Section Ed 321.03 - Minimum Standards for School Sites(a) A school site shall have safe access, parking, drainage, security, and sufficient buildable area to accommodate a school facility that complies with the minimum gross site sizes as described in Ed 321.03(f).(b) There shall be access for emergency vehicles from at least 2 directions unless waived by the local fire chief having jurisdiction for enforcement of the state fire code.(c) The first occupied floor of school buildings located within a 100-year flood plain shall be constructed at an elevation at least 10 feet higher than the base flood elevation for a 100-year flood at that location.(d) Prior to acquisition of a site, the school district shall have surveys conducted to ascertain, as much as practicable, that past use of the site has not resulted in conditions hazardous to public health, public safety, or to the environment, or matters of interest for historical preservation under RSA 227-C that cannot be adequately removed, abated, or mitigated.(e) The following shall not be considered buildable land for the purpose of comparing a given site to the minimum site sizes in Ed 321.03 or to the maximum site sizes in Ed 321.04: (1) Wetlands, including required setbacks from wetlands;(2) Areas with slopes in excess of 60 percent;(3) Areas with extensive amounts of bedrock within 6 feet of the surface; and(4) Sites known to be contaminated with hazardous materials.(f) The minimum site size approvable for school building aid for new construction, including additions to existing buildings, for elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools shall be as follows: (1) For an elementary school the minimum site size shall be 3 acres of contiguous buildable land for schools with a design capacity of less than 150 students and 5 acres of contiguous buildable land for schools with a design capacity of 150 students or higher;(2) For a middle school the minimum site size shall be 10 acres of contiguous buildable land. For middle schools with a design capacity greater than 1000 students there shall be one additional acre for each 300 students or fraction thereof above 1000 students; and(3) For a high school the minimum site size shall be 15 contiguous acres of buildable land, plus one additional acre for each 300 students or fraction thereof for the design capacity of the school building.(g) Whenever a district has a school site that does not meet the site size requirements in Ed 321.03(f) for a new building or an addition to an existing building, the school board may request a waiver for the minimum site size under Ed 321.28.(h) Renovations and substantial renovations shall apply only to buildings and specifically shall not include site improvements or modifications.(i) Charter schools shall be exempt from the minimum site sizes in this section.N.H. Admin. Code § Ed 321.03
#8265, eff 1-22-05; ss by #10363, eff 6-15-13
Amended by Volume XL Number 28, Filed July 9, 2020, Proposed by #13054, Effective 6/12/2020, Expires 6/12/2030.