An Act To Change the Requirements for Recording Plans at the County Registries of Deeds
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1393
Committee Amendment CA_A_H291 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT .. ;f,, to H.P. 1007, L.D. 1393, Bill, "An Act To 
Change the Requirements for Recording Plans at the County Registries of Deeds" 
Amend the bill in section 1 in §652 in subsection 1 in the last line (page 1, line 12 in 
L.D.) by striking out the following: 
"be submitted on white 20-pound paper" and 
insetting the following: 'the plan must be submitted on white paper with a minimum 
weight of 20 pounds' 
Amend the bill in section 1 in §652 in the 3rd indented paragraph in the 4th line (page 
1, line 25 in L.D.) by strildng out the following: "permanently file the original and" and 
inserting the following: 'permanently file the original, create a digital image of the plan at 
a minimum of 300 dots per inch or 300 pixels per inch and' 
Amend the bill in section 1 in §652 by striking out all of the last paragraph (page 1, 
lines 33 to 37 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'The several registers shall establish, and thereafter adhere to, reasonable standards 
for the implementation of reproducing copies of original plans as recorded. Reproduction 
must be on a scale of one to one and must be accomplished with the least possible error 
and distortion. Methods of reproduction must be to standards in keeping with accepted 
engineering and survey practices.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment sets the 20-pound weight for paper as the minimum weight for 
recording plans at the county registries of deeds. The amendment requires that a digital 
image be at least 300 dots per inch or 300 pixels per inch, The amendment retains the 
last paragraph of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 33, section 652 in current law, which 
regards standards for the reproduction of copies. 
The fiscal note on the amendment identifies certain clerical changes in this bill as 
amended as a potential state mandate. 
In order to be a mandate pursuant to the 
Constitution of Maine, a provision must require a local unit of government to expand or 
modify its activities so as to necessitate additional expenditures from local revenue. The 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEEAMENDMENT'A "toH.P.1007,L.D.1393 
committee finds that certain changes in this legislation, such as the size of the register1s 
block and the minimum weight of paper, do not require a registry of deeds to expand or 
modify its activities. 
The committee finds that these changes and others in this 
legislation, such as the minimum size of plans, do not apply to the activities of a registry 
of deeds but to members of the public. The committee finds that the changes to the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 33, section 652, subsection 5 that remove microfiche and 
microfilm as options for public copies while retaining the option of paper or digital copies 
do not necessitate additional expenditures from local revenue. Microfiche and microfilm 
copies require use of separate equipment and a physical storage space. Digital copies do 
not require either of these and are, therefore, likely to result in savings for a registry of 
deeds. The committee finds that the requirement that a registry of deeds microfilm each 
plan for archival purposes conforms to current archival practice as established by the 
State Archivist and is not a new requirement. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 04/25/19 feac:.. 
LD 1393 
LR 457(02) 
An Act To Change the Requirements for Recording Plans at the County Registries of Deeds 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ,.jl, ( J-/ · 2'10 
Committee: State and Local Government 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Potential State Mandate - Unfunded 
State Mandates 
Required Activity 
Unit Affected 
Requires counties to make certain clerical changes to procedures for recording plans 
County 
with a registry of deeds, including microfilming of each plan. 
Local Cost 
Insignificant 
statewide 
The required local activities in this bill may represent a state mandate pursuant to the Constitution of Maine. If the bill 
does require a local unit of government to expand or modify its activities so as to necessitate additional expenditures 
from local revenue, the state mandate provisions of the Constitution of Maine require either: (1) General Fund 
appropriations be provided to fund at least 90% of any additional necessitated local costs of the mandate; or (2) a 
Mandate Preamble be added to the bill and two-thirds of the members of each House vote to exempt the mandate from 
the funding requirement. If the bill does represent a state mandate and neither one of these actions occurs, the local 
units of government will not be required to implement the mandated activities. 
LR0457(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1