NH Zoning Atlas Tutorial
The following provides an overview of the NH Zoning Atlas interactive viewer. Scroll down to learn more about the viewer's functionality.
When you first launch the NH Zoning Atlas, you will be greeted with a splash screen that provides some background on the project and a statement that the data is for informational purposes only, and should not be relied on for legal matters. Clicking the acknowledgement checkbox on the lower left, and then clicking the 'OK' button will dismiss the screen and should prevent you from seeing it again on the same browser.
Next you will be presented with some informational text on navigating the NH Zoning Atlas. The arrows at the lower left and right corners will cycle through the three information panels. Clicking the 'x' in the upper right, or clicking anywhere outside the text box will close the box and bring you to the interactive map.
You will now see the full NH Zoning Atlas interactive map viewer. The colors on the map represent the primary use allowed in each zoning district: Orange is for Primarily Residential - these are districts that may allow some incidental commercial use, but are mainly residentially zoned districts. Yellow is for Mixed with Residential - these are districts that allow for commercial or industrial uses while also permitting residential development in some form. Purple is for Nonresidential districts - these are districts that are exclusively zoned for commercial, industrial, conservation or agricultural uses. Finally the blueish gray represents Non-Buildable Areas which are permanently protected lands and water and/or wetlands of 10 acres or greater.
Clicking anywhere on the state will bring up a pop-up box. The box will include information about the jurisdiction you clicked on, including the name and the county and regional planning district where the jurisdiction is located. There is a breakdown of how the buildable area of the town is zoned (residential, mixed-use and non-residential) as well as the percentage of non-buildable area (permanently protected lands and water/wetlands of 10+ acres).
There is also a breakdown of allowed residential housing types (1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5+-family) as well as links to the jurisdiction's zoning code, subdivision regulations and site plan regulations, where available. The dates listed are when each of those regulations was last updated.
Using the arrows at the bottom of the window where it says '1 of X' will allow you to see detailed information about the particular zoning district(s) that were clicked on (depending on how far out you are zoomed clicking on the map may select multiple adjacent districts). The zoning district window provides the name of the district, whether each type of residential use is allowed, prohibited or prohibited unless restricted by age or income. Below are the details of the district which include all the coded regulation on dimensional requirements, density, parking, ADUs, and others. Use the scrollbar in the window to see all the information available.
Aside from just clicking on the map, there are many ways to interact with the NH Zoning Atlas viewer.
On the upper left of the map you see some tools. The '+' and '-' will allow you to zoom in and out on the map. If you have a scroll-wheel mouse you can also use the wheel to zoom in and out. Using a keyboard, Shift and Plus (+) will zoom in, while Shift and Minus (-) will zoom out. Clicking the house icon will bring the map back to the full original extent.
You can also zoom to a specific jurisdiction by entering the jurisdiction name in the search box. As you type the name, suggested matches will appear. Clicking the suggested match twice will zoom the map to that jurisdiction.
You can also search for a specific address using the magnifying glass icon in the upper right. Clicking the icon will open a search box where you can enter a street address.
The search box visible when clicking the magnifying glass icon in the upper right of the map
On the left side of the viewer are a series of filters which allow you to visualize different zoning impacts. The top set of filters allows you to see where different housing types are allowed, from single-family to 5+ family. Using the filters individually will show you where each is allowed, while selecting multiple filters will show where those combinations of housing type are allowed.
As noted in the introduction text box in the viewer, depending on your internet connection and/or system memory, you may need to zoom in or out to see a change when a filter is applied.
The next set of filters allows you to see where detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are allowed, while the next two toggles show where Multifamily is limited by Age Restrictions or Affordable Housing restrictions. These three toggles should be used independently and not in conjunction with one another.
The next filter is for Manufactured Housing. Using the dropdown menu you can see how each district regulates manufactured housing, whether it is allowed only in manufactured housing parks, only on individual lots, allowed in both parks and on individual lots, or if manufactured housing is prohibited in the district. Remember to turn the toggle switch on to see the results of each selection.
The final set of filters allows you to view where certain size lots are allowed/required by entering your own parameters. For example, if you wanted to see where small lot single-family is allowed, you can enter values of 0 for the minimum acres in 1-Family Lot Size Selection and 1 in the maximum and then click Apply. Another example is where large lots are required for single-family development - using a range of 10 to 100 will show those districts that require single-family homes to be placed on lots of at least 10 acres. Similar inquiries can be done for 2-Family and 5+-Family. 3- and 4-Family were not included for simplicity and as those two treatments tend to be very similar to 5+-Family. You can use the circular arrow at the bottom to reset the acreage filters.
You are now ready to use NH Zoning Atlas viewer - which is available here .
You can learn more about the project, including some of the initial findings, in the Visual Summary.
