| Max size | 1,200 sq ftconfirmed with the town |
|---|---|
| Min size | 300 sq ftconfirmed with the town |
| Bedrooms | Up to 2confirmed with the town |
| Type | Attached + limited detachedDetached: in accessory bldg, 150 ft |
| Parking | 1 Spot for ADUconfirmed with the town |
| Owner-occupancy | Requiredin either the ADU or the primary home |
| Short-term rental | Not statedTown regulates STRs separately |
| Utility connection | Tie into the existing electrical connection or choose a separate metersame statewide |
The July 2025 state law (RSA 674:71–73) overrides local ordinance language that conflicts with it — even language a town still has posted. Here's what that means in Meredith:
Meredith's ordinance still makes you go through a Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing (a Special Exception) to add an accessory apartment. As of July 2025, state law entitles you to build one ADU without that hearing — the town cannot require it anymore.
Meredith effectively won't let you put an ADU in a stand-alone backyard cottage unless that building also does double duty as a workshop, garage, etc., and it has to be close to the main house, and you still need a hearing. State law says you get a detached ADU by right, with none of those strings attached.
For a large or averaged-size home, Meredith's 40%-of-combined-area formula lands well above 750 sq ft (fine). But for a smaller principal home, 40% of the combined floor area can mathematically compute to LESS than 750 sq ft — which would violate the state floor. Whether Meredith's ZBA would actually apply the formula that restrictively is untested; flag for a land-use attorney/case-by-case check.
The one extra parking space Meredith requires is itself state-law-compliant (only 1, not 2). But the ordinance reads as if that space must be on your own lot — state law says you get to choose a legally-dedicated off-site spot instead if you prefer.
On a larger rural lot (common in Meredith's Forestry & Conservation or Forestry & Rural districts, which require 10 and 3 acre minimums respectively), a detached garage or barn more than 150 feet from the house could be barred from becoming an ADU under this clause — even though state law's detached-by-right guarantee doesn't carry that limit. Attorney call on how far this dimensional rule can survive HB 577.
Meredith's accessory-apartment rules are unchanged since 2008 and have not been updated to reflect the July 2025 state law. Any point where the town's rule is more restrictive than the state floor above is superseded — a homeowner should assume the state rule controls and be ready to point the Building/Planning Department to RSA 674:71-73.
CONFIRMED WITH THE TOWN (7/21/26) — ADUs allowed: 1; maximum size 1,200 sq ft; minimum size 300 sq ft; up to 2 bedrooms; impact fees: No; parking: 1 Spot for ADU; detached-unit distance rule: The distance between an accessory structure containing an accessory apartment and the nearest point of the enclosed living space of the principal 16 residential structure shall not exceed 150 feet.; setbacks: Most common zone is Forestry/Rural, and Residential. Setbacks for Forestry/Rural (Waterfront) 65' Front, 20' sides, 30' rear. (Non-waterfront) 40' Front and Rear, 30' Sides. Setbacks for Residential (Waterfront) 20' sides, no front and rear. (Non-Waterfront) 30' Front, 20' side, 40' Rear.. Town contact: Angela LaBreque - Sr. Town Planner 603-677-4228.
The accessory apartment shall have a minimum of 300 square feet of net floor area and shall not exceed the lesser of (i) forty percent (40%) of the sum of the net floor area of both the finished dwelling unit and the finished accessory apartment, or (ii) 1,200 square feet.
smoke alarms need to be hard wired into the main house if ADU is within 30’ of the existing structure. If beyond 30’, Bluetooth would suffice.
As of July 1, 2025, RSA 674:71-73 (as amended by HB 577) entitles NH homeowners to build one ADU, attached OR detached, BY RIGHT — no board hearing required — in any district that allows single-family homes. Meredith's zoning ordinance has not caught up. Article III, Section N ('Accessory Apartments,' last amended March 11, 2008; ordinance cover dated March 14, 2023) allows one accessory apartment per lot, attached to the house or inside a qualifying accessory structure, but ONLY through a Special Exception granted by the Zoning Board of Adjustment — it is listed under 'Special Exceptions,' not 'Permitted Uses,' in every district's use table. That is the single biggest gap between what the town's ordinance says and what you're entitled to today: for your one by-right ADU, state law overrides the hearing requirement. Other town rules: minimum 300 sq ft; maximum the lesser of 40% of combined net floor area or 1,200 sq ft (generally more generous than the state's 750-950 sq ft band, though on a small home the percentage formula could compute below 750 sq ft — a cap state law does not allow); max 2 bedrooms; owner must occupy either unit (a requirement state law permits, and the town doesn't dictate which unit); 2 parking spaces for the house plus 1 for the apartment (the single extra ADU space matches the state's cap, but the town's text doesn't mention your state-law right to put that space at a legally dedicated off-site location instead); and a detached apartment must sit within 150 feet of the house and share its structure with some other accessory use (e.g. a garage) — strings the state's unconditional detached-by-right guarantee doesn't carry, so where those conditions are more restrictive than the state floor, state law controls. No familial-relationship requirement, no ban on a separate entrance, and no one-bedroom cap appear anywhere — those points are silent, which favors the homeowner by default. See conflicts[] for full citations, and be ready to point Meredith's Building/Planning Department to RSA 674:71-73 before accepting any of the stricter town-only rules.
Get a free personalized report for your address in Meredith — including where the 2025 law works in your favor.
Get My Free Meredith ADU Report →House Bill 577 (2025) amended RSA 674:72, effective July 1, 2025. Wherever Meredith's ordinance is stricter than this floor, the state law controls. Read the full NH ADU law explainer →
Yes — one ADU is yours by right under the July 2025 state law. Meredith's ordinance still says every accessory apartment needs a Zoning Board of Adjustment Special Exception, but state law now overrides that hearing requirement for your one by-right ADU. Under RSA 674:72 (as amended effective July 1, 2025), one accessory dwelling unit — attached or detached — is allowed by right on single-family lots statewide.
1,200 sq ft — confirmed with the town. State law doesn't let any town cap ADU size below 750 sq ft.
Attached + limited detached (Detached: in accessory bldg, 150 ft). Since July 1, 2025, state law allows detached ADUs by right statewide — town provisions that prohibited them are superseded.
1 Spot for ADU — confirmed with the town. State law caps what any town can require at one additional space, located on- or off-site at the owner's choice.
Required — in either the ADU or the primary home. Where owner-occupancy is required, state law lets the owner choose which unit to live in.