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Portland City Code Sec. 5-18 prohibits owning, possessing, or harboring any dog whose 'loud, frequent, or habitual barking, howling, or yelping' disturbs the peace of any person. The…
Portland Code § 17-19 bans scrap-metal loading/unloading from ships, vessels, or barges (and preparatory stacking) between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. General industrial noise that…
Portland Code § 17-20 bans operating any vehicle on public right-of-way with a straight-pipe exhaust, cutout, bypass, or other non-compliant muffler — including motorcycles. Rapid…
Portland's Code does not set fixed numeric quiet hours but prohibits loud, unnecessary noise that disturbs neighboring inhabitants 24/7 under Sec. 17-17(c). Most enforcement happens at…
Within Portland R-zones, construction noise above 50 decibels is prohibited within 500 feet of any residence, hospital, or nursing home between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. (Sep 1 - May…
Portland, Maine has NOT adopted any leaf-blower-specific ordinance (no time-of-day, day-of-week, decibel, or gas-vs-electric restriction). Leaf-blower use is governed by the general…
Portland's only numeric decibel limit is in Sec. 17-18: construction activity in R-zones may not exceed 50 dB measured within 500 feet of any residential, hospital, or nursing-home…
Portland prohibits loudspeakers, amplifiers, radios, musical instruments, and phonographs operated 'in such manner as to disturb the peace, quiet and comfort of neighboring…
Portland Code § 17-17(c) expressly prohibits playing any radio, instrument, or sound-producing device 'in such manner as to disturb the peace, quiet and comfort of neighboring…
Portland has no enforceable local aircraft-noise ordinance — aircraft operations are preempted by the FAA. The Portland International Jetport (PWM) runs a voluntary 'Fly Quiet' program…
Any letting of 30 days or more is a 'Long Term Rental' under Sec. 6-150.1 and falls outside Portland's STR rules (though it still requires long-term rental registration under Article…
Portland's STR ordinance does not require a minimum number of off-street parking spaces specific to short-term rentals. The unit's underlying zoning parking ratio (and on-street…
Portland does not require a host to be physically present during a guest stay, but to qualify for the lower owner-occupied fee tier and avoid the non-owner-occupied cap, the registrant…
Portland charges a tiered annual STR registration fee ranging from $100 (first owner-occupied or island unit) up to $4,000 (fifth non-owner-occupied mainland unit), in addition to the…
Portland's STR registration runs on a calendar-year basis with renewal due by January 1 (Sec. 6-154(b)(c)). Beginning calendar year 2026, non-owner-occupied mainland STRs are capped at…
Portland's STR ordinance (Chapter 6, Article VI) does not impose a city-mandated minimum liability insurance amount for short-term rentals. Operators are responsible for carrying…
Portland does not require every STR to be a primary residence, but Sec. 6-153(f) prohibits any STR in a single-family home unless it is owner-occupied, tenant-occupied (with owner…
Portland does not impose a per-unit annual night cap (e.g., 90 nights/year) on short-term rentals, but it does impose strict citywide caps: 1.5% of registered long-term rental units…
Overnight guest occupancy in each Portland short-term rental is capped at two guests per bedroom, plus a maximum of two additional guests in shared/common space, under Portland Code §§…
Every short-term rental (any letting of a rental unit, in whole or in part, for less than 30 days) must be registered annually with the Portland Permitting and Inspections Department…
Portland's general noise ordinance (Chapter 17) and the state disorderly-conduct statute (17-A MRS § 501-A) apply to short-term rental guests with no STR-specific noise carve-out. STR…
Portland Police and Parking Enforcement post vehicles that appear abandoned or unregistered on city streets. If the owner does not move or re-register the vehicle within 10 business…
On-street parking is governed by Portland Code of Ordinances Chapter 28 (Traffic and Motor Vehicles). Most metered downtown spaces have a 2-hour maximum, time-zone signs allow…
Portland's 2023 EV-Ready amendment to the Land Use Code (Chapter 14) requires all new multi-dwelling and mixed-use developments of 5+ units with on-site parking to install EV-ready…
Portland Code Ch. 28 limits commercial truck loading-zone parking to 30 minutes (6 a.m.-6 p.m., Sec. 28-56(b)) and bars any motor vehicle over 20 feet long from residential streets…
New residential or commercial driveways that cross a Portland sidewalk or curb require a curb-cut permit from the Portland Department of Public Works. The Eastern Promenade between…
