NH Administrative Rules for Public Comment

The Department welcomes and encourages public involvement at various stages of the rulemaking process, including during a rule's development. Pursuant to RSA 541-A, the ARU schedules and facilitates a public hearing and written comment period for all proposed rulemaking actions, including amending, readopting, repealing a rule and when proposing a new rule. Through public input the Department gains a better understanding of how its rules affect the citizens and businesses of New Hampshire.

At the start of the public comment period, for each proposed rule, the ARU posts on this Web site a copy of the Rulemaking Notice Form and the Initial Proposal. Following the public comment period, the ARU posts a copy of the Final Proposal of each rule, which reflects any changes made to the text as a result of public comments received.

Recently Adopted Administrative Rules

When a proposed rule is approved by the Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (JLCAR) and adopted by the Department, the ARU prepares a certified copy of the rule in collaboration with the Office of Legislative Services, which is the office that is responsible for posting the official version of the rule on their Web site. Depending on the effective date of the rule, and the length of the certification process, recently adopted rules may be posted to the Web site. Note that the Adopted Rules posted here are for information purposes only and may be subject to editorial changes before being considered the "official" version. All official versions of DHHS rules are located at the New Hampshire Office of Legislative Services Web site.