NH House committee rejects property tax incentive for hotel sprinkler installation

Panel votes down bill to make ‘technical’ changes

March 1, 2023

Jeff Feingold,

The House Municipal and County Government Committee has voted to kill a bill that would have enabled enable municipalities to give property tax relief to lodging establishments seeking to add sprinkler systems.

The bill was filed in the wake of the fire last April at the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort in North Conway. The fire wound up destroying the entire south wing of the hotel, and a subsequent investigation found that there were no sprinklers in the wing because it had been built in 1971, before the fire suppression systems were required.

Under the proposed bill, the owner of a qualifying structure that installed the systems would be able to apply for property tax relief for up to a five-year period.

The committee unanimously voted to recommend that the bill was inexpedient to legislate, meaning that it recommends the full House reject the bill. Opponents said the measure required some “technical” work that may be addressed next session.

Categories: Government, News

More news from NHBR:

Rochester looks to block data centers with zoning law. Will it work?

City officials are taking steps they hope will prevent data centers from locating in Rochester.

Turn of the leaf

Supporters of fewer restrictions on cannabis in NH see glimpse of a possible future

CEO: Manchester company a key to success of Patriot missile

A 25-person tech company in Manchester, Vibrac Precision Test Systems, anticipates explosive growth as the United States and Europe move to expand their stockpiles of Patriot defense missiles.

Landfill-siting bill praised and panned

House Bill 707, signed into law by NH Gov. Kelly Ayotte, promotes expanding existing landfills, rather than building new ones, and also establishes a seven-member committee to evaluate landfill sites.

Ayotte’s transportation plan veto raises questions about effect on NH economy

The state’s highway infrastructure is in great need of repair, according to a 2026 independent report that ties the improvements directly to the health of New Hampshire’s economy. Long-term needs are currently underfunded, says TRIP (The Road Information Program), a private, nonprofit organization that researches surface transportation issues across the country.

Health care costs pinch Granite Staters, but not as hard as rest of country

Failure to restore ACA tax cuts will only make things worse, according to U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan

NOAA building at UNH seen as ‘transformative’ for NH

The new building in Durham’s western edge will anchor a 60-acre, mixed-use project of academic, corporate, government, residential and entertainment uses.

Child care and state-owned land updates coming to NH Zoning Atlas

The New Hampshire Zoning Atlas continues to deepen its knowledge and utility with two updates having to do with child care and state-owned property. The child care element seeks to reflect changes to local regulations for both family and center-based care as a result of the latest legislative action on the issue.

Federal and state housing legislation wrestle with affordability crisis

As Granite Staters eye ever-increasing purchase prices for a single-family home, state and federal policy makers wrestle with solutions that create more housing supply. Among them is bipartisan federal legislation on housing that is being held hostage by President Donald Trump’s fixation on a bill that would require voters to provide proof of citizenship with such documents as U.S. passports or birth certificates.