Description: Legal Authority & SourceThis feature layer is authored from NH RSA Title I, Chapter 1, the first chapter of New Hampshire statutory law, which establishes and governs all land and marine boundaries of the state. The chapter is divided into two functional subdivisions: land boundary perambulation (RSA 1:1–1:13) and marine boundary definitions (RSA 1:14–1:19).Land BoundariesRSA 1:1 — the very first law in the New Hampshire state code — provides that the state's borders with Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont shall be perambulated and the bounds renewed whenever necessary. New Hampshire Municipal AssociationNew Hampshire / Massachusetts Border (Southern): The boundary with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is as established and marked on land under the provisions of 1901, 115:1. The southern boundary generally follows a line running east–west, with its seaward terminus extending 107 degrees East (true) to the outward limits of state jurisdiction as defined in RSA 1:14. New Hampshire GovernmentNew Hampshire GovernmentNew Hampshire / Maine Border (Eastern): The boundary with the state of Maine is as established and marked on land under the provisions of 1947, Chapter 115, extending from Bryant's Rock at East Pond to the Canadian line. The precise marine delineation of this boundary was further refined by the U.S. Supreme Court. New Hampshire GovernmentNew Hampshire / Vermont Border (Western): The boundary with the state of Vermont is as established and marked on land under the provisions of the opinion and associated decrees of the United States Supreme Court in the case of Vermont v. New Hampshire, 290 U.S. 579 (1933). This boundary follows the western bank of the Connecticut River. New Hampshire GovernmentMarine BoundariesThe offshore component of this layer is defined under the marine subdivision of Chapter 1 (RSA 1:14–1:19), enacted in 1973.Extent (RSA 1:14): Subject to lateral marine boundaries, the territorial limits and jurisdiction of New Hampshire extend to and over the marginal sea to its outermost limits, as those limits may be defined or recognized by the United States by international treaty or otherwise. The coastal baseline from which the breadth of the marginal sea is measured is drawn in conformity with the treaties to which the United States is a party, and the marginal sea is three nautical miles in breadth. New Hampshire GovernmentLateral Boundaries (RSA 1:15): The offshore extent of the layer is bounded on the northeast and southeast by legally defined lateral marine boundaries:Adjoining Maine: Beginning at the midpoint of the mouth of the Piscataqua River, the boundary runs southeasterly in a straight line to the midpoint of the mouth of Gosport Harbor at the Isles of Shoals; then follows the center of that harbor easterly and southeasterly, crossing the middle of the breakwater between Cedar Island and Star Island on a course perpendicular thereto, and extending on that course to mean low water; thence 102° East (true) to the outer limits of state jurisdiction. AmericanstatenationalsAdjoining Massachusetts: As defined in Chapter 115, 1901, and thence 107° East (true) to the outward limits of state jurisdiction. New Hampshire GovernmentFishermen's Guidance Line: For the section of the lateral marine boundary between the mouth of the Piscataqua River and the mouth of Gosport Harbor in the Isles of Shoals, the so-called "lights on range" line — a straight-line projection southeasterly to the Isles of Shoals connecting Fort Point Light and Whaleback Light — serves as the prima facie lateral marine boundary for the guidance of fishermen in those waters. New Hampshire GovernmentOwnership (RSA 1:16): Ownership of the waters and submerged lands described in RSA 1:14 and 1:15 is vested in the State of New Hampshire. New Hampshire GovernmentJurisdiction (RSA 1:17): The jurisdiction of the courts of New Hampshire over civil and criminal matters extends to all territory within the marine boundaries of the state, as defined in this subdivision, which has not been previously incorporated into any town, city, or county. Proceedings may be instituted in the district or municipal court closest to where the alleged offense occurred, or in the Superior Court for Rockingham County. JustiaLaw Enforcement Zone (RSA 1:18): The criminal laws and fish and game laws of the state are not applied or enforced easterly of the outer line of the marginal sea until such time as the Governor, by proclamation with the advice and consent of the council, determines that the public interest requires their application and that the state has the capacity to enforce them. New Hampshire GovernmentKey Geographic Features RepresentedBoundary SegmentLegal ReferenceDescriptionSouthern (MA) borderRSA 1:5East–west land boundary to Atlantic, bearing 107° true offshoreEastern (ME) borderRSA 1:6Bryant's Rock to the Canadian lineWestern (VT) borderRSA 1:7Connecticut River western bank per SCOTUS decreeMarine – Seaward LimitRSA 1:143 nautical miles from coastal baselineMarine – NH/ME LateralRSA 1:15(I)Piscataqua R. midpoint → Gosport Harbor → 102° trueMarine – NH/MA LateralRSA 1:15(II)1901 compact line → 107° trueIsles of ShoalsRSA 1:15(I)Included within NH marine jurisdiction
Service Item Id: 1b53e6631066499583b181a49f42eb4e
Copyright Text: New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services