New Law Aims To Make Playgrounds Safer In New Hampshire — For Everyone

By Annmarie Timmins, New Hampshire Bulletin

Come Jan. 1, new public playgrounds must have solid ground surfaces in place of wood chips or other loose covering that can be a hazard for people who use wheelchairs, walkers, canes, or other devices.

Gov. Chris Sununu signed House Bill 467 into law Friday, setting the new requirements for school and community playgrounds built after Jan 1.

Playgrounds will not have to have a hard rubber surface as the bill’s sponsors initially proposed. Instead, the ground surface must be a “resilient solid surface.”

The legislation garnered significant public support.

In his testimony to the committee, Sen. Daryl Abbas, a Salem Republican and bill co-sponsor, said public playgrounds should be accessible to everyone since they are paid for with tax dollars.

Monday, Rep. Gaby Grossman, an Exeter Democrat who joined Abbas in co-sponsoring the bill, noted that some people who testified for the legislation shared stories of having to sit on the sidelines of school playgrounds because they could not safely navigate them.

“Public playground accessibility is a win for New Hampshire that ensures all families have the freedom to access and enjoy our public playgrounds with their loved ones,” Grossman said in a statement.

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