An Act to Provide for Municipalities to Allow Grocery Stores up to 10,000 Square Feet to Open on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 0583
Committee: Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business
Sponsors: LYFORD, CAMPBELL, BRAKEY, MOORE, SOBOLESKI
Amends: 17 MRSA §3204, 17 MRSA §3210

Legislative Document
No. 583
S.P. 251
In Senate, February 13, 2023
An Act to Provide for Municipalities to Allow Grocery Stores up to 
10,000 Square Feet to Open on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas
Reference to the Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and 
Business suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator LYFORD of Penobscot.
Cosponsored by Representative CAMPBELL of Orrington and
Senators: BRAKEY of Androscoggin, MOORE of Washington, Representative: SOBOLESKI 
of Phillips.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  17 MRSA §3204, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. I, §55 and 
affected by Pt. X, §2, is amended to read:
2.  Exceptions.  This section does not apply to:
A.  Common, contract and private carriers;
B.  Taxicabs;
C.  Airplanes;
D.  Newspapers;
E.  Radio and television stations;
F.  Hotels, motels, rooming houses, tourist and trailer camps;
G.  Restaurants;
H.  Garages and motor vehicle service stations;
I.  Retail monument dealers;
J.  Automatic laundries;
K.  Machines that vend anything of value, including, but not limited to, a product, 
money or service;
L.  A satellite facility approved by the Superintendent of Financial Institutions under 
Title 9‑B; or comparable facility approved by the appropriate federal authority;
M.  Pharmacies;
N.  Greenhouses;
O.  Seasonal stands engaged in sale of farm produce, dairy products, seafood or 
Christmas trees;
P.  Public utilities;
Q.  Industries normally kept in continuous operation, including, but not limited to, 
electric generation plants, pulp and paper plants and textile plants;
R.  Processing plants handling agricultural produce or products of the sea;
S.  Ship chandleries;
T.  Marinas;
U.  Establishments primarily selling boats, boating equipment, sporting equipment, 
souvenirs and novelties;
V.  Motion picture theaters;
W.  Public dancing;
X.  Sports and athletic events;
Y.  Bowling alleys;
Z.  Displaying or exploding fireworks, under Title 8, chapter 9‑A;
AA.  Musical concerts;
BB.  Religious, educational, scientific or philosophical lectures;
CC.  Scenic, historic, recreational and amusement facilities;
DD.  Real estate brokers and real estate sales representatives;
EE.  Mobile home brokers and mobile home sales representatives;
FF.  Stores in which no more than 5 persons, including the proprietor, are employed in 
the usual and regular conduct of business;
GG.  Stores that have no more than 5,000 square feet of interior customer selling space, 
excluding back room storage, office and processing space; and
HH.  Stores with more than 5,000 square feet of interior customer selling space that 
engage in retail sales and that do not require, as a condition of employment, that their 
employees work on Sundays.  If an employer decreases the average weekly work hours 
of an employee who has declined to work on Sundays, it is prima facie evidence that 
the employer has required Sunday work as a condition of employment in violation of 
this section, unless the employer and employee agreed that the employee would work 
on Sundays when the employee was initially hired.  In no event, however, may any  
Except as provided in paragraph II, a store having more than 5,000 square feet of 
interior customer selling space may not be open on Easter Day, Thanksgiving Day and 
or Christmas Day.; and
II.  Grocery stores with no more than 10,000 square feet of interior customer selling 
space may be open on Easter Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day if the 
requirements of section 3210 are met. For purposes of this paragraph, "grocery store" 
has the same meaning as in Title 22, section 2491, subsection 7-B.
This subsection does not exempt the businesses or facilities specified in sections 3205 and, 
3207 and 3210 from closing in any municipality until the requirements of those sections 
have been met.
Sec. 2.  17 MRSA §3210 is enacted to read:
§3210.  Local option; grocery stores
A municipality may by ordinance allow grocery stores with no more than 10,000 square 
feet of interior customer selling space to be open on Easter Day, Thanksgiving Day and 
Christmas Day. For purposes of this section, "grocery store" has the same meaning as in 
Title 22, section 2491, subsection 7-B.
SUMMARY
This bill allows a municipality by ordinance to allow grocery stores with no more than 
10,000 square feet of interior customer selling space to be open on Easter Day, 
Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.