Hillsborough County, NH Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Counties in New Hampshire do not regulate dogs - all enforcement is municipal under state statute. RSA 466:1 (Licensing) requires that 'every owner or keeper of a dog 4 months old or over shall annually, cause it to be registered, numbered, described, and licensed for one year' with the town or city clerk where the dog is kept. The license tag must show the town name, year, and registration number. RSA 466:13 imposes a $25 forfeiture for failure to license, escalating to district court fines up to $50. RSA 466:30-a (Dog Control Law) declares it 'unlawful for any dog to run at large, except when accompanied by the owner or custodian,' and defines 'at large' as off the owner's premises and not under reasonable control. RSA 466:31 sets out conditions making a dog a nuisance, menace, or vicious dog - including running at large, excessive barking, growling or snapping at people, chasing motor vehicles, and biting or attacking persons or animals. RSA 466:31-a provides civil forfeitures: $200 for a first menace offense, $400 for a second; $400 plus medical bills for a first vicious offense, and $1,000 plus medical bills for any subsequent vicious offense. Within Hillsborough County: Manchester Code Chapter 90 (Animals), Section 90.12, prohibits any owner or keeper of any dog, licensed or unlicensed, from permitting that dog to run at large within the city; a dog is 'at large' if on a public street, sidewalk, parking lot, or right-of-way and not actually on a leash or chain or in a carrier in the possession of a person of sufficient strength and age to restrain it. Manchester also requires annual licensing through the City Clerk under Chapter 90. Nashua Code Chapter 93 (Animals), administered through the Nashua City Clerk and Animal Control, requires dog licensing and prohibits running at large with parallel rules. Smaller towns in Hillsborough County (Bedford, Merrimack, Hudson, Goffstown, Milford, Amherst, Hollis, etc.) follow the same statewide RSA 466 framework, with each town clerk administering licenses and animal control or police enforcing leash rules.