What New Hampshire law says about highway surveillance, cameras, and school bus stop-bar video

This page quotes all of the text of section 236:130 of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA), headed “Highway Surveillance Prohibited.” It covers the section’s definitions, paragraph II, every exception listed in paragraph III (including subparagraph (k), on video recording devices on school bus stop bars), and paragraphs IV and V. It does not apply any of this text to any notice. Confirm what your paper says.

RSA 236:130 is about surveillance as its paragraph I defines it. Its paragraph III(a) refers to surveillance that “Is specifically authorized by statute;” this page does not quote or list any other New Hampshire statute, and it does not say whether any statute authorizes surveillance or cameras. The sources quoted on this page do not say whether any school bus in New Hampshire has a video recording device, and this page does not say that any notice is mailed.

A New Hampshire speeding citation that an officer hands to the driver is a different paper. See What a New Hampshire speeding ticket is.

The RSA text below is quoted from the New Hampshire General Court’s RSA page (gc.nh.gov) as shown in an Internet Archive (Wayback Machine) copy of that page captured on 25 Sep 2026, retrieved on 3 Nov 2026. When the gc.nh.gov page was read on 3 Nov 2026, it showed the same text. Bracketed effective-date notes are quoted as printed. After paragraph V the page shows this source note: “Source. 2006, 107:1. 2007, 335:2, eff. July 16, 2007. 2013, 186:10, eff. Aug. 31, 2013. 2014, 272:1, eff. Sept. 26, 2014. 2022, 338:4, eff. July 25, 2022. 2023, 79:101, eff. July 1, 2023. 2024, 122:1, eff. Sept. 1, 2024; 258:2, eff. Sept. 17, 2024. 2026, 175:2, 3, eff. Sept. 17, 2026.”

What RSA 236:130, paragraphs I to I-e, say about definitions

RSA 236:130, I: “In this subdivision, "surveillance" means the act of determining the ownership of a motor vehicle or the identity of a motor vehicle's occupants on the public ways of the state or its political subdivisions through the use of a camera or other imaging device or any other device, including but not limited to a transponder, cellular telephone, global positioning satellite, or radio frequency identification device, that by itself or in conjunction with other devices or information can be used to determine the ownership of a motor vehicle or the identity of a motor vehicle' s occupants.”

RSA 236:130, I-a (shown after “[Paragraph I-a effective Sept. 17, 2026.]”): “"Stop bar" means a mechanical arm that has a large "STOP" sign attached and flashing lights that extend from the side of a school bus.”

RSA 236:130, I-b (shown after “[Paragraph I-b effective Sept. 17, 2026.]”): “"High resolution camera" means a camera with video recording that can record a person's face with enough clarity to identify them.”

RSA 236:130, I-c (shown after “[Paragraph I-c effective Sept. 17, 2026.]”): “"Video continuity tracking" means a method of digitally embedding a thread into a video to verify that a video has not been altered.”

RSA 236:130, I-d (shown after “[Paragraph I-d effective Sept. 17, 2026.]”): “"School bus driver" means any person driving a school bus.”

RSA 236:130, I-e (shown after “[Paragraph I-e effective Sept. 17, 2026.]”): “"School bus operator" means an entity owning a school bus.”

That is the statute’s statement. Paragraphs I-a to I-e are each shown after a bracketed note that the paragraph is effective Sept. 17, 2026; this page quotes those notes as printed.

What RSA 236:130, paragraph II, says about surveillance on public ways

RSA 236:130, II: “Neither the state of New Hampshire nor its political subdivisions shall engage in surveillance on any public ways of the state or its political subdivisions.”

That is the statute’s statement. Paragraph III, quoted below, states where paragraph II does not apply.

What RSA 236:130, paragraph III(a) to (f), says about where paragraph II does not apply

RSA 236:130, III: “The prohibition set forth in paragraph II shall not apply where surveillance:”

(a) “Is specifically authorized by statute;”
(b) “Is undertaken on a case-by-case basis in the investigation of a particular violation, misdemeanor, or felony;”
(c) “Is undertaken to produce images or data that:”
(c)(1) “Are viewed only at the transportation management center of the department of transportation in connection with a particular incident occurring on a public way; and”
(c)(2) “Are not recorded;”
(d) “Is incidental to the monitoring of a building or other structure under the control of the state or a political subdivision of the state;”
(e) “Is undertaken for purposes of operation of the toll collection system; or”
(f) “Is undertaken for the security of the following bridges and approach structures: I-95 Piscataqua River Bridge, Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, and the Memorial Bridge, all in Portsmouth, as well as the Little Bay Bridges in Dover and Newington.”

That is the statute’s statement. This page does not quote or list any statute that subparagraph (a) refers to, and it does not say whether any statute authorizes surveillance on New Hampshire public ways. Apart from the words of subparagraph (e), it does not cover toll collection.

What RSA 236:130, paragraph III(g) to (j), says about park and ride facilities, dash cameras, and covered wooden bridges

RSA 236:130, III(g): “Is undertaken for security and to facilitate law enforcement in the investigation of criminal activity at the state-owned park and ride facilities that provide regularly scheduled public transit service listed below. A video recording may only be retrieved from the department of transportation's transportation management center, subject to its availability. The storage of any video recording shall be limited by the storage capacity of the individual server at each facility. No video recording shall be stored longer than 24 days. Any video recordings requested and retrieved prior to expiration may only be used by the requesting party for a lawful purpose, including as evidence in a judicial or administrative proceeding, and shall be copied and retained by the department of transportation's transportation management center for no longer than 18 months from the date of the recording. The state-owned park and ride facilities which conduct video surveillance shall display signage indicating the presence of 24 hour video cameras.”

