Manchester, NH Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Sit-Lie Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Commons/squares lounging or sleeping
- prohibited outright
- Doorway sit/stand rule
- must leave when asked
- Group sidewalk blocking
- 3+ persons unlawful
- Penalty basis
- fine under RSA 47:17
- Citation authority
- § 38.06
Summary
Manchester bars lounging or sleeping on public commons and sitting in doorways or passageways once told to leave by an owner or police officer.
(A) No person shall lounge or sleep in or upon any of the commons or squares of the city. (B) No person or persons shall sit, stand, or lounge in or about the doors or passageways to any store, office, shop, dwelling house, or other tenement except the owners or tenants thereof, after having been requested by the owner or occupant, or any police officer or watchman, to depart therefrom.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-25: current through Ord. passed 6-3-2025).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 130.01 bars lounging or sleeping in the city's commons and squares outright, and separately bars sitting, standing, or lounging in the doorways or passageways of a store, office, shop, or dwelling once the owner, tenant, or a police officer tells the person to move on. A companion rule, § 130.02, forbids three or more people standing together on a sidewalk in a way that blocks foot passage, requiring the group to move on immediately when a police officer or watchman orders it. Neither section requires bedding or camping gear: staying put after a lawful order to leave is what triggers the violation.
Violations & Fines
Violating either section is punishable under § 130.99 by a fine up to the maximum set by RSA 47:17; officers may issue citations under the city's citation-penalty procedure at § 38.06.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can police make someone leave a doorway in Manchester?
Is sitting on a Manchester sidewalk illegal?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manchester
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