2023 Maine Revised Statutes › TITLE 30-A: MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES › Part 2: MUNICIPALITIES › Subpart 4: ORDINANCE AUTHORITY AND LIMITATIONS › Chapter 141: ORDINANCES › 30-A §3009. Authority of municipal officers to enact ordinances

§3009. Authority of municipal officers to enact ordinances
1.  Exclusive authority.
The municipal officers have the exclusive authority to enact all traffic ordinances in the municipality, subject to the following provisions.
A. The municipal officers may regulate pedestrian traffic in the public ways, including, but not limited to, setting off portions of a municipality's public ways for sidewalks and regulating their use; providing for the removal of snow and ice from the sidewalks by the owner, occupant or agent having charge of the abutting property; and establishing crosswalks or safety zones for pedestrians.
(1) The violation of any ordinance authorized by this paragraph is a civil violation.
(2) The municipal officers may establish a method by which persons charged with the violation of ordinances governing pedestrian traffic on the public ways may waive all court action by payment of specified fees within stated periods of time.   [PL 1991, c. 549, §16 (AMD); PL 1991, c. 549, §17 (AFF).]
B. The municipal officers may regulate the operation of all vehicles in the public ways and on publicly owned property.
(1) The violation of any ordinance authorized by this paragraph is a civil violation.
(2) A municipality may not adopt or enforce an ordinance authorized by this paragraph that is the same as or conflicts with any speed or other traffic control limits imposed by the Department of Transportation pursuant to Title 23 or 29‑A.   [PL 1999, c. 753, §8 (AMD).]
C. The municipal officers may regulate the parking of motor vehicles on any public way or public parking area, including, but not limited to, providing for the installation of parking meters, providing the fact that any vehicle is illegally parked or is in a metered space when the time signal on the parking meter for that space indicates no parking permitted without the deposit of a coin or coins is prima facie evidence that the vehicle has been parked illegally by the person in whose name the vehicle is registered, and establishing reasonable charges for metered parking.
(1) Illegal parking of a vehicle in violation of any ordinance authorized by this paragraph is a civil violation.
(2) The municipal officers may establish a method by which persons charged with the violation of parking regulations may waive all court action by payment of specified fees within stated periods of time.
(3) The revenue collected from parking meters must be used:
(a) To purchase, maintain and police the meters;
(b) To construct and maintain public ways;
(c) To acquire, construct, maintain and operate public parking areas;
(c-1) To provide for property tax relief;
(c-2) To acquire, construct, maintain and operate capital infrastructure projects; and
(d) For no other purpose.
(4) A vehicle that exhibits a permanent placard, a temporary placard or a disability registration plate issued under Title 29‑A, section 521 may park in accordance with Title 29‑A, section 521, subsection 12.   [PL 2023, c. 14, §§1-3 (AMD).]
D. The following provisions apply to the establishment and policing of parking spaces and access aisles for disabled persons.
(1) Municipal public parking areas are subject to any applicable requirements of the Maine Human Rights Act, Title 5, chapter 337, subchapter 5. The municipality shall post a sign adjacent to and visible from each disability parking space established by the municipality. The sign must display the international symbol for accessibility.
(2-A) Enforcement of disability parking restrictions must be in accordance with Title 29‑A, section 521, subsection 9‑A.
(3) Any vehicle or motorcycle parked in a parking space clearly marked as a disability parking space and that does not bear a special registration plate or placard issued under Title 29‑A, section 521 or 523, or a similar plate issued by another state, must be cited for a fine of not less than $200 and not more than $500. "Clearly marked" includes painted signs on pavement and vertical standing signs that are visible in existing weather conditions.
(4) The municipal officers may establish and enforce the time limit for use of a parking space reserved as a disability parking space on a public way or public parking area.   [PL 2005, c. 528, §3 (AMD).]
E. The municipal officers may provide for the regulation of motor vehicles as defined in Title 29‑A, section 101, subsection 42 on icebound inland lakes during the hours from sunset to sunrise of the following day. The Maine Land Use Planning Commission shall regulate motor vehicles on icebound inland lakes that are completely encompassed by unorganized territories. Motor vehicles on icebound inland lakes that are abutted by an unorganized territory and either one or more municipalities, village corporations or plantations, in any combination, are regulated by those municipalities, village corporations or plantations, as provided in subparagraphs (1) and (2).
No ordinance authorized by this paragraph is valid unless:
(1) Each municipality abutting a lake has enacted an identical local ordinance, in which case the ordinance of any municipality is in effect on the entire lake and any law enforcement officer from any of those municipalities may enforce the ordinance on any portion of the lake; or
(2) In cases where a lake is divided by an easily identifiable boundary into 2 or more nearly separate bodies, each municipality abutting one of the distinguishable portions of the lake has enacted an identical local ordinance. The ordinance of any municipality is in effect only on that distinguishable portion of the lake and any law enforcement officer from any of those municipalities may enforce the ordinance anywhere on that portion of the lake.   [PL 1995, c. 65, Pt. A, §129 (AMD); PL 1995, c. 65, Pt. A, §153 (AFF); PL 1995, c. 65, Pt. C, §15 (AFF); PL 2011, c. 682, §38 (REV).]
F. The municipal officers may regulate or establish a licensing authority which may regulate rates of fare, routes and standing places of vehicles for hire, except where jurisdiction rests with the Public Utilities Commission and may require an owner or operator of a vehicle for hire to carry a liability insurance policy in amount and form satisfactory to the licensing authority as a condition precedent to the granting of a license to operate.   [PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]
[PL 2023, c. 14, §§1-3 (AMD).]
1-A.  Transfer of mobile home or modular construction home.
To ensure the fair and efficient administration of property taxation, municipal officers may enact an ordinance requiring the owner of a mobile home or modular construction home to notify the municipal assessor, according to such reasonable terms as the ordinance may establish, upon the transfer of a mobile home or modular construction home when that mobile home or modular construction home is situated on land that is not owned by the mobile home or modular home owner.
[PL 1999, c. 427, §1 (NEW).]
2.  Powers of village corporation.
The officers of a village corporation have the same powers and duties as municipal officers under this section.
[PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]
3.  Method of enactment; effective date.
When enacting ordinances under this section, the municipal officers shall give 7 days' notice of the meeting at which the ordinances are to be proposed in the manner provided for town meetings. Unless otherwise provided, these ordinances take effect immediately.
[PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1987, c. 737, Pt. C, §106 (NEW); PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD); PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8, 10 (AMD).]
4.  Enforcement of municipal ordinances.
[PL 2005, c. 53, §2 (RP).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1987, c. 737, §§A2,C106 (NEW). PL 1989, c. 6 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 9, §2 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 104, §§A28,C8,C10 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 394, §2 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 549, §16 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 549, §17 (AFF). PL 1995, c. 65, §§A127-129 (AMD). PL 1995, c. 65, §§A153,C15 (AFF). PL 1997, c. 60, §1 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 392, §1 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 673, §3 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 750, §A4 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 127, §A45 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 427, §1 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 753, §8 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 151, §2 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 80, §1 (AMD). PL 2003, c. 117, §1 (AMD). PL 2005, c. 53, §2 (AMD). PL 2005, c. 528, §3 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 682, §38 (REV). PL 2019, c. 648, §2 (AMD). PL 2023, c. 14, §§1-3 (AMD).