Mushroom foraging laws in New Hampshire
Compiled from official sources; not legal advice. Rules change. Confirm with the land manager or the agency before you pick.
Summary
New Hampshire park rules bar removing, damaging or disturbing any plant on Department of Natural and Cultural Resources properties and do not mention mushrooms, so ask before picking. State law requires a DHHS license to identify, harvest or offer wild mushrooms for sale; the law defines a harvester as someone who harvests for sale.
Public land
Rule Ncr 731.05, which covers all parks and department properties, says no person shall remove, damage, deface, disturb, or alter any structure, plant, marine, or freshwater aquatic life. Mushrooms and fungi are not mentioned, so ask the park or forest before picking. Federal lands follow their own rules.
Permits
The park rule quoted above describes no permit or personal-use exception for removing plants, and no mushroom permit. Selling wild mushrooms requires a DHHS license (see selling).
Selling
RSA 143-A:22 says no person shall identify, harvest, or offer wild mushrooms for sale unless licensed by the Department of Health and Human Services. A tier 1 or tier 2 license needs a $75 fee, approved education and passing an exam, and is valid for 5 years. A licensee may sell only mushrooms from the tier list that matches their license. Labels must show the licensee's name, address and license number, species, weight, harvest date and county. Licensees keep label copies and harvest locations for one year, and food establishments keep labels for 90 days (RSA 143-A:23). Licensed food establishments and retail stores may sell wild mushrooms only from licensed sources or out-of-state sources approved by their state (RSA 143-A:24).
Morel sales
What a licensee may sell depends on the DHHS tier lists (tier 1: easy to identify; tier 2: harder). Check the state's species lists to see whether morels are on tier 1 or tier 2; ask DHHS Food Protection.
Sources
- Ncr 731.05 - Protection of Natural Features and Property (NH Code of Administrative Rules)
- RSA 143-A:21 - Wild Mushroom Harvesters, definitions
- RSA 143-A:22 - License required
- RSA 143-A:23 - Labeling requirements; recordkeeping
- RSA 143-A:24 - Sale of wild mushrooms
Last verified: November 11, 2026
Public land in New Hampshire · Species recorded in New Hampshire