Portland has no year-round on-street overnight ban, but Chapter 28 authorizes the City Manager to declare a citywide overnight parking ban (10 p.m. to 6 a.m., or 1 a.m.-6 a.m. in the…
Portland Code Chapter 28, Sec. 28-58(c) bars parking any boat, camper, trailer, recreational vehicle, similar vehicle, or snowmobile on any city street for more than 24 hours in any…
Portland permits outdoor fireplaces and recreational fire appliances (UL-listed fire pits, chimineas) without a state burn permit, but they must be at least 15 feet from any structure…
Portland enforces NFPA 58 (the 2020 Maine LP Gas Code) through its adoption of NFPA 1 in Chapter 10 of the City Code. Residential propane cylinders must comply with NFPA 58 size limits…
Even though consumer fireworks are legal statewide under 8 M.R.S. §221-A for persons 21+, Portland has opted out under home-rule authority and prohibits use, sale, possession with…
Open burning of any kind in Portland — brush, debris, ground campfires over 3 ft — requires a permit obtained from the Maine Forest Service or the Portland Fire Department. As of…
Portland is not located within a designated Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) zone under the Maine Forest Service program, and no local Portland ordinance creates wildfire-hazard severity…
Portland does not impose a California-style defensible-space requirement (the city is largely built-out urban and not in a designated wildland-urban interface). Brush, leaf, and…
Maine does not restrict private rainwater collection from rooftops, and Portland has no ordinance prohibiting rain barrels or cisterns. The city encourages rooftop disconnection and…
Portland Code Chapter 29 protects 'Heritage Trees' on private property in historic districts (Sec. 29-1 through 29-15) and requires a city arborist permit before pruning, removing, or…
Portland's Landcare Ordinance (Chapter 34) bans synthetic pesticides on virtually all public and private property, with the notable exception that prohibited pesticides may be used to…
Portland's Code of Ordinances does not impose a numeric grass-height cap (e.g., 8" or 10"). Overgrown lots are addressed through general nuisance authority under 30-A M.R.S. § 3001…
Portland is served by the Portland Water District (PWD), which draws from Sebago Lake — one of about 50 U.S. surface-water supplies exempt from federal filtration. PWD has no current…
Portland's Landcare Ordinance (Chapter 34) explicitly references the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Natural Areas Program invasive-species list, and…
Portland does not prohibit residential artificial turf. The Landcare Ordinance (Chapter 34, Sec. 34-5(a)(4)(iii)) specifically carves out 'Hadlock Field applications' — the Sea Dogs'…
Maine encourages residential backyard composting and exempts small-scale home composting from solid waste licensing. The Department of Environmental Protection rules apply statewide…
Maine's Forest Practices Act regulates timber harvesting on all forestland statewide and requires harvest notifications to the Bureau of Forestry. Shoreland tree removal rules also…
Portland does not — and legally cannot — restrict or ban dogs based on breed. Maine Revised Statutes 7 § 3950 expressly prohibits municipalities from adopting any breed-specific…
Portland Code Chapter 5, Article VI (Sec. 5-506 to 5-509), effective October 18, 2017, prohibits the display of wild and exotic animals in traveling animal acts (circuses, fairs…
Portland has no specific beekeeping ordinance in Chapter 5 — beekeeping is generally allowed citywide. However, every Maine beekeeper must register their hives annually with the state…
Portland allows up to 6 female chickens per lot for non-commercial use under Chapter 5, Article IV (Sec. 5-400 et seq.). Roosters are banned, the chicken permit was repealed in 2017…
Portland has no city ordinance that sets a specific limit on the number of pets a person may keep or that uses the term 'animal hoarding.' Hoarding cases are prosecuted under Maine's…
Maine state law (7 MRS § 3911) makes it unlawful for any dog, licensed or unlicensed, to be at large except when hunting. Portland enforces this through its Animal Control program and…
Under Portland Code Sec. 5-110 (Article III), it is illegal to intentionally feed wildlife — including pigeons and squirrels — on public ways or on city-owned/controlled property…
Maine retains a centuries-old statutory framework for fence disputes between neighbors: Title 30-A Chapter 133 governs partition (shared) fences and assigns municipal 'fence viewers'…
Portland restricts barbed wire fencing along public streets and ways; barbed wire requires a revocable permit from the building inspector and is typically only allowed atop a fence at…
