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With each new year comes a slew of new laws by which New Hampshire residents must abide. 2026 will bring several, including an end to car inspections, restrictions on local immigration authority and higher fees for some government-run services.
Drivers will no longer need an annual car inspection starting Jan. 31, making New Hampshire the 37th state either to not require or to altogether eliminate vehicle inspections. The state won’t issue the stickers and paperwork anymore, but many mechanics plan to keep offering inspections — and some drivers still plan to get them.
One lawmaker hopes to bring safety checks back in 2027, but his proposal is likely to face an uphill battle in the Republican-led legislature.
The second portion of this repeal, which nixes federally required emissions testing, is still up in the air. An emissions testing company has sued the state in an attempt to stop it, and New Hampshire still needs a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency’s mandate.
Drivers won’t need to pay for inspections anymore, but registration fees for all kinds of vehicles increased on Jan. 1. Some are minute; others double or escalate costs even higher.
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For cars up to 3,000 pounds, the registration fee went up from $31.20 to $42 — larger cars followed similar suit.
New Hampshire residents could also pay premiums on Medicaid Expansion and Granite Advantage health insurance and be on the hook for $4 copays for prescription drugs instead of $1 or $2, but those moves still require approval from the federal government.
These are among 58 new or increased costs that took effect at the start of 2026, according to the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute. Lawmakers made the widespread fee hikes while facing struggling business tax revenues and after repealing the Interest and Dividends tax in 2024.
Two new laws aimed at aiding in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown went into effect on Jan. 1.
One law outlaws so-called “sanctuary” or “welcoming” policies, which some localities adopted to keep local police from assisting federal immigration enforcement. The other removes local authority to stop police departments from signing onto federal agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which deputize officers to carry out some immigration enforcement actions during their routine.
Some localities, like Lebanon, have already repealed their sanctuary policies to comply with the new state law.
Charlotte Matherly is the statehouse reporter, covering all things government and politics with a focus on how decisions made at the New Hampshire State House impact people's lives. She also writes about… More by Charlotte Matherly
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