New Hampshire is neither a "Texas/California-style brand-new 2024-2026 statute" state nor a "New York-style settlement-only" state — it falls into a third, real category: NH was already one of roughly 18 U.S. states (per NAR's own tally) whose state law required a written buyer agency agreement well before the NAR settlement. This pre-existing requirement comes from RSA 331-A (the NH Real Estate Practice Act) and its implementing administrative rule, N.H. Admin. Code Rea 404.04 ("Brokerage Contracts"), which has required a signed written contract before a broker/salesperson acts on behalf of a buyer since at least the late 1980s/1990s, with the current version last readopted in 2017. No new NH bill (2024, 2025, or 2026 session) has been passed creating a standalone "buyer representation agreement law" analogous to Texas's SB 1968 (eff. Jan 1, 2026) or California's AB 2992. Instead, what changed for New Hampshire in 2024 was an additional, separate layer: the national NAR settlement's MLS Participant Rule, effective August 17, 2024 nationwide (enforced locally through PrimeMLS, NH's REALTOR-affiliated MLS), which added new mandatory compensation-disclosure content to whatever written buyer agreement NH law already required. NHAR (NH REALTORS) issued new/revised standard forms effective July 15, 2024 to help members comply. So the accurate legal picture for NH is: pre-existing state statute/rule (written agreement required) + national settlement/MLS rule (specific new disclosure content required, layered on top) — not a new state statute created in response to the settlement.
RSA 331-A (New Hampshire Real Estate Practice Act) — specifically RSA 331-A:25-c (Buyer Agent; Duties) and RSA 331-A:25-e (Duty of a Designated Agent), implemented via N.H. Admin. Code Rea 404.04 (Brokerage Contracts) — effective New Hampshire's own written-buyer-agreement requirement is not new legislation — it stems from long-standing state law/rule (RSA 331-A and Admin. Code Rea 404.04, with Rea 404.04 last substantively readopted effective June 18, 2017, expiring June 18, 2027; earlier amendments in 1989, 1993, 2000, 2007, 2009). Separately, the NATIONAL NAR settlement's MLS Participant Rule took effect August 17, 2024 (nationwide, including NH's PrimeMLS), layering additional compensation-disclosure requirements on top. NHAR rolled out updated/new standard forms effective July 15, 2024 to help members comply ahead of the August 17 deadline.
Facts on this page reflect research current as of 2026-07-05. Programs, rates, and laws change — confirm current figures with the relevant state agency before relying on them.