Portland, ME Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

Sec. 28-224, in Chapter 28's Division 6 (Bicycles, Skateboards and Rollerskating), authorizes the city council by council order to prohibit riding a bicycle, skateboard or rollerskates on any public property, sidewalk, street or way within the city "where such prohibition is necessary to protect the safety of pedestrians and motorists," with the city traffic engineer empowered to post signs marking the prohibited area and the hours it applies. A separate clause lets the superintendent of schools regulate skateboarding on school grounds. Where riding on a sidewalk is not prohibited, subsection (b) still requires a skateboarder to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and give an audible signal before overtaking and passing one.

The code's own editor's note pins down where the council has actually exercised this authority: pursuant to Council Order No. 33, passed August 20, 2007, and pursuant to Sec. 28-224, skateboarding is prohibited on the sidewalks within the yellow zone of the Portland Downtown District, bounded by Cumberland Ave, Franklin Arterial, Commercial St. and State St. Sec. 28-225 gives the parks authority parallel power to mark areas within city parks off-limits to skateboards, bicycles and rollerskates.

Violations of Division 6, including a posted skateboarding-prohibited zone under Sec. 28-224, are governed by Sec. 28-228: a person may pay a $25.00 waiver fee within ten days of a notice of violation or summons in lieu of court, or, if convicted, faces a minimum $50.00 penalty. Because the underlying ban depends on posted signage rather than a citywide default, a skateboarder's exposure turns on whether the specific sidewalk carries the traffic engineer's prohibition sign.