Obligations United States New Hampshire
What a New Hampshire business has to have in writing
New Hampshire has no OSHA state plan for private employers, but it does something few states do: employers with fifteen or more workers must file a written safety program with the Department of Labor and refresh it every two years, and run a joint loss management committee alongside it.
Wage law adds a second paperwork layer, requiring a signed written notice of pay and a written or posted description of every fringe benefit policy. Since January 2025 the New Hampshire Data Privacy Act has applied to larger data handlers, and insurance licensees with twenty or more employees certify a written security program to the Insurance Department each March.
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What applies
New Hampshire rules for a 15–19 person general business
State law only. The federal layer every employer carries sits on the business-type pages below. Each row names what you must write, post, file or certify, who enforces it, and links to the state authority.
Breach Notification 1Who you must tell after a data breach, and how fast
LawProduceWhat it requiresTriggerEnforced by
Notification of Security Breach Required (Right to Privacy)AI-compiledRSA 359-C:19 to 359-C:21Any person doing business in New Hampshire that owns, licenses or maintains computerized data containing personal information about New Hampshire residentsDistribute
Notice
After a breach, run and document a determination of whether misuse of the information has happened or is reasonably likely; if it has, or if the question cannot be answered, notify affected individuals as soon as possible and notify the Attorney General with the expected notice date and the number of residents involved. Regulated entities notify their primary regulator instead. Notify the national consumer reporting agencies when more than 1,000 people are notified.
From the first employee
New Hampshire Attorney General, Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau; private civil action
Consumer Privacy Law 1Rights, notices and assessments for consumer data
LawProduceWhat it requiresTriggerEnforced by
New Hampshire Data Privacy Act (SB 255 of 2024)AI-compiledRSA chapter 507-HBusinesses that conduct business in New Hampshire or target its residents and, in a year, control or process personal data of at least 35,000 consumers (excluding data processed only to complete a payment), or of at least 10,000 consumers while making more than a quarter of gross revenue from selling personal dataWrite
Written policy
Publish a privacy notice listing the categories of personal data processed and shared, the purposes, how to exercise rights and appeal a refusal, and an active contact channel. Get opt-in consent before processing sensitive data, honor access, correction, deletion, portability and opt-out rights including universal opt-out signals within 45 days, run and keep written data protection assessments for targeted advertising, sales, certain profiling and sensitive data, and bind processors by contract.
From the first employee
New Hampshire Attorney General, Data Privacy Unit (exclusive; the 60-day cure period ended December 31, 2025)
Harassment Prevention 1A written policy, and in some states annual training, on harassment
LawProduceWhat it requiresTriggerEnforced by
Sexual harassment prevention duty under the Law Against DiscriminationAI-compiledRSA 354-A:7, VIEmployers with 6 or more employees in New HampshireWrite
Written policy
Take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment: raise the subject with staff, express clear disapproval, set out sanctions, tell employees they have a right to raise harassment and how to do so, and train people to recognize it. New Hampshire does not prescribe a form for this, so employers meet it with a written policy and complaint procedure and the Commission's workplace posters.
6+ employees
New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights; EEOC for parallel federal claims
Workplace Safety Programs 1Written programs the state safety agency requires beyond federal OSHA
LawProduceWhat it requiresTriggerEnforced by
Written safety program and joint loss management committeeAI-compiledRSA 281-A:64; N.H. Admin. R. Lab 600Every employer with 15 or more employees; employers with 5 or more employees must also keep the Department's safety summary form currentWrite
Written program
Prepare a written safety program covering hazard identification, safety rules, training, accident investigation, record keeping and the discipline steps for breaking safety rules, file it with the Labor Commissioner, and review and update it at least every two years. Seat a joint loss management committee with equal numbers of employer and employee representatives that meets at least quarterly and documents its work.
15+ employees
New Hampshire Department of Labor (administrative penalty up to $250 per day)
Insurance Data Security 1The written security program insurance licensees must certify
LawProduceWhat it requiresTriggerEnforced by
Insurance Data Security Law (SB 194 of 2019)AI-compiledRSA chapter 420-PPersons licensed, authorized or registered by the New Hampshire Insurance Department; licensees with fewer than 20 employees, counting independent contractors, are exempt from the security-program dutyCertify
Certification
Maintain a written information security program based on a documented risk assessment, with executive oversight, third-party service provider controls, an incident response plan and an annual report to the board. Investigate cybersecurity events and notify the Commissioner within 3 business days; domestic licensees file a written certification of compliance each year by March 1.
20+ employees
New Hampshire Insurance Department
Required Postings 1The notices every workplace in the state must display
LawProduceWhat it requiresTriggerEnforced by
Mandatory workplace postersAI-compiledRSA 275:49; RSA 275:33; RSA 281-A:6; RSA 354-A:20; RSA 279:21Every New Hampshire employerPost
Posting
Post the Department of Labor's current poster set in every work location: protective legislation, minimum wage, whistleblowers' protection, workers' compensation coverage, youth employment, and the equal pay and wage discussion notice, plus the Commission for Human Rights discrimination posters and the required federal notices.
From the first employee
New Hampshire Department of Labor; New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights
Pay Transparency 1Salary ranges in job posts and pay disclosure on request
LawProduceWhat it requiresTriggerEnforced by
Equal pay and protection for discussing wagesAI-compiledRSA 275:37; RSA 275:41-bEvery New Hampshire employerWrite + ack
Written policy
Do not pay employees of one sex less than another for equal work, and do not require an employee to sign anything or follow a policy that stops them from disclosing or discussing their own wages. Handbook confidentiality and pay-secrecy clauses have to be rewritten to fit, and the Department of Labor equal pay notice must be posted.
