Potholes: Read About The Law ...

New Hampshire’s local roads are notorious for heaving, cracking, and opening up potholes during the winter, while turning into mud or seeping water during the spring. Public works departments are at the front lines, trying to anticipate and address issues as quickly as possible, often repairing the same site multiple times each year. Some municipalities such as Manchester, Exeter, Dover, and Nashua even have dedicated “pothole hotlines.”

An example of one city's pothole information page. Check with your town or city for information on how to report potholes.

Or call 603.271.3734 to report a pothole on a state-maintained road.

Bottom line: If you are going to make a successful claim against the government for damage to your vehicle caused by poor road conditions, you will have to prove two things: the government knew about the poor road condition (or should reasonably have known about it), and the government did not repair the poor road condition within a reasonable amount of time.

A Hard Road to Travel discusses the liability of municipalities to travelers.