New Hampshire No Chase Law
Agency discretion
Does New Hampshire have a no-chase law? No — New Hampshire has no statewide law restricting police pursuits. Each department sets its own chase policy.
What governs pursuits in New Hampshire
RSA 265:8-a (agency policy-adoption mandate only)
RSA 265:8-a requires every state, county, and local law enforcement agency conducting pursuits to adopt a written policy conforming to state or national accreditation standards, and to file it with the Police Standards and Training Council and Attorney General — but the statute does not itself set statewide substantive limits on when pursuits may occur. Actual criteria (offense thresholds, speed/road condition factors) are left to each agency's own accredited policy.
Will police chase a motorcycle in New Hampshire?
No statewide New Hampshire law addresses motorcycle pursuits. Any decision to break off a motorcycle chase rests on the pursuing agency's own risk-based pursuit policy, not a statutory no-chase rule.
No US state has a literal law forbidding officers from chasing motorcycles. What riders call a "no-chase law" is nearly always a department policy that tells officers to break off a pursuit when the danger to the public outweighs the arrest — and fleeing remains a crime in New Hampshire regardless. See the state-by-state motorcycle guide for how this works everywhere.
Sources
- gc.nh.gov/RSA/html/XXI/265/265-8-a.htm
- law.justia.com/codes/new-hampshire/title-xxi/chapter-265/section-265-8-a/
Verified as of August 2026. Department policies can change without notice — check the agency's published policy for current break-off criteria.