New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated
Encyclopedia
The New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA) forms the codified law of the state subordinate to the New Hampshire State Constitution.
. The work of updating the previous codification, the Revised Laws (RL) of 1942, was authorized by law in 1953 and was "not intended to change the meaning of the law as it existed on December 31, 1954." The work was done by a New Hampshire Revision Commission, which describes what it did at the start of each volume of the RSA, and was ratified in 1955 by statute.
A predecessor of Thomson West acquired the business of publishing the RSA from Equity Publishing Corp., founded by former governor Meldrim Thomson, Jr.
It was a sore spot with some lawyers that, to purchase law books, they had to do business with the arch-conservative Thomson.
and of the New Hampshire Constitution
are included in the RSA.
The RSA is structured as follows:
Each section of the RSA includes annotations, such as a summary of court cases that were decided based on that section, a list of other cases that cited the section, cross-references to other parts of the RSA, and references to relevant legal publications.
The printed books are reissued occasionally. After each legislative session, pamphlets with cumulative changes to a given volume are issued, to be inserted in a pocket at the rear of the volume. A reissued volume incorporates all such changes.
Disposition tables appear in the printed set and in each set of pamphlets. They let the reader determine the disposition of the previous codification (the RL) and of each enactment of the New Hampshire legislature: where that text was placed in the RSA. In cases where source text was omitted from the RSA (for example, a law that is now obsolete or superseded by another), the disposition tables give the rationale.
Text of the law is the property of the state of New Hampshire, and can be read and searched without the annotations on the state web site. The annotations are value added by Thomson West
.
The numbering of laws becomes obsolete through subsequent work of the legislature. New chapters of law may be added; a new chapter to be located between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 is called Chapter 1-A. Repealed chapters are shown without their former text but with a note that they were repealed. Their chapter numbers will not be reused until the next complete recodification.
In some cases (see the list below), an entire title has been recodified. The chapters of the old title are repealed and new chapters are added at the end as a new title. Single chapters are often recodified and given a number with a suffix such as -A. They replace the entire old chapter. Either recodification technique makes it easier to see the current law in one place, without requiring recodification of parts of the RSA that are changed less frequently.
History
The RSA is a set of law books published by Thomson WestThomson West
West publishes legal, business, and regulatory information in print, and on electronic services such as Westlaw. Since the late 19th century, West has been one of the most prominent publishers of legal materials in the United States...
. The work of updating the previous codification, the Revised Laws (RL) of 1942, was authorized by law in 1953 and was "not intended to change the meaning of the law as it existed on December 31, 1954." The work was done by a New Hampshire Revision Commission, which describes what it did at the start of each volume of the RSA, and was ratified in 1955 by statute.
A predecessor of Thomson West acquired the business of publishing the RSA from Equity Publishing Corp., founded by former governor Meldrim Thomson, Jr.
Meldrim Thomson, Jr.
Meldrim Thomson, Jr. was a Republican who served three terms as Governor of the U.S. state of New Hampshire from 1973 to 1979, during which time he became known as a strong supporter of conservative political values....
It was a sore spot with some lawyers that, to purchase law books, they had to do business with the arch-conservative Thomson.
Contents
The RSA endeavors to collect all the current laws "of a public and general nature" in a single, numbered set. The United States ConstitutionUnited States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
and of the New Hampshire Constitution
New Hampshire Constitution
The Constitution of the State of New Hampshire is the fundamental law of the State of New Hampshire, with which all statute laws must comply. The constitution became effective June 2, 1784, when it replaced the state's constitution of 1776....
are included in the RSA.
The RSA is structured as follows:
- Titles addressing a general topic;
- Chapters; and
- Sections, which may be one or more paragraphs.
Each section of the RSA includes annotations, such as a summary of court cases that were decided based on that section, a list of other cases that cited the section, cross-references to other parts of the RSA, and references to relevant legal publications.
The printed books are reissued occasionally. After each legislative session, pamphlets with cumulative changes to a given volume are issued, to be inserted in a pocket at the rear of the volume. A reissued volume incorporates all such changes.
