Manchester, NH Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Group threshold
- 3+ people blocking a sidewalk
- Trigger
- Refusing an officer's order to move on
- Governing chapter
- Code §§ 130.01–130.02
- Penalty basis
- Fine per RSA 47:17 (§ 130.99)
Summary
Manchester bans lounging or sleeping on the commons and squares, and bars groups of three or more from blocking a sidewalk after a police order to move on.
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. ('71 Code, § 17-6) Cross reference:
Citation penalties, see § 38.06 § 130.02 OBSTRUCTING PASSAGEWAYS. Three or more persons shall not stand in a group, or near each other, on any foot or sidewalk, so as to obstruct a free passage for foot passengers, and any person or persons obstructing the foot or sidewalks shall move on immediately after a request made by any police officer or watchman. ('71 Code, § 17-5)
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 makes it unlawful to lounge or sleep in or upon any commons or squares, and bars sitting, standing, or lounging in doorways or passageways of a store, office, shop, or dwelling once the owner, tenant, or a police officer has told the person to leave. Section 130.02 targets group obstruction: three or more people cannot stand together on a sidewalk so as to block foot passengers, and anyone obstructing a sidewalk must move on immediately once a police officer or watchman tells them to. Both sections trace to the 1971 Code and sit in the General Offenses chapter enforced citywide by the Manchester Police Department.
Violations & Fines
Violation carries a fine up to the maximum set by RSA 47:17 under the chapter's general penalty section, § 130.99.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be cited just for standing on a Manchester sidewalk?
Is sleeping in a Manchester park or square illegal?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manchester
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Loitering Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle loitering rules.