Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-06
5 of New Hampshire's 10 counties — 50% — have no county-wide zoning. That is the 31st-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Grafton County (83/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.
Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 1042 counties nationwide → New Hampshire: owner-builder → New Hampshire: no minimum home size → Full New Hampshire profile →
From the New Hampshire guide
County-wide zoning is absent in 5 New Hampshire counties: Grafton County, Carroll County, Sullivan County, Cheshire County and Belknap County.5 Another 5 have county zoning: Coos County, Hillsborough County, Merrimack County, Strafford County and Rockingham County.9 See the no-zoning county list.
State law lets a county adopt zoning only for its unincorporated towns and unorganized places, while towns divide themselves into districts with different rules.2510 Lot size, setbacks, lot coverage and building height are therefore set by the district, with no statewide number.26272829
Subdividing also runs through the town: a planning board regulates subdivision only where the municipality has authorized it.30 Ask the town planning office for the parcel's district before you buy.
From the New Hampshire guide, written from the cited official sources and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: confirm with the office before you buy or build.
5 of 10 New Hampshire counties · sorted by Index score
Zoning in New Hampshire is a municipal (town) function; Grafton County has no county-level zoning (only Coos County holds zoning authority over unincorporated places).
NH Municipal Association: The State of Local Land Use Regulations in New Hampshire ↗The county does not administer zoning; in New Hampshire zoning is a municipal (town) function and Carroll County has no planning/zoning department.
Carroll County, NH - Departments ↗A Sullivan County zoning ordinance applying countywide or to county-administered land-use areas. The official county plan was signed March 19, 2021; no later county zoning ordin…
Sullivan County Housing and Community Development Plan ↗Cheshire County has no zoning or planning department and exercises no zoning authority; zoning is a municipal (town) function in New Hampshire.
Cheshire County, NH - Departments ↗Belknap County exercises no zoning authority; zoning is a municipal (town) function in New Hampshire and the county has no planning or zoning department.
Belknap County, NH - Departments ↗Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the New Hampshire state page for all 10 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.
Off-grid gear
Building on land in one of these New Hampshire counties? The kit we'd start with:
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General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
