The state-level rules every owner and walker in New Hampshire should know. Local leash lengths, licensing and off-leash rules are set by each city — find those on the city pages below.
New Hampshire has one of the broadest strict-liability dog statutes in the country — it names whoever "owns, keeps, or possesses" the dog, covers non-bite injuries, and applies even if the dog was leashed.
New Hampshire (RSA 466:19) has one of the oldest and broadest dog statutes in the country (roots to 1851). It makes the person who owns, keeps, or possesses the dog liable for any damage the dog causes to a person or property — no vicious requirement, no prior history, no knowledge, and no negligence needed. The only statutory carve-out is that there is no recovery if the victim was committing a trespass or other tort. Because it names owns, keeps, or possesses, a walker who possesses or keeps the dog is a named strictly-liable party.
It is genuinely broad. In Bohan v. Ritzo (1996), the NH Supreme Court held liability extends to any injury from a dog's conduct — being knocked down, chased, or frightened into falling (there, a cyclist who flipped his bike) — because nothing in the statute limits it to an actual bite. And it applies even if the dog was leashed or confined — location and restraint do not matter to strict liability.
The defenses are the victim committing a trespass or other tort, and a limited comparative causation rule (Bohan) that applies only if the victim provoked the dog or knowingly put themselves in danger — a higher bar than ordinary comparative negligence. At-large and nuisance rules are in RSA 466:31. The personal-injury limit is three years.
This is general information about New Hampshire law, not legal advice. Confirm current rules with the official state and municipal sources.