Title 17, Title 17

The erection and maintenance of watermills and dams to raise water for working them upon or across streams not navigable as provided in Title 38, chapter 5, shall not be deemed a nuisance, unless they become offensive to the neighborhood, or injurious to the public health, or unl…

The possession of poisonous snakes shall be a public nuisance, except where poisonous snakes shall be continuously confined in such type of enclosure as may be determined to be escape proof.

Whoever hereafter erects a dam on any of the public waters of this State shall, within 3 years after a head of water is held and flowage created thereby, remove from the flowed area all trees, bushes and stumps that he can legally remove therefrom, to such an extent that the tops…

Any fence or other structure in the nature of a fence, unnecessarily exceeding 6 feet in height, maliciously kept and maintained for the purpose of annoying the owners or occupants of adjoining property, shall be deemed a private nuisance.

The erection, continuance or use of any building or place for the exercise of a trade, employment or manufacture that, by noxious exhalations, offensive smells or other annoyances, becomes injurious and dangerous to the health, comfort or property of individuals or of the public;…

The municipal officers of a town, when they judge it necessary, may assign places therein for the exercise of any trades, employments or manufactures described in section 2802, and may forbid their exercise in other places, under penalty of being deemed public or common nuisances…

When a place or building so assigned becomes a nuisance, offensive to the neighborhood or injurious to the public health, any person may complain thereof to the Superior Court and if, after notice to the party complained of, the truth of the complaint is admitted by default or ma…

1. Acquisition of property near existing range. Except as provided in this subsection, a person may not maintain a nuisance action, including for noise, against a shooting range located in the vicinity of that person's property if the shooting range was established as of the date…

1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. A. "Commercial fishing activity" means an activity directly related to a commercial fisheries business as defined in Title 12, section 6001, subsectio…

Unreasonable use of land that results in altered flow of surface water that unreasonably injures another's land or that unreasonably interferes with the reasonable use of another's land is a nuisance. [PL 2005, c. 564, §1 (NEW); PL 2005, c. 564, §3 (AFF).] An action under this se…

The municipal officers in the case of a municipality or the county commissioners in the case of the unorganized or deorganized areas in their county may after notice pursuant to section 2857 and hearing adjudge a building to be a nuisance or dangerous, in accordance with subsecti…

An appeal from a decision of the municipal officers or county commissioners under section 2851 or section 2856 must be to the Superior Court, pursuant to the provisions of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 80B.

All expenses incurred by a municipality or county related to an order issued under section 2851, including, but not limited to, expenses relating to the abatement or removal of a building, must be repaid to the municipality or county by the owner within 30 days after demand, or a…

In addition to other proceedings authorized by this subchapter, a municipality has the right to secure buildings that pose a serious threat to the public health and safety and to recover its expenses in so doing as provided in section 2853. If a building is secured under this sec…

Notice required under section 2851 or section 2856 must be served on the owner and parties in interest in the same way service of process is made in accordance with the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure. When the name or address of an owner or party in interest is unknown or is not …

The owner or a party in interest of a dangerous building may consent to its removal and to the recovery of the expenses incurred by a municipality or county by means of a special tax as set forth in this subchapter. Notices of the consent must be recorded in the Registry of Deeds…

In cases involving an immediate and serious threat to the public health, safety or welfare, in addition to any other remedies, a municipality or a county may obtain an order of demolition by summary process in Superior Court, in accordance with this section. [PL 2019, c. 557, §3 …

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. [PL 1985, c. 538, §1 (NEW).] 1. Day care center. "Day care center" means a child care facility, as defined in Title 22, section 8301‑A, subsection 1‑A, paragraph B. 2…

A person may not be employed in any preschool facility in any capacity that involves the transporting of minors by means of motor vehicle if, within the preceding 6-year period prior to commencement of that employment, the person has been convicted of a violation of Title 29‑A, s…

1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context indicates otherwise, the following words shall have the following meanings. A. "Distribute" means to transfer possession, whether with or without consideration. [PL 1977, c. 410, §2 (NEW).] B. "Exhibit" means to display …

1. Prohibition. No book, magazine or newspaper containing obscene material on its cover and offered for sale may be displayed in a location accessible to minors unless the cover of that book, magazine or newspaper is covered with an opaque material sufficient to prevent the obsce…

1. Definitions. For purposes of this section, unless the context indicates otherwise, the following terms have the following meanings. A. "Exhibit" means to display for viewing by the public. [PL 1983, c. 300, §7 (NEW).] B. "Obscene motion picture" means a motion picture which: (…

A person may not, by force or threat of force, intentionally injure, intimidate or interfere with, or intentionally attempt to injure, intimidate or interfere with or intentionally oppress or threaten any other person in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege, s…

A violation of this chapter is a Class D crime.

