An Act to Amend the Law Governing Notification to Vehicle
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1846
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: CLUCHEY
Amends: 29-A MRSA §1854, 29-A MRSA §1856, 29-A MRSA §1857

Legislative Document
No. 1846
H.P. 1230
House of Representatives, April 30, 2025
An Act to Amend the Law Governing Notification to Vehicle 
Owners and Lienholders When a Vehicle Is Towed or Left Without 
Permission on Residential or Business Property
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative CLUCHEY of Bowdoinham.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  29-A MRSA §1854, as amended by PL 2021, c. 515, §1, is further amended 
to read:
§1854.  Notification of vehicle owner
1.  Notification in writing from owner of premises where vehicle located to vehicle 
owner.  Except as provided in subsection 1‑A Within 48 hours of the time that a vehicle is 
taken into custody, the owner of the premises where a the vehicle described in section 1851 
is located or the owner's agent shall notify the Secretary of State that the owner or the 
owner's agent is in possession of that vehicle.  The notification must be in writing and on a 
form provided by the Secretary of State provide written notice by certified mail, return 
receipt requested, to the owner and lienholder, if any, of the vehicle that the owner of the 
premises or the owner's agent is in possession of the vehicle.  Notification under this 
subsection is required only to a vehicle owner or a lienholder whose name is on file in the 
office of the Secretary of State.  For the purposes of this subsection, "the time that a vehicle 
is taken into custody" means the time that a vehicle is:
A.  Towed as described in section 1851, subsection 1, 2 or 3;
B.  Left on property without permission as described in section 1851, subsection 4;
C.  Left at a place of business after being repaired as described in section 1851, 
subsection 5;
D.  Left on residential property for more than 6 months as described in section 1851, 
subsection 6; or
E.  Left at a storage facility after the owner fails to pay fees as described in section 
1851, subsection 7.
1-A.  Notification in writing; auto repair and storage facilities.  The owner of the 
premises where a vehicle described in section 1851, subsection 5 or 7 is stored or the 
owner's agent shall notify the Secretary of State that the owner or the owner's agent is in 
possession of the vehicle within 14 days after the earliest date on which the vehicle owner 
is responsible for any unpaid charges for authorized repair or for storage and any related 
towing expenses incurred by the owner or the owner's agent.  The notification must be in 
writing and on a form provided by the Secretary of State.
1-B.  Notification to lienholder.  The owner of the premises where a vehicle described 
in section 1851, subsection 5 or 7 is stored or the owner's agent shall determine if the title 
is issued by the Secretary of State under section 657. If the title is issued by the Secretary 
of State under section 657, the owner of the premises or the owner’s agent shall determine 
if a lienholder is identified on the title of the vehicle. If a lienholder is identified on the title 
of the vehicle, the owner of the premises or the owner’s agent shall notify the lienholder 
that the owner or the owner's agent is in possession of the vehicle within 14 days after the 
earliest date on which the lienholder is responsible for any unpaid charges for authorized 
repair or for storage and any related towing expenses incurred by the owner or the owner's 
agent.
2.  Contents of notification from owner of premises where vehicle located to 
vehicle owner.  A notification under subsection 1 or 1‑A must include the vehicle's make, 
model, year, body type, vehicle identification number and any registration and plates on 
the vehicle.  This notification also must include the date the vehicle came into possession 
of the owner, the owner's agent or person in charge of the premises where the vehicle is 
located, under what circumstances the vehicle came into that person's possession, an 
itemization of all charges due and the condition of the vehicle, including whether the 
vehicle is salvage.  For the purposes of this subsection, the condition of the vehicle may be 
documented by photograph or in writing.
2-A.  Report from owner of premises where vehicle located to Secretary of State.  
The owner of the premises where a vehicle under this section is located or the owner's agent 
shall provide a report to the Secretary of State within 14 days of taking the vehicle into 
custody stating that the owner or the owner's agent is in possession of the vehicle.  The 
report must be in writing and on a form provided by the Secretary of State and must include:
A.  The vehicle's make, model, year, body type, vehicle identification number and any 
registration and plates on the vehicle;
B.  The date the vehicle came into possession of the owner of the premises where the 
vehicle is located or the owner's agent, under what circumstances the vehicle came into 
that person's possession and whether the vehicle is salvage; and
C.  Proof of notification to the vehicle owner and lienholder, if any, if required to be 
provided under subsection 1.
