Source: http://maineroadways.blogspot.com/p/3027.html
Timestamp: 2018-09-23 07:08:48
Document Index: 582660702

Matched Legal Cases: ['§3027', '§1', '§8', '§2', '§1', '§3032', '§1', '§2', '§2', '§2', '§10', '§11', '§2', '§1', '§3033', '§2', '§2', '§469']

Maine ROADWays: Paper Streets - Titles 23 & 33
What are paper streets?
Roads that were laid out in an abandoned subdivision plan but never actually became "accepted roads," (that is, they were never approved as town ways,) are known as paper streets. The law on these phantom roads is confusing because it's divided between road law (Title 23) and real estate law (Title 33). As with discontinued town or county ways, the current status of such roads may depend on certain critical dates - in this case, the date on which it was recorded in a subdivision plan. The laws determining the fate of these roads changed as of September 29, 1987, so it's critical to determine whether the subdivision plan was recorded before or after that date.
The road's current status also may depend on whether anyone actually built it and used it as a road, even for private access, within a certain amount of time after the plan was recorded. If so, private access rights may remain. If not, the land reverts to the abutting property owners and all access rights are extinguished. There are also certain procedures for vacating proposed, unaccepted ways.
These roads are a bit out of the realm of Maine ROADWays; however, I do occasionally get questions about them, so I'm including the relevant statutes I know of here in one place.
Title 23 §3027. Vacation of proposed town ways in land subdivision; revocation of dedication
1. Vacation of ways. Where proposed town ways have been described in a recorded subdivision plan and lots have been sold with reference to the plan, the municipal officers, after notice to the municipal planning board or office, may, on their own initiative, on petition of the abutting property owners or on petition of any person claiming a property interest in the proposed way, vacate in whole or in part proposed ways that have not been accepted. The municipal officers shall give best practicable notice, as defined in section 3026, subsection 2, of the proposed vacation to owners of lots on the recorded subdivision plan and their mortgagees of record. The notice shall conform in substance to the following form:
If the municipal officers enter an order vacating (these ways) (this way) any person claiming an interest in (these ways) (this way) (adverse to the claims of the petitioners) must, within one (1) year of the recording of the order, file a written claim thereof under oath in the_________________ County Registry of Deeds and must, within one hundred eighty (180) days of the filing of the claim, commence an action in the Superior Court in ___________________ County in accordance with the Revised Statutes Title 23, section 3027-A.
The municipal officers shall file an order of vacation with the municipal clerk that specifies the location of the way, the names of owners of lots on the recorded subdivision plan and the amount of damages, if any, determined by the municipal officers to be paid to each lot owner or other person having an interest in the way. Damages and reasonable costs as determined by the municipal officers shall be paid by the petitioners, if any.
[ 1987, c. 385, §1 (AMD) .]
1975, c. 711, §8 (NEW). 1981, c. 683, §2 (RPR). 1987, c. 385, §1 (AMD).
§3032. Proposed, unaccepted ways deemed vacated
1. Deemed vacation.
[ 1997, c. 386, §1 (RP) .]
1-A. Deemed vacation. A proposed, unaccepted way or portion of a proposed, unaccepted way laid out on a subdivision plan recorded in the registry of deeds prior to September 29, 1987 is deemed to have been subject to an order of vacation under section 3027 if, by the later of 15 years after the date of the recording of the subdivision plan laying out the way or portion of the way or September 29, 1997, both of the following conditions have been met:
A. The way or portion of the way has not been constructed or used as a way; and [1997, c. 386, §2 (NEW).]
B. The way or portion of the way has not been accepted as a town, county or state way or highway or as a public, utility or recreational easement. [1997, c. 386, §2 (NEW).]
A way or portion of a way considered vacated under this subsection is subject to section 3033.
[ 1997, c. 386, §2 (NEW) .]