Maine state law (22 MRS § 1632) requires every swimming pool to be enclosed by a fence with gates or doors capable of being securely fastened when not in use. Portable above-ground…
Portland regulates fence height through Chapter 14 (Land Use Code) zoning standards, with stricter limits in front-yard and corner-lot sight-triangle areas than in side/rear yards…
A building permit is required in Portland for retaining walls over 4 feet measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, walls supporting a surcharge load (driveways…
Portland follows the 2015 IRC anti-entrapment and barrier rules adopted via MUBEC for residential pools, while public/semi-public pools (apartment complexes, hotels, clubs) must…
Every outdoor swimming pool in Portland must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high under the 2015 IRC (adopted via MUBEC), with no openings allowing a 4-inch sphere to pass…
Above-ground pools in Portland generally require a building permit and must meet the 48-inch barrier rules under the 2015 IRC. State law 22 M.R.S. §1632 exempts portable above-ground…
Portland requires a building permit to install any in-ground swimming pool and most above-ground pools, with review under the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code (MUBEC). A separate…
Portland does not require a separate building permit for a residential hot tub or spa, but the unit must be equipped with a safety cover meeting ASTM F1346. A plumbing permit is…
Portland permits up to two accessory dwelling units (ADUs) per qualifying residential lot under Land Use Code Chapter 14 §6.6.2 (the December 2024 ReCode), implementing the statewide…
Under Land Use Code §6.6.2, the owner of a Portland lot must occupy at least one of the dwelling units at the time an ADU is initially constructed or legally created, with a Peaks…
Any ADU — new construction, garage/basement/attic conversion, or detached accessory building — requires a building permit issued by Portland's Permitting and Inspections Department…
Converting a garage to living space requires a building permit and zoning review; garages may also be converted into an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), with detached ADUs above a garage…
New ADUs in Portland are exempt from the city's non-owner-occupied short-term rental registration cap for the first 5 years after construction, after which they revert to the normal…
Portland allows fixed-foundation tiny homes that comply with MUBEC as either a primary dwelling or an ADU (subject to a 190 sq ft state minimum and Portland's ADU rules); tiny houses…
Carports are regulated as detached covered accessory structures under the Portland Land Use Code: a building permit is required for any roofed structure regardless of size, and the…
Portland does not impose a separate impact or development fee on ADUs; only the standard building permit fee under the Permitting and Inspections fee schedule (typically valued as a…
Sheds 200 sq ft or smaller are exempt from a MUBEC building permit but still require zoning/land-use review for setbacks and lot coverage; sheds over 200 sq ft require a full building…
Portland Code § 14-410 limits the volume of customer and client visits to a home occupation so the use stays accessory to the residence, and any parking demand the business generates…
Portland tightly limits signage for home occupations. Under Code § 14-410, a home occupation must remain visually subordinate to the residential use, and any sign is subject to the…
Portland regulates home-based businesses as 'home occupations' under Chapter 14 (Land Use) § 14-410. Home occupations are an accessory use to a dwelling and are permitted in…
Maine requires a state license to operate a food establishment, including a home-based food business. Under 22 M.R.S. § 2167, a person may not operate a food establishment without a…
Family child care providers operating in their Portland residence must be licensed by Maine DHHS under 22 M.R.S. § 8301-A when caring for 4 or more unrelated children. Under § 14-410…
Portland's Heritage Tree definition automatically covers any tree on the Maine Big Tree List and any native rare or threatened species, regardless of diameter — and statewide Shoreland…
Under Portland Code Ch. 29 Sec. 29-18, planting any tree in a street, park, or public place — including the parkway strip between curb and sidewalk — requires a permit from the City…
Portland Code of Ordinances Chapter 29 (Vegetation) requires a permit from the City Arborist before any person may plant, prune, remove, cut, or otherwise disturb any tree growing on a…
Portland Code Ch. 29 requires replacement trees when a permitted street tree or Heritage Tree is removed, and allows a fee-in-lieu payment to the City's Tree Trust when on-site…
Adopted as Order 26-20/21 effective August 13, 2020, Portland's Heritage Tree Ordinance (Ch. 29) requires a city permit before any healthy Heritage Tree on private property within a…
