Storm contractor rules in New Hampshire: home solicitation sales that alter property, consumer protection and penalties
New Hampshire's retail selling chapter gives a buyer until midnight of the third business day to cancel a home solicitation sale of goods or services priced at US$150.00 or more, and it speaks to the case where the seller has already done work that physically altered the buyer's property. This page restates those sections and the consumer protection chapter as the General Court publishes them, read on October 9, 2026.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The wider picture is on the storm contractor rules page. Every row is statute text. The sections read name no tree work, set no emergency price limit and set no contractor licence. No official page on a state licence for tree work or on a storm price limit was found for this page on October 9, 2026, which is different from saying none exists.
The sections in one table
| Section | What it says |
|---|---|
| RSA 361-B:1, definition | A home solicitation sale is a sale of goods or services priced at US$150.00 or more, where the seller or someone acting for the seller solicits and sells anywhere other than the seller's permanent place of business. A cash or credit sale made that way counts |
| RSA 361-B:2, I, the notice | At the time of the sale the seller furnishes a completed receipt and a copy of any contract. It shows the seller's name and address and the date, and carries next to the buyer's signature space, in boldface type of at least 10 points, a statement that any buyer may cancel until midnight of the third business day after the date of the transaction |
| RSA 361-B:2, I, how to cancel | The buyer may cancel by mailing written notice to the seller, with certified or registered mail preferred, or by returning the merchandise in person within the period. A contract that carries the cancellation form of the Federal Trade Commission door-to-door sales rule is deemed to comply if it gives at least equal information |
| RSA 361-B:2, I(b) | After a cancellation the seller must return, within 15 days, any payments, any trade-in goods or a sum equal to the trade-in allowance, and any note or other evidence of indebtedness |
| RSA 361-B:2, I(b-1), work already done | If the seller has performed services or work that physically altered the buyer's property within the cancellation period, the buyer is entitled to a refund of all funds transferred, and the seller may not deduct the value of the services or work. Where the property can reasonably be restored to its original condition, the buyer may instead demand full restoration |
| RSA 361-B:2, II and V | A seller who does not comply within the 15 days is deemed in violation of the section. If a seller makes no effort to recover goods within 90 days after the sale, the goods become the buyer's property without further obligation |
| RSA 361-B:2-a, disclosure | A person who offers a consumer good or service and states a post office box, a mail-receipt street address or an answering-service number in advertising must disclose the legal name under which business is done, a street address from which business is actually conducted, and a telephone number for inquiries and complaints. The disclosure is not required of a person who provides services under a licence or the authority of a state board or agency, or a city, town or county in the state, if the licensing body keeps the person's street or home address on record and gives it out on request |
| RSA 361-B:3, remedies | A violation of the chapter is an unfair or deceptive act or practice under RSA 358-A:2, and the remedies of RSA 358-A may be used to enforce it |
| RSA 358-A:2, acts unlawful | Unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in trade or commerce in the state are unlawful. The listed acts include claiming a sponsorship, approval, status, affiliation or connection that the person lacks, advertising goods or services with no intent to sell them as advertised, and false statements about price reductions |
| RSA 358-A:4, enforcement | The consumer protection and antitrust bureau of the Department of Justice administers the chapter. The Attorney General may seek an injunction and restitution, and the court may award the state civil penalties of up to US$10,000.00 for each violation. A good faith misunderstanding of the chapter is an affirmative defense to the penalties |
| RSA 358-A:10, private actions | A person injured by an unlawful act may bring an action for damages and equitable relief. Recovery is actual damages or US$1,000.00, whichever is greater. For a willful or knowing violation the court awards as much as three times, but not less than two times, that amount. A prevailing plaintiff is awarded costs and reasonable attorney's fees |
Where the home solicitation rule meets tree work
The definition covers services as well as goods, with a US$150.00 floor and no limit to residences in its wording: it speaks of any place other than the seller's permanent place of business. The text has no emergency exception: the waiver for an urgent request that appears in several other states is not in the sections read. The rule on work that has already altered the property bars the seller from deducting the value of that work from a refund. How a particular storm job fits is a question for the New Hampshire Department of Justice.
What is not in these sections
The home solicitation sections set no price cap and mention no declared emergency. The consumer protection chapter lists unlawful practices without a price test tied to a storm. For how other places treat tree work, see contractor licences for tree work. The scam warnings that attorneys general issue after storms are on the storm tree scams page.
Sources
- New Hampshire General Court, RSA 361-B:1, Home solicitation sale definition, read October 9, 2026
- New Hampshire General Court, RSA 361-B:2, Notice of the right to cancel, read October 9, 2026
- New Hampshire General Court, RSA 361-B:2-a and 361-B:3, Disclosure and remedies, read October 9, 2026
- New Hampshire General Court, RSA 358-A:2, Acts unlawful, read October 9, 2026
- New Hampshire General Court, RSA 358-A:4 and 358-A:10, Enforcement and private actions, read October 9, 2026
- New Hampshire General Court, RSA 358-A:4, Administration and enforcement, read October 9, 2026
- New Hampshire General Court, RSA 361-B:2-a, Disclosure of business identity, read October 9, 2026