PRIA Logo™
MaineLD 1985132nd Maine Legislature (2025-2026)HouseWALLET

An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Maine Abandoned and Discontinued Roads Commission

Sponsored By: Sponsor information unavailable

Became Law

MUNICIPALITIESMUNICIPALITIES - ROADS

Your PRIA Score

Score Hidden

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to start

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Liability shields for easement neighbors

If you own, lease, or live next to a public easement, you are not liable for injuries or damage from repairs you make to reach your property or from public use, unless you willfully create a danger or fail to warn about a known hazard. The law does not create any duty for you to keep the easement safe. If you give substantial credible proof to the state DEP or the Land Use Planning Commission that someone else caused an environmental violation, you do not owe cleanup costs, penalties, or forfeitures. If a court rules you are not liable under this law, it must order the other side to pay your direct legal costs, including reasonable attorney’s fees.

Town minimum upkeep for easement roads

If you live year-round in a home reached by a public easement, you can petition for a town vote on minimum year-round maintenance. If approved, the town may grade, plow, and fix drains and culverts up to the last year-round driveway. The standard is lower than for town roads and stays until the town votes to end it. The town may use its highway equipment for this work. The town must post “Minimum Maintenance Road – Travel at Your Own Risk” signs (standard 24x24 inch diamond), and the town is immune from liability for this approved maintenance.

Easier fuel deliveries on local roads

If a delivery vehicle has a DOT permit to carry home heating fuel or organic animal bedding, it may travel on county or town ways and public easements without another local permit. Towns can set operating limits, but they cannot require a second permit. This helps keep heating fuel and bedding deliveries to remote homes moving.

Small funding for roads commission

The state provides $6,500 a year from the General Fund to the Road Commission Fund to reimburse members and support the Maine Abandoned and Discontinued Roads Commission. It shows $6,500 for FY 2025-26 and $6,500 for FY 2026-27, and the funding continues each year.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsors

There is no primary sponsor on record.

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

Actions Timeline

  1. ACTPUB Chapter 518

    5/1/2026

  2. HELD BY THE GOVERNOR.

    7/8/2025Senate

  3. On motion by Senator ROTUNDO of Androscoggin taken from the Special Appropriations Table PASSED TO BE ENACTED in concurrence.

    6/25/2025Senate

  4. On motion by Senator ROTUNDO of Androscoggin PLACED ON THE SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS TABLE pending ENACTMENT in concurrence

    6/10/2025Senate

  5. PASSED TO BE ENACTED. Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

    6/9/2025House

  6. Report READ and ACCEPTED Bill READ ONCE Under suspension of the Rules, READ A SECOND TIME and PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED in concurrence.

    6/9/2025Senate

  7. Reported by Representative SALISBURY for the Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 23, section 3036, subsection 11.Report was READ and ACCEPTED.The Bill was READ ONCE.Under suspension of the rules, the Bill was given its SECOND READING without REFERENCE to the Committee on Bills in the Second Reading.The Bill was PASSED TO BE ENGROSSEDSent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

    6/9/2025House

Bill Text

Related Bills

Back to State Legislation