Weird Laws in New Hampshire: Which Are Still on the Books?

New Hampshire's three weird-law claims all trace back to something real in the Revised Statutes Annotated, but only one reads the way the lists tell it. We checked each claim against the RSA as of October 21, 2026. For other states, see our weird laws by state guide.

Weird laws in New Hampshire: the verdicts

Each claim below was checked against the New Hampshire code and, where it names a town, the local code. 3 claims checked.

Still on the books

The claim: Collecting seaweed at night is illegal.

What the law says: RSA 207:48 makes it a violation to carry away or collect for carrying away seaweed or rockweed from the seashore below high-water mark between evening daylight and morning daylight. The claim is accurate but narrower than 'collecting seaweed at night': it covers carrying away or collecting for carrying away, from below high-water mark.

N.H. RSA 207:48

“If any person shall carry away or collect for the purpose of carrying away any seaweed or rockweed from the seashore below high-water mark, between daylight in the evening and daylight in the morning, he shall be guilty of a violation.”

Penalty: violation (source: 1973, 532:10, eff. Nov. 1, 1973)

No court opinion in our database cites this section.

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

Real law, twisted claim

The claim: Checking into a hotel under an alias is illegal.

What the law says: RSA 353:3 requires hotel keepers and lodging-house keepers to keep a record of the legal name of the registered guest, open to police inspection; the duty and misdemeanor penalty fall on the hotel keeper. Separately it is unlawful to obtain hotel service with intent to defraud or avoid payment, including by false misrepresentation (353:8-353:9). No provision found making a guest's use of an alias, by itself, an offense.

N.H. RSA 353:3

“All hotel keepers and all persons keeping public lodging houses, tourist camps, or cabins shall keep a record of the legal name of the registered guest.”

Penalty: Whoever violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Last cited by a court: Wyman v. Uphaus (1957)

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

Real law, twisted claim

The claim: Reusing a dairy container (milk jug) for anything but dairy can bring up to a year in jail.

What the law says: RSA 351:2 (Branded Containers) makes it a crime to fill with milk, cream or any manufactured beverage a REGISTERED container (one whose owner registered its brand), or to deface its registration marks, or sell/use/traffic in it without the registrant's written consent. It applies to registered containers, not to any dairy container, and it concerns misuse of another's marked property, not reusing your own jug.

N.H. RSA 351:2

“Whoever fills with milk, cream or any manufactured beverage any registered container, or defaces, erases, covers up or otherwise removes or conceals the name or the word "registered" thereon, or sells, uses, buys, gives, takes or otherwise disposes of or traffics in the same, without the written consent of, or unless the same has been purchased from, the person who registered the same shall be guilty of a misdemeanor if a natural person, or guilty of a felony if any other person, for each offense.”

Penalty: misdemeanor if a natural person, felony if any other person (no jail term stated in the section)

No court opinion in our database cites this section.

Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.

Checked October 21, 2026. This is legal history and information, not legal advice. Laws change; the linked official text is the authority.

Seaweed after dark

The seaweed claim is the accurate one, though the statute is narrower than "collecting seaweed at night." RSA 207:48 reads:

If any person shall carry away or collect for the purpose of carrying away any seaweed or rockweed from the seashore below high-water mark, between daylight in the evening and daylight in the morning, he shall be guilty of a violation.

Three limits are built in. The conduct is carrying weed away, or gathering it in order to carry it away. It applies only below the high-water mark. And it applies only between daylight in the evening and daylight in the morning. The section's source note cites 1973, 532:10, effective November 1, 1973.

The hotel register and the alias

The alias claim points at a real law that regulates hotels rather than guests. RSA 353:3 says:

All hotel keepers and all persons keeping public lodging houses, tourist camps, or cabins shall keep a record of the legal name of the registered guest.

The record is open to police inspection, and both the duty and the section's misdemeanor penalty fall on the keeper. A separate pair of sections, RSA 353:8 and 353:9, makes it unlawful to obtain hotel service with intent to defraud or to avoid payment, including by false misrepresentation. No provision was found that makes a guest's use of an alias, on its own, an offense.

Milk jugs with someone else's name on them

The milk-jug claim turns a property law into a recycling rule. RSA 351:2, headed Branded Containers, applies to registered containers, meaning containers whose owner registered the brand on them. It makes it a crime to fill such a container with milk, cream or any manufactured beverage, to deface or remove its registration markings, or to sell, use or traffic in it, without the written consent of the person who registered it, unless it was bought from that person.

So the law concerns misuse of someone else's marked containers, not reusing your own. The penalty depends on who violates it: a misdemeanor for a natural person and a felony for any other person, for each offense. The section itself states no jail term, so the year in jail on the lists does not come from its text.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it illegal to collect seaweed at night in New Hampshire?

RSA 207:48 makes it a violation to carry away, or collect for the purpose of carrying away, seaweed or rockweed from the seashore below high-water mark between daylight in the evening and daylight in the morning.

Is it illegal to check into a hotel under a fake name in New Hampshire?

RSA 353:3 requires hotel keepers to keep a record of the legal name of each registered guest, and the misdemeanor penalty attaches to violating that duty. Obtaining hotel service with intent to defraud or avoid payment, including by false misrepresentation, is unlawful under RSA 353:8 and 353:9. No provision was found making a guest’s use of an alias, by itself, an offense.

Can you go to jail for reusing a milk jug in New Hampshire?

RSA 351:2 applies only to registered containers, those whose owner registered a brand on them, and concerns filling, defacing or trafficking in them without the registrant’s written consent. It is a misdemeanor for a natural person and a felony for any other person, and the section itself states no jail term.

What are some weird laws in New Hampshire?

The one that matches the lists is RSA 207:48 on carrying away seaweed from the shore at night. The hotel alias and milk jug claims trace to real laws on hotel registers and branded containers that work differently from the list versions.