Maine state law: abandoned vehicle notice and disposition (29-A MRS § 1854)

Per 29-A MRS § 1854 (Notice, Abandoned vehicles), the owner of premises where a vehicle described in section 1851 is located, or the owner's agent, shall notify the Secretary of State on a state-provided form. For an auto repair facility or storage facility, notification must occur within 14 days after the earliest date on which the vehicle owner is responsible for any unpaid charges. The notice must include the vehicle's make, model, year, body type, vehicle identification number, and any registration and plates on the vehicle.

The Secretary of State must then inform the vehicle owner and any lienholder by regular mail that the vehicle is being claimed under the abandoned vehicle law, listing the charges and the date on which ownership transfers. If no vehicle record exists, the property owner must publish a notice once in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the premises is located. If the vehicle owner or lienholder has not properly retrieved the vehicle and paid all reasonable charges for its towing, storage, and repair within 14 days from the publication, ownership of the vehicle passes to the owner of the premises.

Maine has no statewide statute fixing how long a vehicle may sit on a public street before being deemed abandoned, that trigger is set by municipal ordinance under 30-A MRS § 3001 (typical Maine municipal trigger: 24-72 hours). Removal authority of municipal police is at 29-A MRS § 2074. Junked, unregistered, or inoperable vehicles stored on private property may additionally fall under municipal junkyard ordinances and 30 MRS § 2451 et seq. (Automobile graveyards).

Failure to comply with the § 1854 notice procedure can void the property owner's claim to title and expose the holder to civil liability to the prior owner or lienholder. Municipal abandoned-vehicle-on-street violations are typically traffic infractions or municipal civil offenses with fines $25-$200; the vehicle is towed under 29-A MRS § 2074 and processed under § 1854.