(1) “I-93 Exit 2 in Salem.”
(2) “I-93 Exit 4 in Londonderry.”
(3) “I-93 Exit 5 in Londonderry.”
(4) “I-93 Exit 14 in Concord.”
(5) “I-95 Exit 3 in Portsmouth.”
(6) “Spaulding Turnpike Exit 9 in Dover.”
(7) “Everett Turnpike Exit 8 in Nashua.”
(8) “I-89 Exit 12 in New London.”
(9) “NH Route 101 Exit 7 in Epping.”
(10) “Any future state-owned park and ride facilities that provide regularly scheduled public transit service.”

RSA 236:130, III(h): “Is undertaken for safety and security by the department of transportation to operate dash cameras in its fleet. Except as otherwise provided, no video recording shall be stored longer than 3 business days. Any video recordings requested by the department of transportation or another legal entity, and retrieved prior to expiration of the 3 business days, shall be copied and retained by the department of transportation's transportation management center. The stored recording may only be used by the requesting party for a lawful purpose, including as evidence in a judicial or administrative proceeding.”

RSA 236:130, III(i): “Is undertaken for the purpose of monitoring any covered wooden bridge that is open to vehicular traffic. Any such video recording shall be used for the sole purpose of investigating damage to the bridge, including identification of vehicles and operators responsible for such damage. The video shall, except in the case of damage by natural occurrence or disaster, be preserved until the town, city, municipality, state, or agency prosecutor determines whether they will pursue criminal or motor vehicle charges. If the prosecutor determines that they shall or may bring charges, the video shall be preserved until the case is resolved. Video not needed for investigation in accordance with this subparagraph shall be erased within 7 days of recording. The municipality shall cause notice of video monitoring to be posted on the highway leading to the bridge entrance within 100 feet of the bridge entrance. If the highway is a state highway, the department of transportation shall cause said notice to be posted upon notification by the municipality of the installation of a monitoring system.”

RSA 236:130, III(j): “Is undertaken by a private legal entity that is leasing, or otherwise operating on behalf of the department, a park and ride facility from the state pursuant to a lease or agreement for at least 5 years. The private legal entity is authorized to conduct surveillance for the safety of the premises and users of the facility as any private entity or business is legally authorized and is not limited to the surveillance parameters set forth for the department of transportation in subparagraph (g).”

That is the statute’s statement. This page quotes all of subparagraphs (g) to (j), including all ten items listed under subparagraph (g).

What RSA 236:130, paragraph III(k), says about video recording devices on school bus stop bars

RSA 236:130, III(k) (shown after “[Paragraph III(k) effective Sept. 17, 2026.]”): “Is undertaken for the purpose of monitoring vehicles passing stopped school buses with stop bars engaged in boarding or discharging passengers.”

(1) “Such monitoring shall be in the form of a video recording device affixed to the stop bar of a school bus with adequate digital video storage for 2 weeks of continuous activation.”
(2) “All video shall be time and date stamped digitally and video shall have continuity tracking markers embedded.”
(3) “The video shall be of high enough resolution to identify drivers and shall only be activated after the stop is extended.”
(3)(A) “Any video recording shall be used for the sole purpose of supplementing observations and sworn statements of a school bus driver or operator, including for purposes of identification of vehicles and operators responsible for school bus law violations.”
(3)(B) “Except in the case of damage by natural occurrence or disaster, videos shall be preserved until a town, city, municipality, state, or agency prosecutor determines if they will pursue criminal or motor vehicle charges against an identified person of interest.”
(3)(C) “If a prosecutor determines that they shall press charges, the video shall be preserved until the case is resolved.”
(3)(D) “If an accident or injury occurs involving the school bus that is recorded, the video shall be retained for no less than 4 years to be available under subpoena by either party in any resulting tort action.”
(4) “Video not needed for any investigation in accordance with this subparagraph shall be erased within 7 days of recording.”
(5) “If a school bus operator chooses to install a video recording device, an easily identifiable citation of this statute shall be affixed to the front and rear bumper of the school bus and shall state that external video monitoring may occur on the school bus's stop bar.”
(6) “Nothing in this subparagraph shall be construed to require the installation of a video recording device on a school bus.”

That is the statute’s statement. This page quotes all of subparagraph (k). This page does not say whether any school bus operator has installed a video recording device, it does not say that any notice is sent to a vehicle owner, and it does not say how any video is used in a particular case.

What RSA 236:130, paragraphs IV and V, say

RSA 236:130, IV: “Nothing in this section shall prevent the creation, transmission, or recording of any images or data which cannot, by enhancement, manipulation, or otherwise, be used for surveillance.”

RSA 236:130, V: “Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a violation if a natural person, or guilty of a misdemeanor if any other person.”

That is the statute’s statement. This page quotes all of the text of RSA 236:130, paragraphs I to V. This page does not say whether any person has violated the section, and it does not say how any of this text applies to a particular notice, citation, or license.

Paths the notice describes (not which to choose)

If you have a paper that refers to a camera image or a video recording, read who issued it, the charge, the date, any section number, any amount, and the response instructions printed on it. We do not tell you whether to pay, contest, or ignore a paper, or what step to take.

Violation.com does not collect New Hampshire fines. If you upload a notice, we summarize what the notice shows. It is not legal advice.

Upload the notice

Sources retrieved 3 Nov 2026:

Not legal advice. Not a law firm. Not affiliated with a government agency. Information Only.

Information on this page was last checked against official sources on November 3, 2026.