Portland has not enacted a stand-alone recreational drone ordinance. Recreational flight in Portland is governed by federal law — 49 U.S.C. § 44809 (the Exception for Limited…
Portland Code Chapter 16 (Parks and Recreation) governs conduct in city parks but does not list a dedicated drone prohibition. Drone flights from or above parks must comply with FAA…
Portland has no separate commercial-drone permit. All commercial small UAS flights in the city (real estate, photography, inspection, surveying, delivery) are regulated by 14 CFR Part…
Items weighing 30 lbs or less that don't fit in a purple PAYT bag are collected free (limit 10 per dwelling per year). Items over 30 lbs require a paid bulky-waste permit (currently…
Portland operates a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) system: trash is only collected if placed in official purple City of Portland bags, and recycling is collected weekly on the same scheduled…
Dumping trash, construction debris, or yard waste on public ways, vacant lots, or private property without consent is prohibited under Maine's littering statute (17 M.R.S. §§ 2263-A…
Portland offers seasonal curbside yard-waste collection in spring and fall on published dates. Year-round, residents may drop off leaves, grass clippings, brush, and garden waste free…
Trash bags and the City-provided blue recycling bin must be placed at the curb (not in the travel lane or blocking sidewalks) by 6:30 a.m. on the scheduled collection day, and removed…
Portland uses single-stream recycling processed by ecomaine: paper, cardboard, plastic bottles/jugs/tubs, and metal cans go in the City-provided blue bin. Glass is collected separately…
Any development in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (V, VE, A, AE, AO, AH zone) inside Portland requires a Flood Hazard Development Permit issued under Subsection 12.4.1 of the…
Any construction activity in Portland that disturbs 10,000 square feet or more — or that discharges sediment to the public right-of-way — must prepare an Erosion and Sedimentation…
Portland is a Regulated Small MS4 under the EPA/Maine DEP NPDES program. Chapter 32 of the City Code prohibits non-stormwater (illicit) discharges to the city storm drain system and…
Portland regulates grading and drainage through three layers: (1) Chapter 32 (Stormwater & Erosion Control) for any disturbance of 10,000 sq ft or more; (2) Section V of the Portland…
Portland's tidal shoreline, Fore River, Back Cove and Presumpscot River frontage is covered by a mandatory Shoreland Overlay Zone (Portland, ME Land Use Code, Chapter 14, Art. 11)…
Portland defers to Maine's statewide categorical-sign law (23 M.R.S. §1913-A) for political signs in the public right-of-way: max 4 ft × 8 ft, must carry the placer's name/address and…
Portland's Land Use Code regulates "signs" as defined in Chapter 14; private, non-commercial holiday lights, wreaths, inflatables, and seasonal yard decorations are not signs and do…
Portland does not require a permit to hold a residential yard sale or to post yard-sale signs on private property. Signs in the public right-of-way fall under Maine's categorical-sign…
In Maine's shoreland zone, no more than 20 percent of a lot may be covered by structures and other non-vegetated surfaces. This statewide cap applies to every municipality through DEP…
Maine's Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act sets minimum building setbacks from great ponds, rivers, streams, and coastal waters. Every municipality must adopt these standards, and DEP…
Within Maine's mandatory shoreland zone, principal and accessory structures may not exceed 35 feet in height. The cap applies in every municipality and overrides any local ordinance…
Maine state law uniformly requires municipal opt-in before any adult-use cannabis establishment can operate, while medical dispensaries and caregivers operate under statewide licensing…
Maine state law universally allows adults 21 and over to grow up to three mature cannabis plants for personal use and qualifying medical patients to grow more, with municipalities…
Maine's minimum wage statute at 26 MRS section 664 sets a state floor while expressly permitting municipalities to enact higher local minimum wages above the state level.
Maine's Earned Paid Leave law at 26 MRS section 637 grants employees one hour of paid leave per 40 hours worked, capped at 40 hours per year for covered employers.
Maine has no statewide predictive scheduling mandate, leaving wage payment timing under 26 MRS section 621-A and allowing municipalities to enact local fair scheduling.
Maine is a permitless carry state for residents 21 and older, while still issuing concealed handgun permits recognized for reciprocity and certain restricted areas.
