An Act To Revise the Definition of Service Dog
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 0289
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: ROBINSON, HASTINGS, AUSTIN, BEAUDETTE, BEAULIEU, FARRINGTON, PRESCOTT, RECTOR, SAVAGE, COURTNEY
Amends: 7 MRSA §3907, 7 MRSA §3922, 7 MRSA §3923-A, 12 MRSA §10054, 17 MRSA §1011, 26 MRSA §1412-I

Legislative Document 
No. 289 
H.P.233 
House of Representatives, January 19,2007 
An Act To Revise the Definition of Service Dog 
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative ROBINSON of Raymond. 
Cosponsored by Senator HASTINGS of Oxford and 
1J1~ 
/l7·711P£~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: AUSTIN of Gray, BEAUDETTE of Biddeford, BEAULIEU of Auburn, 
FARRINGTON of Gorham, PRESCOTT of Topsham, RECTOR of Thomaston, SAVAGE of 
Falmouth, Senator: COURTNEY of York. 
Printed nn fecy!; leu paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 7 MRS A §3907, sub-§13, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 383, §3, is repealed. 
Sec. 2. 7 MRSA §3907, sub-§14, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 383, §3, is repealed. 
Sec. 3. 7 MRSA §3907, sub-§24-A is enacted to read: 
24-A. Service do~. "Service dog" means a dog that has been or is being trained to 
provide special services to its handler, including a guide dog for a person who is blind or 
visually impaired, a hearing dog for a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing and a 
personal care dog as defined in Title 17, section 1312, subsection 7. 
Sec. 4. 7 MRSA §3922, sub-§4, as amended by PL 1995, c. 409, §4, is repealed 
and the following enacted in its place: 
4. Service dogs. When the owner or keeper of a service dog is applying to license a 
dog that has not been previously licensed as a service dog, the owner or keeper must 
provide the documentation required under section 3923-A, subsection 3-A. 
Sec. 5. 7 MRS A §3923-A, first~, as amended by PL 2003, c. 405, § 13, is further 
amended to read: 
Except as provided in subsection; 3-A and section 3923-C, a dog owner or keeper 
obtaining a license from a municipal clerk or dog recorder shall pay the license and 
recording fees established in this section. 
Sec. 6. 
MRSA §3923-A, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2001, c. 422, §9, IS 
repealed. 
Sec. 7. 7 MRS A §3923-A, sub-§3-A is enacted to read: 
3-A. Exemption from fees. A municipal clerk or a veterinary licensing agent shall 
issue a license upon application and without payment of a license fee required under this 
section for: 
A. A service dog when the dog's owner or keeper presents documentation that the 
dog is certified in accordance with Title 26, section 1412-1 or is enrolled for training 
as a service dog with an organization accredited under Title 26, section 1412-1; 
B. 
A trained search and rescue dog when the dog's owner or keeper presents 
documentation that the dog is certified in accordance with Title 12, section 10054, 
subsection 4-A; and 
C. A law enforcement dog when a law enforcement officer presents documentation 
that the dog is certified in accordance with Title 25, section 2803-A, subsection 8-D. 
After an initial licensing as a service dog, documentation is not required under this 
subsection for license renewals unless the owner or keeper of the dog changes. 
Sec. 8. 7 MRS A §3961-A, last~, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 220, §2, is repealed. 
Page I - 123LR0830(Ol)-1 
Sec. 9. 12 MRSA §10054, sub-§4-A is enacted to read: 
4-A. Search and rescue dOf::s. 
Development of minimum training standards for 
dogs certified as search and rescue dogs. The bureau shall develop a certificate to be 
issued to the owner or keeper of a dog that successfully completes a search and rescue 
training program recognized by the bureau as meeting or exceeding the standards 
developed under this subsection. The certificate must identify the dog by breed and the 
owner or keeper of the dog who participated in the training; 
Sec. 10. 17 MRSA §1011, sub-§13, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 383, §4, is 
repealed. 
Sec. 11. 17 MRSA §1011, sub-§14, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 383, §4, IS 
repealed. 
Sec. 12. 25 MRS A §2803-A, sub-§8-D is enacted to read: 
8-D. Training of law enforcement dogs. To establish training standards for dogs 
used for law enforcement purposes. The board shall develop a certificate to be issued to 
the owner or keeper of a dog that successfully completes a training program recognized 
by the board as meeting or exceeding the standards developed under this subsection; 
Sec. 13. 26 MRSA §1412-I is enacted to read: 
§1412-I. Certification of service dogs 
No later than July 1, 2008, the commissioner shall adopt rules to establish minimum 
training standards for service dogs and an accreditation process for persons or 
organizations that provide training that meets or exceeds the standards developed under 
this section. For purposes of this section, "service dog" has the same meaning as in Title 
7, section 3907, subsection 24-A. The rules must include training standards for guide 
dogs for people who are blind or visually impaired, hearing dogs for people who are deaf 
or hard-of-hearing and personal care dogs for people with disabilities other than those 
related to vision or hearing. Rules adopted under this section are routine technical rules 
as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
The commissioner shall develop and maintain a list of accredited trainers and furnish 
certificates to those trainers to be issued to the owner or keeper of a dog that successfully 
completes a training program. The certificate must identify the dog by breed and type of 
1 
service training received and the owner or keeper whom the dog has been trained to assist 
or who is keeping the dog pending assignment of that dog to a person needing the dog's 
servIces. 
SUMMARY 
This bill enacts a definition of "service dog." It requires documentation of minimum 
training standards for service dogs and dogs trained to assist in law enforcement and 
search and rescue efforts in order to receive an exemption from I icensing fees.