Shoplifting
RSA 637:3-a — concealing goods in the store is a misdemeanor
Willfully concealing a store's goods while still on its premises, without authority, is willful concealment, a misdemeanor. Goods found concealed on the person are prima facie evidence of it.
Who handles this in New Hampshire: New Hampshire Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the New Hampshire directory.
Knowingly removing goods from the premises without paying, meaning to deprive the merchant of them, and the other acts the section lists, is theft, graded by value like any other theft.
The store may hold a person for the police. A merchant or the merchant's agent is justified in detaining a person they have reasonable grounds to believe committed willful concealment on the premises, as long as necessary to surrender the person to a peace officer, so long as the detention is conducted in a reasonable manner.
Sources for this section (2)
- RSA 637:3-a — Willful Concealment
- RSA 627:8-a — Use of Force by Merchants
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed New Hampshire attorney.