CONCORD – Now that Gov. Maggie Hassan has signed legislation allowing New Hampshire restaurants and bars to stay open until 2 a.m., the question is whether Nashua and neighboring towns will draft ordinances to keep the 1 a.m. closing time or vote to adopt the extra hour.

Hassan on Wednesday signed into law an amended version the bill (HB 575), the wording of which allows for the 2 a.m. closing time only in a city or town that affirmatively voted beforehand to let its bars and restaurants stay open.

The new law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2014, giving individual municipalities time to mull their own legislation.

The House’s original version, which passed 208-123 in March, would have made the 2 a.m. policy effective across the state, unless a city or town passed an ordinance to keep the closing hour at 1 a.m.

The Senate’s amended version passed June 5.

Most cities and towns have long abided by state law, which allows establishments to serve alcohol from 6 a.m.-1 p.m. seven days a week.

The new legislation doesn’t apply to stores, which are allowed to sell alcohol from 6 a.m.-11:45 p.m., seven days a week.

The hours set by law are the maximum allowed, and any establishment, whether a store, restaurant or bar, can set its own hours within that frame. Most late-night establishments warn patrons closing time is coming by announcing “last call,” which is usually given close to an hour before closing time.

A quick survey Thursday night of several Nashua establishments netted just one response; in most cases a manager wasn’t available to comment. A manager at Arena Sportsbar & Nightclub who didn’t want to be identified said the issue hasn’t been discussed. “I don’t want to speak for the owners, but I don’t see why we wouldn’t,” he said, if given the option to stay open until 2 a.m.

Overall, the new legislation has had plenty of supporters and detractors, providing for robust debate whenever the bill came up for discussion.

Proponents claim a 2 a.m. closing time would eliminate the need for last-call seekers to travel to a bordering state, while opponents feared the extra hour of drinking would contribute to more drunken driving crashes.

A top state Liquor Commission enforcement officer charged that the change was a “recipe for disaster,” and the New Hampshire Chiefs of Police weighed in with strong opposition, saying their experience tells them a high percentage of fatal crashes in the early morning hours are alcohol-related.

On the other side, supporters of the later closing time said the state’s tourism-based economy stands only to benefit, claiming New Hampshire is losing money to establishments across the Massachusetts and Vermont borders.

New Hampshire and Maine are two of only four states that currently have a 1 a.m. closing time. The others are Delaware and Utah. Most other states have the 2 a.m. closing time, while a few, like New York, allow establishments to stay open as late as 4 a.m.

Dean Shalhoup can be reached at 594-6443 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow Shalhoup on Twitter (@Telegraph_DeanS).