No trustee, superintendent, treasurer or other person holding a place of trust in any state office or public institution of the State shall be pecuniarily interested directly or indirectly in any contracts made in behalf of the State or of the institution in which he holds such p…

The Lord's Day includes the time between 12 o'clock on Saturday night and 12 o'clock on Sunday night.

To determine when the Lord's Day begins and ends under section 3204 as it applies to diversion, show or entertainment, the hours shall be United States Eastern Standard time.

1. Sales of motor vehicles on Sunday prohibited. Except as provided in section 3203-A, on Sunday a person may not: A. Carry on or engage in the business of buying, selling, exchanging, dealing or trading in new or used motor vehicles; [PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. I, §54 (NEW); PL 2003, …

A person who is licensed in accordance with Title 29-A, section 951 and whose primary business is the buying and selling of new motor homes is exempt from section 3203 as it relates to that person's primary business. A "motor home" means a motor vehicle that is primarily designed…

1. Restriction. A person may not keep a place of business open to the public: A. On Sunday, except: (1) For works of necessity, emergency or charity; or (2) Between the hours of noon and 5:00 p.m. on Sundays falling between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day; or [PL 2003, c. 452,…

No person conscientiously believing that the 7th day of the week ought to be observed as the Sabbath, and actually refraining from secular business and labor on that day, is liable to said penalties for doing such business or labor on the first day of the week, if he does not dis…

1. Definition. For purposes of this section, "convenience store" means a retail store that specializes in the sale of a limited quantity and variety of consumable items in their original containers. 2. Restrictions. A person may not keep open a convenience store 24 hours a day un…

1. Suspected stealing from a store. A store owner, manager or supervisor, or that person's designee, may detain on the premises in a reasonable manner and for a period of time not to exceed 1/2 hour any person as to whom there is probable cause to believe is unlawfully concealing…

Whoever, alone or in pursuance or furtherance of any agreement or combination with others to do or procure to be done any act in contemplation or furtherance of a dispute or controversy between a gas, telegraph, telephone, electric light, electric power or railroad corporation an…

Any employee of a railroad corporation who, in pursuance of an agreement or combination by 2 or more persons to do or procure to be done any act in contemplation or furtherance of a dispute between such corporation and its employees, unlawfully, or in violation of his duty or con…

Whoever, by any unlawful act or by any willful omission or neglect, obstructs or causes to be obstructed an engine or carriage on any railroad, or aids or assists therein; or whoever, having charge of any locomotive or carriage while upon or in use on any railroad, willfully stop…

Whoever, having any management of or control, either alone or with others, over any railroad locomotive, car or train while it is used for the carriage of persons or property, or is at any time guilty of gross carelessness or neglect thereon or in relation to the management or co…

Any person in the employment of a railroad corporation who, in furtherance of the interests of either party to a dispute between another railroad corporation and its employees, refuses to aid in moving the cars of such other corporation or trains in whole or in part made up of th…

It shall be unlawful for any person, acting individually or in concert with others, by mass picketing, force, coercion, physical obstruction at the entrance to any place of employment or physical obstruction in any street, sidewalk or railway, to prevent or attempt to prevent the…

The municipal officers in any municipality wherein a public beach, shore or bank exists may grant a permit to persons to allow horses, cattle, sheep, swine, motor vehicles or motor driven cycles to enter upon such beach, shore or bank at the times designated on such permit. Anyon…

1. Violation. A person may not park a motor vehicle or allow a motor vehicle under that person's control to remain parked: A. In a private drive or private way in a manner that blocks or interferes with the free passage of other vehicles without the permission of the owner of tha…

1. Damage or destruction to farmland, forest land or public easement. A person who, as a result of operating a motor vehicle on farmland, forest land or a public easement in fact, damages or destroys crops, forest products, personal property or roads on that farmland, forest land…

Whoever willfully and knowingly hunts upon unimproved land devoted to the preservation of wildlife and owned by a corporation organized under Title 13, chapter 81, including that portion of any public way which crosses or abuts said land, provided that all boundaries of said land…

No person on foot shall be denied access or egress over unimproved land to a great pond except that this provision shall not apply to access or egress over the land of a water company or a water district when the water from the great pond is utilized as a source for public water.…

No person or individual may sell, utilize, install or have installed within this State equipment, devices or methods whereby fence wires may be energized with electricity unless a standard type of controller is used, which has the approval of the Underwriter's Laboratories and ca…

It shall be unlawful to use any radio receiving set which radiates radio waves between 200 meters wave length and 550 meters wave length which causes interference with the reception of any other radio receiving set. Whoever knowingly, maliciously or wantonly by any means unreason…