Maine Ordinances (2026)

Maine's LD 2003, codified at 30-A MRSA section 4364, requires every municipality to allow at least one accessory dwelling unit on any lot with an existing single-family home. The law preempts local bans, density caps, and discriminatory ADU rules.

The Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code applies statewide and exempts one-story detached accessory structures of 200 square feet or less from building permit requirements, though zoning, electrical, and shoreland rules may still apply.

Maine adopted Appendix Q of the International Residential Code through MUBEC, providing statewide construction standards for tiny houses 400 square feet and under. The standards apply uniformly in all code-adopting municipalities across Maine.

Maine prosecutes animal hoarding under 17 MRS Section 1031 cruelty statutes and 7 MRS Section 4011 civil cruelty law. Both apply uniformly statewide and authorize seizure when owners deprive animals of necessary care.

Title 7 Section 2701 requires every person keeping bees in Maine to register colonies annually with the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Honeybees are classified as livestock, providing Right-to-Farm protections statewide.

Maine Title 7 Section 3950 expressly preempts municipal breed-specific legislation. Cities and towns may not adopt ordinances or regulations that target dogs based on breed, ensuring dogs are evaluated by individual behavior rather than appearance.

Title 12 Section 12152 prohibits possessing wildlife in Maine without a permit from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The statewide tiered system applies to all residents and overrides local pet rules.

Title 12 Section 10659 prohibits placing salt, bait, or food to entice deer between June 1 and the start of deer hunting season statewide. The Commissioner may regulate deer feeding to protect public safety and prevent disease.

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 shoreland guidelines.

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 enforces if local rules fall short.

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 permitting taller buildings near water.

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 with limited local authority over location, hours, and signage.

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 barred from prohibiting state-permitted personal cultivation.

Commercial drone operations in Maine are governed by FAA Part 107 with universal federal preemption of airspace, while Maine privacy and law enforcement statutes apply uniformly to data collection and surveillance regardless of municipality.

Maine recreational drone use is governed primarily by FAA federal rules, with Maine's drone privacy law and law enforcement statute creating uniform statewide privacy and trespass protections that apply regardless of municipality.

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's Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act requires every coastal and waterfront municipality to adopt minimum statewide standards within 250 feet of protected waters, with state oversight ensuring local rules cannot fall below baseline coastal protections.

Maine law requires erosion and sedimentation Best Management Practices on every construction or earthwork project regardless of size, applying universally statewide under Title 38 and DEP rules and not subject to local exception.

Maine requires every participating municipality to adopt a floodplain management ordinance meeting National Flood Insurance Program standards, with state Floodplain Management Program oversight ensuring uniform minimum coastal and riverine flood protections.

Maine DEP's Stormwater Management Law and Chapter 500 rules set statewide thresholds requiring permits for development that disturbs one acre or more, with stricter standards in urban impaired and lake watersheds preempting weaker local rules.

Maine's partition fence statute requires adjoining landowners to share the cost of dividing fences when both use them. Fence viewers, appointed in every town, resolve disputes statewide and apportion repair costs uniformly.

Maine adopts the International Residential Code through MUBEC, requiring all residential swimming pools deeper than 24 inches to be enclosed by a four-foot self-closing, self-latching barrier statewide. Local towns enforce but cannot weaken these rules.

Maine permits sale and use of consumer fireworks meeting federal CPSC standards under 8 M.R.S. Section 223-A but bans bottle rockets, missile-type rockets, helicopters, and aerial spinners statewide.

Maine requires a permit from a town fire warden or forest ranger for nearly all outdoor burning under 12 M.R.S. Section 9324, with statewide red-flag day prohibitions and Forest Service oversight.

Maine State Fire Marshal adopts NFPA 58 Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code statewide under 25 M.R.S. Chapter 313 governing tank siting, capacities, distances, and dispensing for residential and commercial propane.

Maine Forest Service administers statewide wildfire prevention under Title 12 Chapter 807 with daily fire danger ratings, statewide red-flag burn bans, and forest ranger enforcement authority.

