writing, the requester need not cite RSA 91-A, the requester does not have to give a reason, and the law does not require an agency to send records (inspection at the office is the baseline), though agencies may send them. (Training document, excerpt)
Source: NH town-clerk training document on RSA 91-A (nhctca.com) · last verified 2026-10-17The statute page for RSA 91-A:4 lists a 2026 amendment (2026, 206:5, effective Aug. 31, 2026). Read the current text on the linked page before relying on a summary.
Source: NH RSA 91-A:4 · last verified 2026-10-17
Record-by-record guide
Deeds and land records
County registries of deeds (10 counties). Records are indexed by owner name, not by street address.
New Hampshire has ten county registries of deeds: Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Coos, Grafton, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford and Sullivan. See the registry table for the address, phone and hours each office lists.
Source: NHDeeds.org: Other NH Registry Contacts List · last verified 2026-10-17A registry's how-to page says records are indexed by the name of the people to a transaction; if only the property location is known, contact the town or city office where the property is located to learn the owner.
Source: NHDeeds.org Belknap how-to index · last verified 2026-10-17
Birth, marriage and death records (genealogy)
Town and city clerks, and the state Division of Vital Records Administration (Concord). Access to recent records is restricted to people with a direct and tangible interest.
NH vital records are restricted by statute to people with a "direct and tangible interest". Older records are open to genealogical research; the Secretary of State's Access page says births more than 100 years old and deaths, marriages and divorces more than 50 years old are public domain, while its FAQ page says births before 1911 and deaths, marriages and divorces before 1961. The two pages differ, so confirm the current cutoff with the Division.
Source: NH Secretary of State: Access to Vital Records · last verified 2026-10-17The Genealogical Research Center is at 9 Ratification Way, Concord; the FAQ lists hours of 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, with volunteer genealogists available.
Source: NH Secretary of State: Vital Records FAQs · last verified 2026-10-17A search costs $15, which includes the first certified copy if a record is found; additional copies are $10 each. Mail requests: the FAQ says allow 20 business days from receipt.
Source: NH Secretary of State: Vital Records FAQs · last verified 2026-10-17
Probate (wills and estates)
The Probate Division of the NH Circuit Court. Older estate files may also be at the State Archives.
The NH Judicial Branch has a form (NHJB-2941-P) used by the public to request a records search for the Probate Division.
Source: NH Judicial Branch: Probate Estate Administration Records Research and Payment Form (NHJB-2941-P) · last verified 2026-10-17
Town reports
New Hampshire State Library; online through the UNH Scholars' Repository.
The State Library holds a collection of town and city reports for every New Hampshire municipality, dating in most cases to the late 1800s, plus county reports; they are available online through a project with the UNH Scholars' Repository. Towns must send copies under RSA 201-A:18.
Source: NH State Library: Town, City & County Reports · last verified 2026-10-17
Not covered yet
Cemetery records, school records, police and court-docket records, fee schedules for individual towns, and town-by-town contact details are not covered. Ask the town clerk. Details will be added only after they are checked against an official page.