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ADU Rules in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire

13 towns covered · 4 human-verified · Reconciled with the 2025 state law · Last reviewed 2026-09-10
The short answer
Every town in Hillsborough County must allow one ADU — attached or detached — by right on single-family lots.

That's the statewide floor under RSA 674:72, effective July 1, 2025. What differs town to town is the details: size caps, parking, owner-occupancy, and how much of each town's posted ordinance the state law now overrides. Pick your town below for the plain-English breakdown.

Hillsborough County towns

Amherst ✓ Human-verified

Amherst's accessory-apartment ordinance (Zoning §3.5) hasn't been amended since 2016-2019 and hasn't been reconciled to the state's July 2025 ADU law…

Read the full Amherst ADU guide →
Antrim ✓ Human-verified

Yes — Antrim allows 2 by-right ADUs (verified with the town), up to 1,500 sq ft.

Read the full Antrim ADU guide →
Brookline

Brookline's ADU ordinance predates the state's July 2025 law and was never updated to match it — the special-exception/ZBA hearing requirement, the…

Read the full Brookline ADU guide →
Hollis ✓ Human-verified

State law now guarantees one ADU — attached or detached — by right, and while Hollis revised its zoning ordinance in April 2026, Chapter IX.K still…

Read the full Hollis ADU guide →
Hudson

The July 2025 state law overrides Hudson's badly outdated ADU ordinance (last amended in 2019) on four major points: the ordinance still bans…

Read the full Hudson ADU guide →
Litchfield

The July 2025 state law overrides several of Litchfield's ADU rules, which haven't been touched since March 2021: the Planning Board hearing for a…

Read the full Litchfield ADU guide →
Manchester ✓ Human-verified

Manchester rewrote its entire zoning ordinance effective March 1, 2026, and its new ADU rules are unusually well-aligned with the July 2025 state law…

Read the full Manchester ADU guide →
Merrimack

New Hampshire's 2025 ADU law (HB 577) now guarantees one ADU — attached or detached — by right; Merrimack's ordinance, last revised October 2016,…

Read the full Merrimack ADU guide →
Mont Vernon

State law (RSA 674:71-73, effective July 2025) guarantees one ADU by right — Mont Vernon already permits that administratively — but its ordinance,…

Read the full Mont Vernon ADU guide →
Nashua

Nashua's ADU ordinance is one of the most recently updated in the state (Dec. 23, 2025) and is largely aligned with HB 577 — but a few gray areas…

Read the full Nashua ADU guide →
Pelham

Pelham's ADU ordinance was last substantively amended in March 2022 — before the July 2025 state law overhaul — and its CUP-for-every-ADU process,…

Read the full Pelham ADU guide →
Weare

Weare's ADU rule (Zoning §19.1.10, last amended March 2017) still requires a Zoning Board special exception, bans detached ADUs outright, demands two…

Read the full Weare ADU guide →
Windsor

Windsor's zoning hasn't been touched since March 2021 — four years before the state's ADU law changed — so its special-exception process and…

Read the full Windsor ADU guide →

Not sure what your lot allows?

Get a free personalized ADU report for your property in Hillsborough County.

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Learn the statewide law

Wherever a town's rules are stricter than the state floor, the state law controls. Read the full New Hampshire ADU law explainer →

Other counties

Rockingham CountyStrafford CountyMerrimack CountyBelknap CountyCarroll CountyGrafton County
This guide is an independent informational resource, not legal advice; confirm details with your town's planning department before you build.