Disposition tables appear in the printed set and in each set of pamphlets. They let the reader determine the disposition of the previous codification (the RL) and of each enactment of the New Hampshire legislature: where that text was placed in the RSA. In cases where source text was omitted from the RSA (for example, a law that is now obsolete or superseded by another), the disposition tables give the rationale.
Text of the law is the property of the state of New Hampshire, and can be read and searched without the annotations on the state web site. The annotations are value added by Thomson West
Thomson West
West publishes legal, business, and regulatory information in print, and on electronic services such as Westlaw. Since the late 19th century, West has been one of the most prominent publishers of legal materials in the United States...
.
The numbering of laws becomes obsolete through subsequent work of the legislature. New chapters of law may be added; a new chapter to be located between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 is called Chapter 1-A. Repealed chapters are shown without their former text but with a note that they were repealed. Their chapter numbers will not be reused until the next complete recodification.
In some cases (see the list below), an entire title has been recodified. The chapters of the old title are repealed and new chapters are added at the end as a new title. Single chapters are often recodified and given a number with a suffix such as -A. They replace the entire old chapter. Either recodification technique makes it easier to see the current law in one place, without requiring recodification of parts of the RSA that are changed less frequently.
Titles in the RSA
- Title I: The State and Its GovernmentNH RSA Title ITitle I: The State and Its Government, is the collection of New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated which relate to the state's government as a whole...
(RSA Chapters 1-21) - Title II
- Title III: Towns, Cities, Villages and Municipal Places (RSA Chapters 31-53E)NH RSA Title IIINH RSA Title III is the portion of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated having to do with the governance and regulation of Cities, Towns, Villages and Unincorporated Places within the state.-RSA 49 City Managers, Now Regarding Charters:...
- Title IV: Elections(Old) (RSA Chapters 51-70)
- Title V: TaxationNH RSA Title VTitle V of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated is the state of New Hampshire's laws regarding taxation of its citizens on a state level. The laws cannot be more lax than Federal code, and is presumed as de facto at the local level unless more specific, non-conflicting laws are in...
(RSA Chapters 71-90) - Title VI
- Title VII
- Title VIII
- Title IX
- Title X
- Title XI
- Title XII
- Title XIII
- Title XIV
- Title XV
- Title XVI
- Title XVII
- Title XVIII Fish and Game (Chapter 206-215C)
- Title XIX
- Title XX TransportationNH RSA Title XXTitle XX of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated are the state of New Hampshire's laws in regard to transportation. Title XX spans from RSA 228 to 240.-Chapter 236 Highway Regulation, Control and Protection:...
(Chapter 228-240) - Title XXI
- Title XXII
- Title XXIII
- Title XXIV
- Title XXV
- Title XXVI
- Title XXVII
- Title XXVIII
- Title XXIX
- Title XXX Occupations and ProfessionsNH RSA Title XXXTitle XXX of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated has to do with laws and regulations regarding occupations and professions, and how they're practiced within the state...
(Chapters 309-322I) - Title XXXI
- Title XXXII
- Title XXXIII
- Title XXXIV
- Title XXXV
- Title XXXVI
- Title XXXVII
- Title XXXVIII
- Title XXXIX
- Title XL
- Title XLI
- Title XLII
- Title XLIII
- Title XLIV
- Title XLV
- Title XLVI
- Title XLVII
- Title XLVIII
- Title XLIX
- Title L
- Title LI
- Title LII
- Title LIII
- Title LIV
- Title LV
- Title LVI
- Title LVII
- Title LVIII
- Title LIX
- Title LX
- Title LXI
- Title LXII
- Title LXIII:Elections (Current)NH RSA Title LXIIITitle LXIII of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated has addressed election procedure within New Hampshire since the repealment of Title IV.-662:5:RSA 662:5 details State Representative districts in the State of New Hampshire as the following:...
(RSA Chapters 652-671) - Title LXIV