New Hampshire's 2016 license plate reader law cited as model as other states weigh limits

First reported: September 26, 2026 · 7 sources

New Hampshire's 2016 statute limits automated license plate reader use to state, county, and local law enforcement, restricts the purposes for which scans may be run, and generally requires plate images to be deleted within three minutes unless the scan leads to an arrest, citation, protective custody order, or location of a missing person. Privacy specialists interviewed by the New Hampshire Bulletin described the law as among the most restrictive in the country and said the short retention window would likely preclude Flock-style searchable databases, which the company set to a seven-day default in August. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pointed to New Hampshire as a model on Sept. 2 while calling for legislation in his state, and Rep. Michael Granger, a Milton Republican, has filed a legislative service request for the 2027 session on surveillance on public ways. Flock did not respond to the outlet's requests for comment.

Why this matters

New Hampshire offers a rare test case of statutory limits imposed before ALPR networks scaled up, which other legislatures are now examining as a drafting template. It also illustrates gaps that remain: the law does not require warrants, and it does not bar agencies from contracting for access to out-of-state databases.

Key facts

The 2016 law restricts ALPR use to specified purposes, including stolen vehicles, outstanding warrants, missing or endangered persons, and suspected major crimes, and bars cameras capable of imaging vehicle occupants.
Plate images must be deleted within three minutes unless the scan results in an arrest, citation, protective custody order, or a missing person being found; a database match alone does not establish probable cause for a stop.
Agency use must be approved by the department head, registered with the Department of Safety, and accompanied by officer training.
The crowdsourced site flockcameralocations.com has documented 68 cameras in New Hampshire, many at toll plazas, compared with 1,189 listed in Massachusetts; state law requires DOT tolling data to be siloed and off-limits to law enforcement.
The New Hampshire Union Leader reported that Manchester Police has a contract allowing its database to be queried; advocacy group Secure Justice counts more than 200 city and county Flock cancellations since 2021, 90 of them in August.

Sources

This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.

As states seek to rein in Flock license plate cameras, NH is considered a model (New Hampshire Public Radio, September 26, 2026)
As states seek to rein in Flock license plate cameras, New Hampshire is considered a model (Sentinelsource, September 24, 2026)
As states seek to rein in Flock license plate cameras, New Hampshire is considered a model – The Boston Globe (News Pub, September 24, 2026)
As states seek to rein in Flock license plate cameras, New Hampshire is considered a model (Laconiadailysun, September 24, 2026)
As states seek to rein in Flock license plate cameras, New Hampshire is considered a model (The Boston Globe, September 24, 2026)
As states seek to rein in Flock license plate cameras, New Hampshire is considered a model (New Hampshire Bulletin, September 24, 2026)
As states seek to rein in Flock license plate cameras, New Hampshire is considered a model (Franklin Observer, September 29, 2026)

More from New Hampshire

Everything we have documented in New Hampshire, or search every New Hampshire article in the archive.

About this record

BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.

Updated October 3, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.