From the first employee
New Hampshire Department of Labor; private civil action
Licensing and Certifications 3Registrations, licences and certifications a business or its staff must hold
LawProduceWhat it requiresTriggerEnforced by
Business registration with the Secretary of StateAI-compiledRSA chapter 293-A (corporations); RSA chapter 304-C (LLCs); RSA chapter 349 (trade names)Any corporation, LLC, partnership or nonprofit formed in or doing business in New Hampshire, and sole proprietors trading under a name other than their ownFile
Filing / record
File formation or foreign registration documents through the Secretary of State's QuickStart portal, register a trade name where one is used, appoint a registered agent, and file the annual report by April 1 to stay in good standing. New Hampshire has no general statewide business license, so sector permits are separate.
From the first employee
New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division
Food establishment license and certified food protection managerAI-compiledRSA chapter 143-A; N.H. Admin. R. He-P 2300 (adopting the FDA Food Code)Anyone who manufactures, processes, stores, distributes or serves food in New Hampshire, outside the towns that run their own inspection programsCertify
Certification
Apply to the Food Protection Section for a license before opening, renew it annually, pass inspections, and have at least one certified food protection manager per licensed establishment with the certificate available to the inspector. Written employee health and allergen procedures follow from the adopted Food Code.
From the first employee
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Food Protection Section
Trade and professional licensing (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification)AI-compiledRSA chapter 310; RSA chapter 319-C (electricians); RSA chapter 329-A and 153:27 (plumbers and gas fitters)Electricians, plumbers, gas fitters, alarm installers and the other trades and professions the OPLC boards license; New Hampshire has no general contractor licenseCertify
Certification
Hold the correct OPLC licence before doing the regulated work, renew on the board's cycle, and complete any continuing education the board sets. General building contractors do not need a state licence, but local building permits and trade licences for the sub-trades still apply.
From the first employee
New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification
Other Written Policies 3Any other document the state makes an employer write or hand out
LawProduceWhat it requiresTriggerEnforced by
Written notice of pay rate and written description of employment practices and benefitsAI-compiledRSA 275:49; N.H. Admin. R. Lab 803.03Every New Hampshire employerWrite + ack
Written policy
Give each employee at hire a written notice of the pay rate, pay day, pay place and how wages are calculated, obtain the employee's signature on it, keep the signed copy, and re-issue and re-sign it before any change takes effect. Separately give employees a written or posted description of the policies on paid vacation, holidays, sick leave, bonuses, severance, personal days, expense reimbursement, pension and other benefits, including whether unused time is paid out.
From the first employee
New Hampshire Department of Labor
Employee access to personnel filesAI-compiledRSA 275:56Every New Hampshire employer that keeps personnel filesWrite
Written policy
Let an employee inspect their personnel file on request during normal office hours and provide a copy, and allow the employee to file a written statement of disagreement that stays with any disputed document. Employers need a written records procedure that says what the file holds, who releases it and how long records are kept.
From the first employee
New Hampshire Department of Labor
Youth employment certificates and hour limitsAI-compiledRSA chapter 276-AEvery employer that hires workers under 18File + ack
Filing / record
Keep a signed written parental permission form on file for each employee aged 16 or 17 before the third day of work, obtain a youth employment certificate for workers under 16, follow the state hour and hazardous-occupation limits, and post the youth employment notice.
From the first employee
New Hampshire Department of Labor
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Other states
The same index for another state
Alabama12Alaska12Arizona11Arkansas14California20Colorado18Connecticut17Delaware17District of Columbia12Florida15Georgia13Hawaii16Idaho13Illinois19Indiana16Iowa13Kansas11Kentucky14Louisiana13Maine14Maryland19Massachusetts16Michigan15Minnesota19Mississippi11Missouri12Montana15Nebraska13Nevada18New Jersey19New Mexico13New York17North Carolina12North Dakota13Ohio13Oklahoma11Oregon19Pennsylvania12Rhode Island13South Carolina12South Dakota11Tennessee14Texas15Utah13Vermont17Virginia17Washington21West Virginia14Wisconsin15Wyoming13
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Sources
New Hampshire Department of Justice - Security Breach NotificationsNew Hampshire General Court - RSA 359-C:20New Hampshire General Court - RSA Chapter 359-C table of contentsNew Hampshire Department of Justice - Data Privacy EnforcementNew Hampshire Department of Justice - Data Privacy Act FAQsNew Hampshire General Court - RSA Chapter 507-HNew Hampshire Department of Labor - SafetyNew Hampshire Department of Labor - Guide for Developing a Written Safety Program and Lab 600 RulesNew Hampshire General Court - Lab 600 rulesNew Hampshire Commission for Human Rights - Required PostersNew Hampshire General Court - RSA 354-A:7New Hampshire General Court - RSA Chapter 354-A table of contentsNew Hampshire Insurance Department - Chapter 420-P Insurance Data Security LawNew Hampshire Insurance Department - Bulletin INS 20-013-AB Data Security GuidanceNew Hampshire General Court - RSA Chapter 420-P table of contentsNew Hampshire Department of Labor - Mandatory PostersNew Hampshire Department of Labor - Wages and Work Hours FAQsNew Hampshire General Court - Lab 800 Payment of Wages rulesNew Hampshire General Court - RSA 275:49New Hampshire General Court - RSA 275:56New Hampshire Department of LaborNew Hampshire General Court - RSA 275:41-bNew Hampshire General Court - RSA Chapter 276-ANew Hampshire Secretary of State - Corporation DivisionNew Hampshire General Court - RSA Chapter 293-A table of contentsNew Hampshire Secretary of StateNew Hampshire DHHS - Food ProtectionNew Hampshire DHHS - Food EstablishmentsNew Hampshire DHHS - Certified Food Protection Manager FAQNew Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and CertificationNew Hampshire General Court - RSA Chapter 310 table of contents