Maine preempts local firearms regulation under 25 MRS section 2011, with limited municipal authority allowed for discharge ordinances and certain public buildings.
Maine generally permits open carry of firearms by lawful possessors, governed primarily by state law with municipalities preempted from imposing additional carry restrictions.
Maine permits handgun carry in motor vehicles by lawful possessors under 25 MRS section 2001-A, with permitless concealed carry available to qualifying residents 21 and older.
Maine condominium associations get an automatic statutory assessment lien on each unit under 33 M.R.S. § 1603-116. Non-condo HOAs have no general statute and rely on their recorded…
Maine condo associations must hold annual meetings and keep records open to owners under 33 M.R.S. §§ 1603-108 and 1603-118. Non-condo HOAs follow the meeting, voting, and…
Maine condo associations enforce the declaration, bylaws, and rules through fines and liens under the Condominium Act. Non-condo HOAs enforce covenants and architectural rules through…
The Maine Condominium Act expressly lets associations levy fines, but only after due process. Under 33 M.R.S. § 1603-102(a)(11) a condo association may impose late charges and, after…
Maine's Solar Rights law (33 M.R.S. Ch. 28-A) overrides HOA and condo rules: a covenant, bylaw, or rule adopted after September 30, 2009 "may not prohibit" an owner from installing…
Maine has no statewide E-Verify mandate for private employers, leaving participation in the federal employment verification system voluntary except for federal contractors.
Maine has no statewide sanctuary preemption; LD 1259 attempted to bar local sanctuary policies but was not enacted, leaving immigration cooperation decisions to municipalities.
Before evicting, a Maine landlord must serve the proper written notice: 7 days for nonpayment of rent, 7 days for cause such as serious property damage, nuisance, or violence, and 30…
Every residential lease in Maine carries an implied warranty that the unit is fit for human habitation. If a defect endangers health or safety and the landlord unreasonably fails to…
Maine landlords must give tenants reasonable notice before entering and may enter only at reasonable times, except in emergencies. Twenty-four hours is presumed reasonable. Tenants may…
Maine caps residential late-rent penalties at 4% of one month's rent. A landlord may not charge a late fee until rent is at least 15 days overdue, and may only charge it if the lease…
Either party may end a Maine tenancy at will (month-to-month) with at least 30 days' written notice given for that purpose, regardless of cause. Shorter 7-day notices apply for…
Maine has no statewide rent control and no statewide cap on rent increases, but it also has no statute preempting local rent control. Under their home-rule authority, municipalities…
Maine landlords must give at least 45 days' written notice before raising rent or a mandatory recurring fee on a residential tenancy. If the increase is 10% or more, the notice period…
Maine caps a residential security deposit at two months' rent. A landlord must return the deposit with an itemized statement of any deductions within 30 days under a written lease, or…
Maine requires 20 years of possession before a squatter can claim land by adverse possession. Under tit. 14 § 801 a real action to recover land must be brought within 20 years, and §…
Maine's Right to Farm and farmland-protection statutes in the Maine Agriculture Protection Act (7 MRS Chapter 6) limit local zoning that would impede agricultural operations meeting…
Maine's Right to Farm framework in the Maine Agriculture Protection Act (7 MRS Chapter 6) shields established farm operations from nuisance suits and restrictive local ordinances when…
Maine's LD 1532 enacted a statewide ban on single-use plastic carryout bags, codified in 38 MRS section 1611, with retailer fee requirements for paper alternatives.
Maine prohibits the sale and distribution of disposable polystyrene foam food service containers under 38 MRS § 1572 (Title 38, Chapter 15-A), the first such statewide ban in the…
Maine has no statewide plastic straw law. A 2021 bill to require straws only on request (LD 602) was rejected. Straw rules are set locally — Portland requires single-use plastics only…
Maine prohibits the sale of tobacco and electronic smoking devices to anyone under age 21 under 22 MRS section 1551-A and related Tobacco 21 statutes.
Maine has no statewide flavor ban, but several municipalities have adopted local restrictions on flavored tobacco and vape sales using their public health authority.
Maine regulates electronic smoking device retailers under 22 MRS section 1551-A and Title 22 chapter 263, requiring licensure, ID checks, and compliance with sale restrictions.