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 requires food trucks to hold state-issued mobile vendor licenses through DACF or DHHS depending on operations. The statewide licensing framework applies in every municipality, with local permits layered on top.

Maine's Home Food Manufacturing license and the Food Sovereignty Act create statewide rules permitting direct sale of many homemade foods, with Maine's unique local food sovereignty ordinance authorization layered over Department of Agriculture oversight.

Maine licenses all family child care homes through a statewide Department of Health and Human Services framework, preempting local rules on capacity, ratios, background checks, and health and safety beyond local zoning of where homes may operate.

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.

Maine encourages residential backyard composting and exempts small-scale home composting from solid waste licensing. The Department of Environmental Protection rules apply statewide and supersede any local ban on home composting of food scraps and yard waste.

Maine has no statewide prohibition on rainwater collection. Property owners may legally capture rooftop runoff for landscape irrigation and non-potable uses under the state's reasonable use doctrine for surface water and stormwater management rules.

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 apply universally near protected waters under separate statewide standards.

Maine's Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act applies statewide within 250 feet of protected water bodies and 75 feet of streams. The Department of Environmental Protection sets minimum tree clearing and pruning rules that all municipalities must adopt and enforce.

Maine prohibits the sale, distribution, and importation of designated invasive terrestrial plants statewide. The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry maintains the do-not-sell list, which preempts any local rule attempting to allow these species.

Aircraft noise in Maine is regulated almost entirely by federal law. The FAA controls flight operations and noise standards, and Maine municipalities cannot impose curfews or noise limits on aircraft in flight or at federally obligated airports.

Maine state law makes a dog that barks excessively or otherwise disturbs neighbors a public nuisance, allowing animal control officers and courts statewide to order abatement and impose civil penalties regardless of the municipality.

Maine law sets uniform statewide procedures for identifying, removing, and disposing of abandoned motor vehicles, requiring towing only by authorized agents, owner notification, and state-managed title processes regardless of which Maine municipality the vehicle is found in.

Maine law preempts local restrictions on condominium owner installation of EV charging stations and sets statewide technical, signage, and pricing transparency standards through the Public Utilities Commission and Efficiency Maine.

Maine's Right to Farm and farmland protection statutes at 7 MRS section 152 and Title 30-A limit local zoning that would impede agricultural operations meeting state standards.

Maine's Right to Farm Law at 7 MRS section 152 shields established farm operations from nuisance suits and restrictive local ordinances when generally accepted practices are followed.

Maine imposes a uniform 9% statewide sales tax on rental of living quarters at hotels, vacation homes, condos, camps, and short-term rentals administered by Maine Revenue Services.

Maine state law allows temporary political signs in public road rights-of-way for limited windows around elections, preempting municipal bans. Signs must follow size, placement, and removal rules enforced by MaineDOT statewide.

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 section 1612, the first such statewide ban in the United States.

Maine restricts plastic straw distribution under 38 MRS section 1614, requiring full-service restaurants to provide single-use plastic straws only upon customer request.

Title 33 Chapter 28-A protects Maine homeowners' right to install solar energy devices. HOAs and condo associations cannot prohibit solar systems and may impose only narrow, reasonable restrictions tied to safety or aesthetics.

Title 22 Section 1632 mandates a fence around every Maine swimming pool, with limited exemptions for above-ground pools with 24-inch sidewalls. MUBEC adds detailed barrier height, gate, and opening standards statewide.

The Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code requires building permits for swimming pools and spas in municipalities with 4,000 or more residents. The 2021 ICC-based code took effect April 7, 2025 and standardizes pool construction statewide.

Title 22 Chapter 266 and DHHS rules set statewide safety, sanitation, and barrier standards for public and semi-public pools. Operators must follow uniform Maine standards regardless of municipal location.

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.

Maine requires a 5-cent or 15-cent refundable deposit on virtually all beverage containers sold in the state under 38 M.R.S. Chapter 33, administered by Maine DEP with universal redemption obligations.

Maine 38 M.R.S. Section 439-A imposes statewide minimum vegetation buffer and tree-cutting standards within 250 feet of protected waters, enforced by municipalities with DEP oversight.