Press Releases/What’s New

For over twenty years, the Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Portsmouth with its Tree City USA Award. For the past five years, the Foundation has also awarded its Tree Growth Award to the City’s Department of Public Works urban forestry crew. City Arborist Supervisor Max Wiater with the City’s Parks and Greenery Division, led by Parks and Greeneries Foreman, Corin Hallowell and the Trees & Public Greenery Committee, have helped Portsmouth achieve this distinction and plan to honor the outgoing Trees & Greenery Committee Co-Chair with this year’s Arbor Day commemorations.

The City’s Public Art Review Committee (PARC) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) from artists interested in submitting designs for a work of art on Peirce Island to be funded through the City’s Percent-for-Art program. In preparation for the RFP, PARC held three community input sessions to discuss the Committee’s role, the history of Peirce Island, and the process for determining a location for the Peirce Island Art Project.

The Planning & Sustainability Department is hosting the first Market Square Master Plan Public Workshop in City Council Chambers on April 24, 2024 at 5:30 pm.

This extensive project will explore and document proposed changes for Market Square with vigorous community input and professional design assistance, to create a plan that forms a foundation for the design of necessary infrastructure upgrades and enhancements to Market Square. The planning process will continue throughout 2024 and inform the upcoming Citywide Master Plan.

In a unanimous vote on March 18, 2024, the Portsmouth City Council adopted the recommendation of the City’s Parking Division to change the 2012 Parking Ordinance which sets all on street and City parking lot rates to the same price. The change will go into effect on Monday, April 15. The new ordinance does not affect rates in the Foundry or Hanover garages.

In September 2023, the City of Portsmouth was notified that it had received $965,333 in Congressionally Directed Spending from the Federal Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program through the NH Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for the Peirce Island Road Resiliency Project. Work on the project is scheduled to start the wee

The City of Portsmouth declared itself an Eco-Municipality in 2007. Since then, it has taken steps to improve the environment in areas under the City’s direct control. In addition, it has encourag

As required by State law, all dogs residing in the City of Portsmouth must be licensed annually. Before the license can be issued, the dog must be properly vaccinated against rabies.

The fees for new or annual renewals are:

The City of Portsmouth NH is currently in the second year of a three-year project for the major renovation of the High-Hanover Parking Facility. The project is designed to enhance the overall safety and longevity of the structure, improve traffic flow, and replace the traffic control equipment that governs garage entry and exit.

Early in 2023 the Portsmouth Arts and Nonprofits Committee assembled a subcommittee tasked with creating a new Cultural Plan for the City. The last plan was adopted in 2002 and was included in the 2005 Master Plan. The goal was to complete a new plan as a foundational pillar for the 2035 Citywide Master Plan to help ensure that City leaders have a strategic roadmap to guide support and funding policies in the coming decade and serve as a blueprint for preservation and expansion of arts and cultural venues, activities, and initiatives for the foreseeable future.

On Monday, March 18, 2024 City Councilor John Tabor apologized to the City Council and the public for the contents of an email he wrote regarding the McIntyre project that came to light during the discovery process in the City’s lawsuit against SoBow Square.