2. Extensions. The municipal officers of the affected municipality may except a proposed, unaccepted way or portion of a proposed, unaccepted way described in subsection 1-A from the operation of the time limitations of that subsection by filing, in the registry of deeds where the subdivision plan is recorded, a notice stating that the way or portion of the way is excepted from the operation of subsection 1-A for a period of 20 years from the filing of the notice. To be effective, this exception must be filed prior to the expiration of the time limitations of subsection 1-A. An extension accomplished under this subsection may be extended by the municipal officers for a subsequent 20-year period by the filing of a new notice within the preceding 20-year extension period.
[ 1997, c. 683, Pt. B, §10 (AMD); 1997, c. 683, Pt. B, §11 (AFF) .]
1987, c. 385, §2 (NEW). 1997, c. 386, §§1,2 (AMD). 1997, c. 683, §B10 (AMD). 1997, c. 683, §B11 (AFF).
§3033. Rights of action concerning ways deemed vacated
1. Notice by person claiming ownership. Any person claiming to own a proposed, unaccepted way or portion of a proposed, unaccepted way deemed vacated under section 3032 may record, in the registry of deeds where the subdivision plan, to which the notice set forth in this subsection pertains, is recorded, a conformed copy of the notice set forth in this subsection, with an alphabetical listing of the names of the current record owners of lots on the subdivision plan to which the notice pertains and their mortgagees of record. The person shall give notice of his claim to these current record owners and their mortgagees of record. Within 20 days of recording of the notice, the person shall give this notice by mailing, by the United States postal service, postage prepaid, to the current record owners and mortgagees, a copy of the notice set forth below:
By virtue of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 23, section 3032, the following proposed, unaccepted ways or portions of proposed, unaccepted ways were deemed by law to have been vacated by the municipal officers of (name of town or city) ________________ . The ways or portions of ways so vacated are shown on a plan (named) (dated) (and) recorded in the ______________ County Registry of Deeds, Book of Plans, Volume ________ , Page ______ , (Folio #) and are described as follows:
(Herein list vacated ways or portions of ways)
The undersigned claims to own the (way or ways) (portion of way or ways) described above. Any person claiming an interest in (this way or these ways) (a portion of this way or these ways) adverse to the claim of the undersigned, within one year from the date of recording of a copy of this notice in the registry of deeds, must file a written claim, under oath, in the same registry and, within 180 days thereafter, must commence an action in Superior Court in _______________ County in accordance with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 23, section 3033. A copy of this notice was recorded in the registry of deeds on _____________ , 19___ .
2. Rights of action by persons receiving notice. All persons receiving a notice under subsection 1, who claim any private right of any kind in the way or portion of a way to which the notice pertains, are forever barred from maintaining any action at law or in equity to establish, recover, confirm or otherwise enforce any right claimed to or in the way or portion of a way by reason of the ownership by the person, or by a predecessor in title, of a lot or parcel of land shown on the recorded subdivision plan to which the notice pertains, unless, within one year from the date of recording of the notice, the person files in the registry of deed where the pertinent subdivision plan is recorded a statement, under oath, specifying the nature, basis and extent of the claimed interest in the way or portion of a way. The claim is forever barred unless, within 180 days of the recording of the statement, the claimant, or a person acting on his behalf, commences an action in equity under Title 14, chapter 723, to establish the rights asserted to or in the way or portion of a way.
The limitation periods in this section are not tolled or interrupted by any disability, minority, lack of knowledge or absence from this State by the claimant.
3. Trial of an action. Upon trial of an action initiated under subsection 2, the court shall grant judgment for the claimant only if it finds that:
A. The claimant has acquired an interest in the way or portion of a way; and [1987, c. 385, §2 (NEW).]
B. The deprivation of the claimant's rights in the way or portion of the way unreasonably limits the claimant's access from his land shown on the recorded subdivision plan to:
(1) A public way;
(2) A public body of water; or
(3) Common land or a common facility within the subdivision. [1987, c. 385, §2 (NEW).]
Any judgment rendered by the court in an action under subsection 2, in the discretion of the court, may grant the claimant reasonable damages instead of establishment of the claimant's rights, except that under no circumstances shall a municipality be liable for any damages granted by any judgment rendered by the court under subsection 2.
Title 33 §469-A. Title to proposed, unaccepted ways