Maine Right to Farm Law Protects Agricultural Operations

Title 7 MRS section 152 declares Maine's policy to conserve, protect, and encourage agricultural operations and prevent loss of farmland to nuisance lawsuits. A farm operation in existence for at least one year and using best management practices is presumed not a nuisance. Local ordinances cannot define operations that meet these standards as a nuisance. The law covers crop, livestock, dairy, aquaculture, and forestry activities. Affected operations may use the statute as an affirmative defense in nuisance actions.

Nuisance suits against protected operations may be dismissed; courts may award attorney fees and costs to prevailing farms under 7 MRS section 153.