Warrant Article 25 · Town Meeting, May 13, 2025
Hanover for All
Updating Our Charter & Ordinances
Hanover voters said yes to gender-neutral town documents. The Selectboard is responsible for implementing this policy. Here are the Hanover Charter and Ordinances unburdened by gendered language.
has had this policy
Counter started May 13, 2025 — the day voters passed Article 25.
01 · Why It Matters
Town Meeting adopted the policy
On May 13, 2025, Hanover voters passed Article 25 at Town Meeting, requiring the Selectboard to make Hanover's official documents gender-neutral — the Town Charter, ordinances, town policies, and the town website — and authorizing the board to make these wording fixes on its own, without another Town Meeting vote.
Under New Hampshire statute and decades of Supreme Court decisions, a specific Town Meeting instruction outranks a Selectboard's everyday authority.
Article 25, as adopted
“To see if the Town will vote to adopt a policy requiring the use of gender-neutral language in all official town documents, including but not limited to the Town Charter, ordinances, policies, and the Town website. This shall include replacing gendered terms such as ‘Selectmen’ with ‘Selectboard’ and ensuring all future documents reflect inclusive and gender-neutral terminology. Further, to authorize the Selectboard to make non-substantive revisions to existing town documents to align with this policy without requiring further town meeting approval.”
02 · The Legal Basis
What the law and the courts say
Tap any card to read the reasoning behind it. These are condensed for a general audience — follow the citations for the full text.
RSA RSA 41:8 — Election and Duties
RSA 41:8 directs the Selectboard to “manage the prudential affairs of the town and perform the duties by law prescribed” — a broad, default authority to run ordinary town business when nothing else governs.
RSA RSA 31:39 — Purpose and Penalties
Even when delegated, the board's authority is limited to the specific subjects listed in RSA 31:39. Any other local rules require a vote at the Town Meeting.
1899 Attorney General v. Folsom, 69 N.H. 556
The New Hampshire Supreme Court stated: “In New England town meetings the voters are the sovereigns, and their will, when duly expressed, is supreme.” Attorney General v. Folsom, 69 N.H. 556, 557.
Residents, not the Selectboard, hold the ultimate legislative power. “A majority vote at Town Meeting is the highest authority in the town.”
This decision can be found in Volume 69 of the New Hampshire Reports, page 556 (69 N.H. 556) — available at law libraries or through a legal research subscription.
1954 Moulton v. Beals, 98 N.H. 461
One of two foundational 1954 rulings defining “prudential affairs” narrowly: Selectboard authority covers what ordinary, everyday town business requires, not broad policy choices reserved for voters.
1954 DeRochemont v. Holden, 99 N.H. 80
Decided the same year as Moulton: a Selectboard may act on its own judgment only where Town Meeting stays silent. A specific Town Meeting vote outranks the board's everyday management power.
1952 Clapp v. Jaffrey, 97 N.H. 456
An earlier case defining the outer limits of Selectboard authority as “subordinate and incidental” to the town's lawful purposes — language later called “vital and restrictive.”
This page is a citizen-produced civic resource, not legal advice. Case summaries are condensed for a general audience — read the full opinions before relying on them, and direct legal questions to Town Counsel.
03 · The Documents
Town Charter & Town Ordinances
There are many town documents, forms, web pages and other communications that may currently include gendered language. Here you can find the Town Charter, the 2026 Zoning Ordinance, and the 41 numbered town ordinances currently in use, each rewritten in gender-neutral language. Expand any entry for a plain-language summary, or open the PDF directly.
CHARTER Charter of the Town of Hanover, NH
The town's foundational governing document — how Hanover is organized, and how Town Meeting and the Selectboard share power.
01 Enactment of Ordinances
The procedure the town itself must follow to adopt, notice, and publish any ordinance.
02 Highways and Sidewalks
Digging, obstructing, or building on town streets and sidewalks, including driveways and bicycle use.
03 River Road Ordinance
Excludes certain motor vehicles from River Road to fit the road's residential and land uses.
04 Private Construction on Class VI Highways
Limits development along unmaintained Class VI roads to control the town's service costs.
05 Seasonal Weight Restrictions on Town Highways
Vehicle weight limits during the seasons when roads are most vulnerable to damage.
