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Rent Regulations

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, §§ 6021–6030-K § 6025-A

Access to care for animals

In Force
Verified 10/21/2026 · Next check 10/28/2026
effective 10/21/2026MaineAnimals

Operative Text

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, §§ 6021–6030-K § 6025-A
A landlord may require a tenant to provide information about any animal present in a rental unit and also require the name and contact information of one or more persons the tenant authorizes to enter the rental unit to retrieve the animal if the tenant has vacated the premises and abandoned the animal or the tenant is unable to care for the animal due to death or disability. The landlord may also require, as a condition of tenancy, that the tenant allow the landlord to enter the rental unit in the case of an emergency when the welfare of the animal is at risk to determine whether the animal has been abandoned or is in need of care.


If the landlord determines that a tenant with an animal has vacated the premises or is unable to care for the animal due to death or disability, the landlord may contact a person authorized by the tenant, a humane agent, an animal control officer or an animal shelter to pick up and care for the animal. If the landlord contacts a person identified under this paragraph to pick up and care for the animal and the landlord, within 5 days, sends by first-class mail to the tenant's last known address a notice containing the name, phone number and address of the person taking custody of the animal, the landlord is not liable in a civil action brought by the tenant for personal injury, death, property damage or other damages resulting from or arising out of an occurrence involving the animal.


If an animal shelter accepts an animal at the request of a person the landlord contacted to pick up and care for the animal under this section, the animal shelter shall comply with the provisions of Title 7, section 3919‑B .
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Maine law under 14 M.R.S. §§ 6021 & 6025-A establishes a framework governing what happens to a tenant's animal when the tenant vacates, dies, becomes disabled, or is otherwise unable to provide care. Landlords are permitted to collect animal information and emergency contact details as a condition of tenancy, and may enter a unit in an emergency if an animal's welfare is at risk. When a landlord follows the statute's specific steps—including notifying the tenant by first-class mail within five days of arranging care—the landlord is shielded from civil liability related to the animal's removal or subsequent fate.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 22, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Operators covered by 14 M.R.S. §§ 6021 & 6025-A generally document animal information and collect the names and contact details of persons authorized to retrieve animals at the start of or during a tenancy. Compliant operators also include lease language reserving the right to enter in genuine animal-welfare emergencies. When a tenant has vacated or is unable to care for an animal, operators who promptly contact an authorized person, humane agent, animal control officer, or shelter—and who send the required first-class mail notice to the tenant's last known address within five days—position themselves within the liability protection the statute provides.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Under 14 M.R.S. §§ 6021 & 6025-A, tenants have the right to know that a landlord's authority to enter a unit for animal-related reasons is limited to genuine emergencies where the animal's welfare is at risk, and that landlords must follow specific notice procedures before the civil-liability shield applies. Tenants may designate one or more trusted contacts to retrieve their animal, giving them some control over who takes custody if they are unable to care for the animal themselves. Tenants who believe a landlord entered their unit improperly or failed to follow the statute's notice requirements may wish to consult a tenant-rights organization or legal aid office to understand what remedies may be available.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated October 22, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Expression #1
Oct 21, 2026
Current
Oct 21, 2026
Click on timeline segments to view historical versions.

References Out

Rules and statutes cited by this regulation

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 7, § 3919-B
Not yet ingested

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6026
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6025
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6026
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6025
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6025
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6030-A
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6030-J
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6027
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6025-A
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6024
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. ch. 710
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6030-I
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6030-J
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6026
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6030-I
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021-A
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6025
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6030-A
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6030-J
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6027
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6025-A
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6024
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. ch. 710
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6030-I
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6030-J
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6026
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6030-I
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6021-A

Related Rules

§ 30
Inspection of vacated property for presence of abandoned animals
§ 14
Inspection of property for presence of abandoned animals
§ 1942.7

Source Information

Source:https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14sec6025-A.html
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