An Act to Improve Public Utility Service by Addressing Seasonal
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1929
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology
Sponsors: EATON
Amends: 35-A MRSA §2313

Legislative Document
No. 1929
H.P. 1290
House of Representatives, May 6, 2025
An Act to Improve Public Utility Service by Addressing Seasonal 
Property Hazards
Reference to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative EATON of Deer Isle.
Cosponsored by Representatives: BOYER of Poland, DODGE of Belfast, FRIEDMANN of 
Bar Harbor, LOOKNER of Portland, MATLACK of St. George, RAY of Lincolnville, Senator: 
MOORE of Washington.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  35-A MRSA §2313 is enacted to read:
§2313.  Seasonal residential dwellings
1.  Definition.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, "seasonal 
residential dwelling" means a residential dwelling that is unoccupied for a period exceeding 
consecutive days in a calendar year and is connected to a public utility, including, but 
not limited to, electricity, water or telecommunications.
2.  Duties of property owner.  An owner of a seasonal residential dwelling shall:
A.  Conduct inspections at least annually to identify and address potential hazards such 
as overgrown trees or damaged utility lines; and
B.  Arrange for services of a caretaker or responsible person during a period when the 
seasonal residential dwelling is unoccupied to ensure the timely resolution of public 
utility-related issues and shall provide contact information for the caretaker or 
responsible person to each public utility to which the seasonal residential dwelling is 
connected and to the municipality in which the seasonal residential dwelling is located.
3.  Duties of commission.  The commission shall:
A.  Establish a statewide system to allow persons and public utilities to report hazards 
related to seasonal residential dwellings.  This system must include a hotline and online 
portal for reporting downed trees, obstructions or other hazards and a process to ensure 
that public utilities and municipalities are promptly informed of reported hazards; 
B.  Conduct a public education campaign to raise awareness among owners of seasonal 
residential dwellings regarding the impact of seasonal residential dwellings on public 
utilities and the importance of regular maintenance; and
C.  Provide financial assistance to low-income owners of seasonal residential dwellings 
to help them comply with the requirements of this section.
4.  Duties of public utility.  A public utility shall:
A.  Maintain a list containing contact information for caretakers and responsible 
persons for seasonal residential dwellings as described in subsection 2, paragraph B;
B.  Develop protocols regarding repairs on portions of a utility line affected by hazards 
related to seasonal residential dwellings with a focus on minimizing disruptions to 
residential dwellings that are occupied at the time of the repairs and prioritizing 
residential dwellings that are occupied at the time of the repairs in storm restoration 
efforts; and
C.  Conduct inspections at least annually of portions of a utility line with a history of 
outages, particularly those with a history of issues related to seasonal residential 
dwellings.
5.  Funding support.  The commission and a public utility shall seek federal storm 
preparedness and infrastructure grants to fund the maintenance of the list under subsection 
4, paragraph A and the inspections under subsection 4, paragraph C.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the owner of a seasonal residential dwelling to conduct inspections 
at least annually to identify and address potential hazards such as overgrown trees or 
damaged utility lines; arrange for services of a caretaker or responsible person during a 
period when the seasonal residential dwelling is unoccupied to ensure the timely resolution 
of public utility-related issues; and provide contact information for the caretaker or 
responsible person to each public utility to which the seasonal residential dwelling is 
connected and to the municipality in which the seasonal residential dwelling is located.  It 
requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish a statewide system to allow persons 
and public utilities to report hazards related to seasonal residential dwellings; conduct a 
public education campaign to raise awareness among owners of seasonal residential 
dwellings regarding the impact of seasonal residential dwellings on public utilities and the 
importance of regular maintenance; and provide financial assistance to low-income owners 
of seasonal residential dwellings to help them comply with the requirements of the bill.  It 
requires a public utility to maintain a list containing contact information for caretakers and 
responsible persons for seasonal residential dwellings; develop protocols regarding repairs 
on portions of a utility line affected by hazards related to seasonal residential dwellings 
with a focus on minimizing disruptions to residential dwellings that are occupied at the 
time of the repairs and prioritizing residential dwellings that are occupied at the time of the 
repairs in storm restoration efforts; and conduct inspections at least annually of portions of 
a utility line with a history of outages, particularly those with a history of issues related to 
seasonal residential dwellings.