New Hampshire Free Public Records Directory

New Hampshire has the highest percentage of timberland by area of any state; its northern third, known as the Great North Woods, is all forest. South of the Great North Woods, the White Mountains are also forested and are the home of Mount Washington, the highest mountain in the northeastern U.S. at 6,288 feet. The mountains give New Hampshire its nickname: The Granite State. The next region to the south is the Lakes Region, where the town of Wolfeboro claims to be the nation’s first resort town. To the east is an 18-mile stretch of Atlantic Ocean beaches. All of these attractions help to make tourism the mainstay of New Hampshire’s economy.

Manufacturing – especially textiles and shoes – were New Hampshire’s original economic base, when mills lined the state’s many rivers to take advantage of water power. Those industries have declined and been replaced by high-tech manufacturing. Logging, another of the state’s original industries, remains important. Residents enjoy a high standard of living, with the highest level of economic opportunity, the lowest poverty rate, and the seventh highest median household income. The southwestern corner of the state, away from the ski mountains and other tourist meccas, is home to most industry and to the state’s largest city, Manchester.

The first English settlement in New Hampshire was in 1623. One of the original 13 colonies, New Hampshire became the first to formally declare its independence from the Crown and the ninth state to sign the Unites States Constitution. Today, New Hampshire is part of New England and is bordered by Vermont on the west, Massachusetts on the south, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec on the north. It is the 46th largest state, with the 41st largest population, making it the 21st most densely populated state. Its capital is Concord. The climate is humid continental, with warm summers and long, cold winters. Although proximity to the Atlantic Ocean helps moderate the climate in the southeast, most of the state experiences much colder winters. Winter can be severe in the mountains, where the summit of Mount Washington (which can be reached by car in summer) claims the “World’s Worst Weather” title. Across the state, average temperatures range from lows in the single digits to highs in the low 80s.

New Hampshire has 10 counties. Except for a few small and sparsely-populated unincorporated areas, all of the state’s land area is occupied by its cities and towns. Most of the towns use a town meeting form of government, typical of the other New England states. Larger towns and cities use a council- mayor or council-manager system. New Hampshire public records may be found by visiting our directory below of all types, including court records, death records, and record search websites.

Abbreviation	NE
Capital	Concord
Population	1,342,795 (2017 est.)
Area size	9,349 sq. mi
Demonym	Granite Stater
Primary languages spoken	English
Governor	Chris Sununu
Lieutenant Governor	Chuck Morse
U.S. Senators	Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan
U.S. House Delegation	2 Democrats
Time Zone	Eastern: UTC −5/−4

*The map and data in the table are from Wikipedia.

Browse by Public Record Category

There are two types of public records: 1) personal public records that document major life milestones such as birth certificates, death certificates, divorce records, and marriage records, etc.; and 2) government records that are made public such as property tax records, recorded land records, voter records, crime data, jail inmate records, and court records. The Freedom of Information Act is a national law that releases government agency public records and makes it possible to view most public records. Since there are a multitude of records available, it can be difficult to know how or where to access them.

New Hampshire’s first public records act, the New Hampshire Right to Know Law, was enacted in 1967. It has a broad definition of “governmental records” and includes both physical and electronic records. However, it contains many exemptions, including the governor’s office, and has no enforcement mechanism except through the courts.

When you are ready to start your search, you’ll find our Public Records Directory website easy to use since all of the records can be searched by federal, state, county, city, town, or type of record. The links provided will connect you to the best website for the record search, provide details about the record, or provide contact information for those records without search capabilities.