New Hampshire enacts blockchain law, creates dispute docket

New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed HB 639, known as the Blockchain Basic Laws, last week. The legislation grants specific legal protections for people and businesses that use blockchain technology and establishes a dedicated blockchain dispute docket in the state’s superior court. Representative Keith Ammon sponsored the bill.

The law affirms the right of individuals to control digital assets through self-custody and sets out legal safeguards for developers, miners and validators. It authorizes a superior court docket to concentrate cases involving blockchain records, smart contracts and custody arrangements so judges can handle those disputes with consistent procedures.

Supporters described the statute as an attempt to provide clearer legal rules for entrepreneurs and investors working with distributed ledgers and related financial technology. Representative Keith Ammon, the bill’s sponsor, said in a statement that HB 639 “protects one of the most fundamental rights in the digital economy — the right of individuals to control their own digital assets through self-custody” and that the law offers “clear legal protections for blockchain developers, miners, validators, entrepreneurs, and businesses.”

HB 639 follows earlier state action on cryptocurrency. In May 2025, Ayotte approved a strategic Bitcoin reserve that permits the state treasurer to invest up to 5% of certain public funds in bitcoin alongside assets such as gold and silver. Ammon described that reserve as a way for the state to hedge against inflation.

Not all related proposals advanced. The state executive council recently voted against a plan that would have allowed the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority to facilitate a Bitcoin-backed municipal bond, preventing the first such bond from moving forward.

Legislators debated provisions of HB 639 for months. The law focuses on defining rights and responsibilities around digital-asset custody, and on recognizing contracts and records created with distributed ledger technology. It does not require state custody of cryptocurrency and does not obligate public institutions to hold digital assets.

With HB 639 now in effect, state officials said they will continue to refine laws and procedures for digital assets and blockchain services. In a statement, Ammon wrote, “Entrepreneurs, investors, developers, and innovators across America should know that New Hampshire is open for blockchain business.”