06 Parking Ordinance
Regulates parking on Hanover's streets and public places, including permits, meters, and fines.
07 Traffic Ordinance
Regulates traffic on Hanover's streets and public places for public safety.
08 Taxicabs
Licensing and insurance rules for taxicabs and vehicles for hire.
09 Fire Department
Establishes the Town Fire Department and its officers and members.
10 Licensing of Shows and Dances
Permits and fees for public shows, open-air meetings, and dances.
11 Numbering Houses
Establishes the system for assigning street-address numbers.
12 Purchase of Second-Hand Articles
Licensing and recordkeeping for dealers in second-hand goods.
13 Personnel Ordinance
Sets a merit-based personnel policy for recruitment, appointment, and advancement of town employees.
14 Hanover Municipal Sewer System
Rules for sewer connections, pretreatment, permitting, and enforcement across the town sewer system.
15 Building Code Adopting Ordinance
Adopts uniform construction rules and codes for buildings in town.
16 Code Department Fees
Sets the fee schedule for the Town Code Department's services.
17 Regulations Relating to the Public Health
Protects the town's water supply watershed from contamination risk.
18 Franchising and Regulation of Cable Television Systems
Terms for granting and regulating cable-television franchises in town.
19 Regulation of Private Alarm Systems
Requirements and fees for private alarms connected to Police Department equipment.
20 Regulation of Public Conservation and Recreation Land
Permitted uses on town-owned conservation and recreation land.
21 Sunday Activities
Regulates certain business activities conducted on Sundays.
22 Land Use Change Tax Allocation
Sets how revenue from the Land Use Change Tax is allocated.
23 Parking District Ordinance
Establishes the town's Central Business Parking Districts and how they're funded.
24 Health Regulations
Gives the Town Health Officer authority to act quickly to protect public health at restaurants and food establishments.
25 Municipal Cemeteries — Rules and Regulations
Rules for the operation and use of Hanover's municipal cemeteries. (Not to be confused with Warrant Article 25.)
26 Solid Waste Collection Ordinance
Promotes waste reduction and recycling and sets terms for solid waste collection.
27 Street Vendor Ordinance
Keeps public ways safe and orderly by permitting and regulating street vendors.
28 King Road Ordinance
Excludes certain motor vehicles from King Road and its intersection with Etna Road for safety.
29 Dog Ordinance
Repealed by the Selectboard in 1996 — kept in the numbered list for historical completeness.
30 Dutch Elm Disease
Protects Hanover's elm trees by managing and controlling Dutch elm disease.
31 Firearms and Firecrackers
Restricts discharging firearms and firecrackers within the town's defined "compact part."
32 Open Container Ordinance
Prohibits open containers and consumption of alcoholic beverages in certain public places.
33 Noise Ordinance
Regulates excessive or unusually loud noise that harms public health, comfort, and welfare.
34 Regulation of Outdoor Activities
Regulates large outdoor events and activities that disrupt traffic or generate significant noise.
35 Credit Card Ordinance
Lets residents pay town taxes and fees by credit card, as authorized by Town Meeting in 2001.
36 No Through Trucking Ordinance
Excludes certain trucks from designated town roadways for resident and pedestrian safety.
38 Fair and Impartial Policing
Prevents biased policing and discriminatory practices by the Hanover Police Department.
39 Emergency Mask Ordinance
Emergency public-health mask requirement adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
40 Emergency Public Health Regulation
Additional emergency public-health provisions adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
41 Parklets and Sidewalk Seating Ordinance
Regulates temporary parklets and sidewalk seating in the street right-of-way.
42 Rental Housing Ordinance
Sets minimum safety and habitability standards for rental housing, with inspection authority.
43 Allen Street Placemaking Pilot Ordinance
Pilots a temporary seasonal closure of Allen Street for public gathering, dining, and vendor space.
ZONING Zoning Ordinance
Districts, uses, dimensional standards, and land-use procedures for the town.
Ordinance 37 is not included above, as it has been superseded by Ordinance 42.
Ready to say something?
Bring your thoughts and concerns to a Selectboard meeting, email the board, or share this page with your neighbors. Article 25 already passed — the only open question is when the board finishes the job.
Contact the Hanover Selectboard ↗Contact information is listed along the right-hand side of that page.