New Hampshire Court Rules (2026)
We publish 11 sets of New Hampshire court rules, totaling 921 rules. New Hampshire runs a ruleset per court rather than one compilation, and two facts drive everything: the Supreme Court is the state's only appellate court, and the Superior Court is the only forum in the state for a jury trial — so choosing the forum chooses the jury. Rule 7 splits appeals into mandatory and discretionary, each with its own form, and misclassifying the appeal is the newcomer error. Coverage runs from the Superior Court's plain-language civil rules and the statewide Rules of Criminal Procedure — which govern the Superior Court and the Circuit Court's District Division alike — through evidence, professional conduct, the three Circuit Court divisions and each court's electronic filing supplement. The committee notes and ABA comments published with the rules are included as notes. Each rule includes the full text, a plain-English summary, committee notes, amendment history, and cross-references to related rules.
New Hampshire Court Rules & Rules of Practice
How this jurisdiction's courts and rules are organized, written for lawyers new to it: the court system, every ruleset a litigator touches, and how a case actually moves. Last verified September 24, 2026. For informational purposes only.
- Court System Overview
- The Ruleset Map
- Civil Litigation Mechanics
- Criminal Practice Mechanics
- Evidence
- Appellate Mechanics
- Rules of Professional Conduct
- Attorney Discipline & Enforcement
- Newcomer Orientation Notes
- Sources & Verification
Rules of the Supreme Court
New Hampshire has no intermediate appellate court, so every appeal goes here. Rule 7 splits appeals into mandatory and discretionary, with different forms for each — misclassifying the appeal is the newcomer error — and the deadline is 30 days from the clerk's written notice. The set also carries attorney discipline under Rules 37 and 37A, admission under Rule 42, and the codes of conduct for judges and for law clerks.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseCircuit Court — District Division Rules
The District Division handles misdemeanors and violations, civil claims up to $25,000, landlord-tenant matters and small claims. Rules 4.1 to 4.13 govern small claims, which are informal, e-filed, and heard without the Rules of Evidence. Two parallel civil series appear here: one for cases filed before the implementation of electronic filing and one for cases filed on or after it.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseCircuit Court — Probate Division Rules
The Probate Division's rules for estates, trusts, adoptions, guardianships, equity matters and involuntary commitments.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseCircuit Court — Family Division Rules
The Family Division's own rules, covering divorce and parenting, support, domestic violence petitions, juvenile delinquency, abuse and neglect, and termination of parental rights.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNew Hampshire Rules of Evidence
FRE-modeled evidence rules with deliberate New Hampshire departures, notably in privileges and character evidence. Rule 702 carries the federal reliability elements; New Hampshire also codifies a Daubert-style standard by statute at RSA 516:29-a, which is a quirk worth knowing.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseRules of the Superior Court
The Superior Court is New Hampshire's court of general jurisdiction and the only forum in the state for a jury trial, civil or criminal. Its civil rules were deliberately rewritten in plain language: Rule 4 establishes one form of action, the appearance and answer are both due 30 days after service, and Rule 5 drives the schedule through a case structuring order. Rule 207 implements the Business and Commercial Dispute Docket.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNew Hampshire Rules of Professional Conduct
Model Rules-based ethics rules, published with the applicable ABA comment alongside New Hampshire's own Ethics Committee comments, both included here as notes. New Hampshire keeps deliberate variations — Rule 1.5 permits naked referral fees — and replaced the ABA Preamble and Scope with its own Statement of Purpose.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseNew Hampshire Rules of Criminal Procedure
A single statewide set governing criminal procedure in BOTH the Superior Court and the Circuit Court–District Division, so felony and misdemeanor practice run on the same rules. Rule 12 sets automatic disclosure regimes for each court with fixed timelines and no motion required.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseSupplemental Rules of the Supreme Court for Electronic Filing
The Supreme Court's e-filing supplement, which has applied to cases commenced on or after August 6, 2018 and covers all Supreme Court case types.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseSupplemental Rules of the Superior Court for Electronic Filing
The Superior Court's e-filing supplement, running separate civil (Rule 1A) and criminal (Rule 1B) series. Criminal e-filing is not available to self-represented filers.
Updated 2026 Edition
BrowseSupplemental Rules of the Circuit Court for Electronic Filing
The Circuit Court's e-filing supplement. E-filing reached the divisions by case type rather than all at once, so which cases it covers is set by administrative order.
Updated 2026 Edition
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