7 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Cumberland County, Maine.
Verified from official government sources
Cumberland County does not adopt subject-matter ordinances and has no county zoning code; chicken and livestock keeping in unincorporated areas does not exist because all of Cumberland County is organized into 28 municipalities. State law preserves municipal authority under 30-A MRS § 3001 (home rule), and animal-keeping rules are set town-by-town (Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, Scarborough, Gorham, etc.).
Cumberland County does not adopt or publish a county animal-control code. The operative restraint rule countywide is the Maine state at-large prohibition in 7 MRS § 3911, enforced by each of Cumberland County's 28 municipalities through local animal control officers and (in unorganized areas) the Sheriff.
Maine state law expressly preempts breed-specific dog ordinances under 7 MRS § 3950. No Cumberland County municipality may ban or restrict pit bulls, Rottweilers, or any other breed. Dangerous individual dogs are regulated case-by-case under the 7 MRS § 3952 dangerous-dog framework.
Cumberland County does not regulate beekeeping. All beekeepers in Maine, including those in Cumberland County, must register their hives annually with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry by June 15 under 7 MRS § 2701. Local hive-placement rules (setbacks, hive counts) are adopted town-by-town.
Cumberland County has no exotic-pet ordinance. Maine state law (12 MRS § 12152) generally prohibits importing or possessing wildlife in Maine without a permit from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW). Permits cannot authorize possession of deer, bear, moose, or wild turkey.
Cumberland County does not regulate wildlife feeding. State law (Maine Title 12 and MDIFW rules administered by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife) governs feeding and baiting of deer, bear, and other wild animals. 12 MRS § 11221 also restricts disposing of game carcasses where they may attract wildlife.
Cumberland County does not enact an animal-hoarding ordinance. Hoarding situations are prosecuted under 17-A MRS § 1031 (cruelty to animals) when an owner deprives animals of necessary sustenance, medical attention, shelter, or humanely clean conditions. Aggravated cruelty (17-A § 1031(1-B)) is a Class C crime with a mandatory $1,000–$10,000 fine.
1 cities in Cumberland County have their own animal ordinances rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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