3.  Response.  On receipt of a notification report under subsection 1 or 1‑A 2-A, the 
Secretary of State shall inform the vehicle owner and lienholder, if any, by regular mail 
that the vehicle is being claimed under the abandoned vehicle law.  The notice to the vehicle 
owner and lienholder, if any, must identify the vehicle by the year, make, model and vehicle 
identification number, provide a copy of the report filed with the Secretary of State under 
subsection 2-A, give the name and address of the party claiming ownership, and state the 
charges against the vehicle that the owner and lienholder, if any, must pay to retrieve the 
vehicle, and include the date that the title or letter of ownership will pass to the new owner.  
If the party is claiming ownership of the vehicle pursuant to section 603, subsection 6, the 
notice must inform the vehicle owner and lienholder that the owner must pay to the 
Secretary of State the fee required in section 603 to transfer the title.  A copy of this letter 
must be provided to the person claiming ownership.
4.  Publication.  If the Secretary of State finds no record of a vehicle with respect to 
which the Secretary of State is notified receives a report under subsection 1 or 1‑A 2-A, the 
owner of the premises where the vehicle is located shall publish a notice once in a 
newspaper of general circulation in the county where the premises is are located.  That 
notice must clearly:
A.  Describe the vehicle by the year, make, model and vehicle identification number;
B.  State that if the owner of the vehicle or lienholder has not properly retrieved it and 
paid all reasonable charges for its towing, storage and repair within 14 days from the 
publication, ownership of the vehicle passes to the owner of the premises where the 
vehicle is located; and
C.  State how the owner of the premises may be contacted.
Sec. 2.  29-A MRSA §1856, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2017, c. 240, §5, is further 
amended to read:
1.  Evidence of compliance.  A person who has complied with section 1854, subsection 
shall present evidence of compliance to the Secretary of State immediately after the 14-
day notice period.  The Secretary of State may not issue a letter of ownership or certificate 
of title until at least 21 days after the date on which the person who has possession of and 
control over the vehicle notified reported to the Secretary of State by complying in 
compliance with section 1854, subsection 1 or 1‑A and section 1854, subsection 2 2-A.
Sec. 3.  29-A MRSA §1857, as amended by PL 2021, c. 515, §2, is repealed and the 
following enacted in its place:
§1857.  Fee limits
1.  Storage fees.  If the report to the Secretary of State required by section 1854 is made 
more than 14 days after receipt of a vehicle described in section 1851 or if the report is not 
submitted to the Secretary of State, the person holding the vehicle may not collect more 
than 14 days of storage fees.  Daily storage charges must be reasonable and total storage 
charges may not exceed $1,500 for a 30-day period. A storage fee may not be charged for 
storage for any period before the date upon which notification under section 1854, 
subsection 1 to the vehicle owner and lienholder, if any, was made.
2.  Requirement to itemize invoice for towing.  Before receiving payment for a 
charge relating to a vehicle that was towed as described in section 1851, subsection 1, 2 or 
3, the owner of the premises to which the vehicle was towed, or the owner's agent, shall 
provide to the vehicle owner a detailed invoice for all costs incurred in the recovery, 
towing, cleanup or storage of the towed vehicle and its contents.
3.  No payment for towing without itemization.  A vehicle owner or lienholder who 
has received a notification in writing in accordance with section 1854, subsection 1 is not 
required to pay for any towing charge not itemized on an invoice under subsection 2.
4.  Failure to comply.  Failure to comply with this section constitutes an unfair trade 
practice under Title 5, chapter 10.
SUMMARY
This bill amends the law governing required notifications to vehicle owners when a 
vehicle is towed or left on residential or business premises.  
1.  It requires that, within 48 hours of the time a vehicle is taken into custody, the owner 
of the premises where the vehicle is located must notify the vehicle owner and lienholder, 
if any, that the owner of the premises is in possession of the vehicle.  The bill specifies the 
information that must be included in the notice.
2.  It requires the owner of the premises where the vehicle is located to report to the 
Secretary of State within 14 days of taking the vehicle into custody that the owner of the 
premises is in possession of the vehicle.  The bill specifies the information that must be 
included in the report.
3.  As in current law, it requires the Secretary of State to inform the vehicle owner and 
lienholder, if any, by regular mail that the vehicle is being claimed under the abandoned 
vehicle law.
4.  It requires itemized invoices for towing charges and provides that failure to comply 
with the fee limits and requirements constitutes an unfair trade practice.