An Act To Prohibit the Imposition by Municipalities of General Restrictions on Rents and Rental Properties
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 0522
Committee: Labor and Housing
Sponsors: STROM, POULIOT, ARATA, HANINGTON, WADSWORTH, FOLEY
Amends: 30-A MRSA §3007, 30-A MRSA §7051, 30-A MRSA §7505

Legislative Document
No. 522
H.P. 379
House of Representatives, January 31, 2019
An Act To Prohibit the Imposition by Municipalities of General 
Restrictions on Rents and Rental Properties
Reference to the Committee on Labor and Housing suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative STROM of Pittsfield.
Cosponsored by Senator POULIOT of Kennebec and
Representatives: ARATA of New Gloucester, HANINGTON of Lincoln, WADSWORTH of 
Hiram, Senator: FOLEY of York.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  30-A MRSA §3007, sub-§7 is enacted to read:
7.  Limitation on rental property regulation.  A municipality may not adopt an 
ordinance that regulates the rent that may be charged for a rental property or that requires 
registration of or imposes fees specific to rental properties.  Effective October 1, 2020, an 
ordinance adopted in violation of this subsection is void and unenforceable.  For the 
purposes of this subsection, "rental property" means a building or part thereof rented for 
human habitation, including a mobile home, apartment or other structure, except rental 
property that is owned, operated, financed or subsidized by the Federal Government or 
State Government or a subdivision thereof; a federal or state agency; or a federal, state or 
local housing authority.
Sec. 2.  30-A MRSA §7051, sub-§11, as amended by PL 2017, c. 3, §1, is further 
amended to read:
11.  Ordinances.  Chapter 141, but only with respect to animal control ordinances, 
subject to Title 7, section 3950, and; the sale and use of consumer fireworks within the 
plantation, subject to Title 8, section 223-A; and the limitation on rental property 
regulation in section 3007, subsection 7.
Sec. 3.  30-A MRSA §7505 is enacted to read:
§7505.  Limitation on rental property regulation
The county commissioners may not adopt an ordinance that regulates the rent that 
may be charged for a rental property or that requires registration of or imposes fees 
specific to rental properties in the unorganized territory.  Effective October 1, 2020, an 
ordinance adopted in violation of this section is void and unenforceable.  For the purposes 
of this section, "rental property" means a building or part thereof rented for human 
habitation, including a mobile home, apartment or other structure, except rental property 
that is owned, operated, financed or subsidized by the Federal Government or State 
Government or a subdivision thereof; a federal or state agency; or a federal, state or local 
housing authority.
SUMMARY
This bill prohibits towns, cities, plantations, village corporations and counties 
providing municipal services in the unorganized territory of their county from adopting 
ordinances regulating the rent that may be charged for a rental property, requiring 
registration of rental properties or imposing fees specific to rental properties.