Know the Laws: New Hampshire
UPDATED November 20, 2008
back to topWhat is stalking? How do I get a stalking protective order?
Stalking is when ANY person purposefully, knowingly or recklessly:
- threatens your safety
- follows, approaches, or confronts you
- appears near your home, place of employment, school, or other place where you normally can be found
- causes damage to your home or property
- places an object on your property, either directly or through a third person,
- causes injury to your pet, or
- communicates with you in such a way to make you afraid.
The person has to do one or more of these acts at least twice for it to count as stalking. It must also be something that makes you afraid for your personal safety. (See NH Statutes for the exact legal definition.)
If someone is stalking you or a person in your immediate family, or someone you are intimate with, then you may file for a stalking protective order against that person. A court may order anything that is necessary to make the defendant stop stalking you.
A court may grant a stalking protective order against a minor who is stalking someone and may also order protection for a victim who is a minor.
To file for a stalking protective order, follow the steps listed above for domestic violence protective orders: What are the steps for filing for a protective order? Be sure to tell the clerk of court that you are filing for a stalking protective order, rather than a protective order for domestic violence. *
* Section 633:3-a Stalking