Maine
Maine: statutes read at the official source for people acting for themselves, each with its citation and the date it was read.
Acting for yourself
No person may practice law or profess to practice law within the State or before its courts
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 4, § 807 · legislature.maine.gov · read 2026-08-20 · official source
Renting and landlord-tenant
security deposit, return deadline (written lease)
In the case of a written rental agreement, within the time, not to exceed 30 days, stated in the agreement; and
14 M.R.S. § 6033(2)(A) · read 2026-08-21 · official source
security deposit, return deadline (tenancy at will)
In the case of a tenancy at will, within 21 days after the termination of the tenancy or the surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs later.
14 M.R.S. § 6033(2)(B) · read 2026-08-21 · official source
Not verified for Maine: Deposit cap (14 M.R.S. § 6032), month-to-month notice (§ 6002) and forcible entry and detainer were not transcribed.
Small claims
The court that hears these in Maine is the Small claims proceeding under 14 M.R.S. ch. 738 (the specific court is not named in the section read).
$10,000
EFFECTIVE-DATE SPLIT, and the section is expressly captioned '(CONTAINS TEXT WITH VARYING EFFECTIVE DATES)'. $6,000 applied under the text effective until 2026-01-01; $10,000 applies under the text effective 2026-01-01. The read date (2026-08-21) is after that changeover, so $10,000 is operative.
(TEXT EFFECTIVE 1/01/26) Notwithstanding the total amount of a debt or contract, a "small claim" means a right of action cognizable by a court if the debt or damage does not exceed $10,000 exclusive of interest and costs. It does not include an action involving the title to real estate.
14 M.R.S. § 7482 · read 2026-08-21 · official source
Not verified: The court that hears these was not named in § 7482; not asserted.; Attorney representation not read.; No official self-help URL verified (candidate courts.maine.gov paths returned HTTP 404).
What this page is, and is not
Everything above was read at the source named next to it, on the date named next to it. Nothing is summarised from memory and nothing is carried over from a neighbouring state. Statutes are amended, so read the source before relying on it.
This is general legal information about Maine. It is not advice about your situation, and it is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.