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

Injuries or property damage involving an assistance animal

In Force
Verified 10/21/2026 · Next check 10/28/2026
effective 10/21/2026MaineAssistance Animals (FHA)

Operative Text

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, §§ 6021–6030-K § 6030-G
1.
No liability.
The owner, lessor, sublessor, managing agent or other person having the right to sell, rent, lease or manage a dwelling unit or any of their agents is not liable in a civil action for personal injury, death, property damage or other damages resulting from or arising out of an occurrence involving an assistance animal at the dwelling unit.






2.
Exceptions.

Subsection 1 does not limit the liability of the owner, lessor, sublessor, managing agent or other person having the right to sell, rent, lease or manage a dwelling unit or any of their agents:



A.
In cases of gross negligence, recklessness or intentional misconduct on the part of the owner, lessor, sublessor, managing agent or other person having the right to sell, rent, lease or manage a dwelling unit or any of their agents; or



B.
When the assistance animal is owned by or in the care of the owner, lessor, sublessor, managing agent or other person having the right to sell, rent, lease or manage a dwelling unit or any of their agents.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under Maine law at 14 M.R.S. §§ 6021 & 6030-G, housing providers are generally shielded from civil liability for injuries, deaths, or property damage caused by an assistance animal at a dwelling unit. This protection is not absolute, however: it does not apply when the housing provider or their agents acted with gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct, nor when the assistance animal is owned by or in the care of the housing provider or their agents. The provision draws a clear line between incidents involving a tenant's assistance animal and those where the housing provider bears direct responsibility for the animal.

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under 14 M.R.S. §§ 6021 & 6030-G, housing providers and their agents generally maintain civil liability protection when an incident involves a tenant's assistance animal at the dwelling unit. Compliant operators are careful to avoid conduct that could be characterized as gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct in connection with any assistance animal on the property. Operators also take care not to take ownership of or assume care over a tenant's assistance animal, as doing so would remove the civil liability shield the statute otherwise provides.

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

For Tenants

Maine's 14 M.R.S. §§ 6021 & 6030-G limits a housing provider's civil liability for incidents involving assistance animals, but that protection does not extend to situations where the provider acted with gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct. Tenants who believe a housing provider's conduct in connection with an assistance animal crossed into one of those exceptions may have grounds to pursue a civil claim. Tenant-rights organizations and legal aid services in Maine can help individuals understand whether the exceptions under this provision may be relevant to their circumstances.

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

No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.

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

§ 209.190
Housing accommodations, defined — discrimination against persons with visual, hearing or physical disabilities, prohibited — dogs, guide, hearing or service to have full access — liability for actual damages
§ 3-104.1
Refusal to sell or rent because a person has a guide, hearing or support dog. It is a civil rights violation for the owner or agent of any housing accommodation to: (A) refuse to sell or rent after the making of a bona fide offer, or to refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of, or otherwise make unavailable or deny property to any blind or hearing impaired person or person with a physical disability because the blind or hearing impaired person or person with a physical disability has a guide, hearing, or support dog; or (B) discriminate against any blind or hearing impaired person or person with a physical disability in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental property, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection therewith, because the blind or hearing impaired person or person with a physical disability has a guide, hearing, or support dog; or (C) require, because a blind or hearing impaired person or person with a physical disability has a guide, hearing, or support dog, an extra charge in a lease, rental agreement, or contract of purchase or sale, other than for actual damage done to the premises by the dog
§ 10:5-29.9
Possessors of working dog, certain, entitlement to housing, business accommodations

Source Information

Source:https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14sec6030-G.html
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