By State › Maine

Maine: Laws & Legal Considerations

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Rainwater harvesting: no state law either way

Maine is unusual among the states covered on this site in having no state-level law specifically addressing rainwater harvesting at all, neither permitting it explicitly nor restricting it.

RuleMaine
Source water Rooftop or other catchment
State-level permit or restriction None; the practice falls outside any specific state statute
What still applies General water rights and health codes, plus any local county or municipal ordinances that may separately address it

Where to find it: check with your local municipality, since Maine’s silence at the state level means local rules, where they exist, control.

Water rights: riparian reasonable-use

Maine’s early water law follows riparian doctrine: landowners along a water body may make reasonable use of its natural flow, though they don’t own the water itself.

ConceptHow it works in Maine
Basic rule Riparian owners have a right to the reasonable use of a stream's natural flow, without substantially interfering with other users' rights
Ownership Riparian owners don't own the water itself, only the right to reasonable use of it

Where to find it: the Maine Legislature’s water law materials and the Department of Environmental Protection.

Permitless carry from age 21, with a pending bill to lower it

Maine has allowed permitless concealed carry since 2015.

RequirementDetail
Standard Permitless carry, concealed, for anyone 21+ legally eligible to possess a firearm
Military exception 18+ active-duty, National Guard, or honorably discharged veterans may carry concealed without a permit
Under 21, non-military May still carry concealed with a Maine Permit to Carry Concealed Handguns, or a recognized out-of-state permit
Optional permit (21+) Remains available, shall-issue, mainly for reciprocity while traveling

A pending bill, not current law

LD 424, introduced by state Rep. Alicia Collins, would lower Maine’s general permitless-carry age from 21 to 18 to match the state’s legal adult age for voting and military enlistment. As of early 2026 this has not been enacted; confirm current status if reading this later.

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