• Current Use helps keep land open for public recreational use, by providing a modest tax incentive to those who allow hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing and nature observation on their land. Many landowners allow other more intensive recreational uses on their property, such as mountain biking, snowmobiling or ATV riding.
  
  
• Current Use keeps land open for wildlife habitats, benefiting both game and non-game species, and also sensitive or endangered species.
  
  
• Through undeveloped open space, Current Use helps provide clean air and water, which we all need and enjoy.

If you would like to apply for the 20% recreational discount, please contact your town assessing officials. If you are granted this recreational discount, you must allow (twelve months of the year), access to your land for others to hike, hunt, fish, ski, snowshoe and nature observation. Failure to allow others access for these six activities when you are receiving this recreational discount, could result in a loss of this discount for up to three years. SPACE gets many complaints from hunters that people who have this discount, post during hunting season and then remove the signage. This is not allowed.

A solo Kayaker enjoying beautiful Crystal Lake in Eaton, NH-photo courtesy of Donna Robie

Towns can generate a report listing landowner properties within the town who currently have this recreational discount. SPACE cannot give this information out. If you do not know if your land has this recreational discount, you need to contact your town assessing officials or review your tax bill to see if REC is checked, or and * appears next to your assessed land value.

In the State of New Hampshire, if your land is not posted, then it is implied that hunting is allowed. All hunters must stay 300' away from your residency.

If you have livestock and you wish to consider applying for this 20% recreational discount, please see your town assessing official for permission to place a safety zone sign around your grazing pasture.

There is also a misconception that in the State of New Hampshire, all current use land is accessible and open to the public. This is not true. You may place your land in current use and post against any use of your land. It only applies to those landowners who take advantage of the 20% recreational discount and must leave their land accessible to these six activities only (hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing and nature observation.) You do not have to allow any other access or actvities than these six, when you have the recreational discount.

Refer to our posting page for more details on how to post and where to obtain the proper signage.

A scenic view driving up Mt. Kearsarge in Warner, NH. This is what "open space" vistas mean to thousands of yearly visitors. Photo courtesy of Donna Robie.