An Act To Protect and Promote Access to Sport Shooting Ranges
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1500
Committee Amendment CA_A_H612 (House)
Amends: 17 MRSA §2806, 30-A MRSA §3011

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1023, L.D. 1500, Bill, "An Act To 
Protect and Promote Access to Sport Shooting Ranges" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec.1. 17 MRSA §2806, sub-§§1 and 2, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 231, §1, are 
amended to read: 
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 the person acquired the property. If there is a substantial 
change in use of the range after the person acquires the property, the person may maintain 
a nuisance action if the action is brought within 3 years from the beginning of the 
substantial change. 
2. Establishment of shooting range near existing property. A person who owns 
property in the vicinity of a shooting range that was established after the person acquired 
the property may maintain a nuisance action, including for noise,. against that shooting 
range only if the action is brought within 5 years after establishment of the range or 3 
years after a substantial change in use of the range .. 
Sec. 2. 17 MRSA §2806, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 231, §1, is amended 
to read: 
4. Application. This section does not limit nuisance actions against shooting ranges 
established on or after the effeetive date of this seetioa September 1, 2016. 
Sec. 3. 30-A MRSA §3011, sub-§§2 and 3, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 231, §2, 
are amended to read: 
2. Limitation. A municipal noise control or other ordinance may not require or be 
applied so as to require a sport shooting range to limit or eliminate shooting activities that 
have occurred on a regular basis at the range prior to the enactment date of the ordinance,. 
Page I -127LR2498(02)-l 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ·A" to H.P. 1023, L.D. 1500 
as long as the range conforms to generally accepted gun safety and shooting range 
operation practices or is constructed in a manner not reasonably expected to allow a 
projectile to cross the boundary of the range. 
3. Expansion of activity. Nothing in this section limits the ability of a municipality 
to regulate Reise preetteeEl ey the e'Kpa:H:sieH: ef aetivity at a the location and construction 
of a new sport shooting range or a substantial change in use of an existing range on or 
after September 1, 2016. 
Sec. 4. 30-A MRSA §3011, sub-§4 is enacted to read: 
4. 
Maintenance and improvements. 
A municipality may not restrict a sport 
shooting range established prior to September 1, 2016 from performing maintenance or 
otherwise making improvements to the sport shooting range and its buildings, structures 
and grounds with regard to: 
A. Enhancing public safety and shot containment; 
B. Providing access for persons with disabilities and providing rest room facilities; 
C. Otherwise maintaining or improving the habitability of buildings and grounds, if 
such maintenance or improvements are otherwise in compliance with the 
municipality's generally applicable building codes and zoning ordinances; and 
D. 
Repairing or rebuilding a building or structure damaged by fire, collapse, 
explosion or an act of God, if such repairs or rebuilding is otherwise in compliance 
with the municipality's generally applicable building codes and is completed within 2 
years of the loss or damage.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the majority report, strikes the bill and replaces it with 
changes to current law concerning sport shooting ranges. It does the following. 
1. It expands sport shooting range immunity from nuisance lawsuits filed against the 
shooting range from nuisance lawsuits based on noise to any nuisance lawsuit. 
2. It prohibits municipal ordinances from being applied to limit or eliminate shooting 
activities that have occurred on a regular basis at a sport shooting range prior to the 
enactment date of the ordinance. Current law exempts the applicability of ordinances 
only with regard to noise control. 
3. It requires a sport shooting range to meet general gun safety and shooting range 
operation practices or be constructed in a manner not reasonably expected to allow a 
projectile to cross the boundary of the range in order to be exempted from municipal 
ordinances applied to limit or eliminate its current shooting activities. 
4. It provides that a municipality may not restrict a sport shooting range established 
prior to September 1, 2016 from performing maintenance or making improvements to 
enhance public safety and shot containment, provide access for persons with disabilities 
and provide rest room facilities. Other maintenance or improvements must be done in 
compliance with generally applicable municipal building codes and zoning ordinances. 
Repairing or rebuilding a building or structure damaged by fire, collapse, explosion or an 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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0-y,c, 
COMMITIEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1023, L.D. 1500 
act of God must be done in compliance with generally applicable municipal building 
codes and be completed within 2 years. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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Revised: 03/22/16 feac 
LD 1500 
LR 2498(02) 
An Act To Protect and Promote Access to Sport Shooting Ranges 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 'Fr{. H.,. bl a) 
Committee: Judiciary 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor savings - General Fund 
Minor revenue decrease - General Fund 
Correctional and Judicial Impact Statements 
Decreases the number of civil suits. 
A reduction in filing fees will decrease General Fund revenue by minor amounts. 
LR2498(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1