Maine: how to request public records and find local records

Freedom of Access Act (FOAA), 1 M.R.S. ch. 13. Rules below are quoted or closely paraphrased from the linked official text. Last verified 2026-10-17.

Who usually holds what

• Government records (minutes, emails, budgets, permits): Ask the town or state office that keeps the record, under FOAA.
• Deeds and land records: County registries of deeds (17 registries, because Aroostook has North and South). A statewide portal links to each one.
• Birth, marriage and death records (genealogy): Maine CDC Vital Records (1892 to present) and municipal clerks; Maine State Archives for pre-1892.
• Probate (wills and estates): The Probate Court in the county, run by county government. Each manages its own records.
• Town reports: DigitalMaine (Maine State Library) hosts digitized reports for a number of towns.

Steps for a records request

1. Identify the office that keeps the record. Maine registries of deeds and probate courts are county offices; vital records are at the municipality or the state office.
2. Make the request; it need not be in writing or in person, but a written request gives you a record of the date.
3. Expect an acknowledgment within 5 working days and a good-faith, nonbinding time and cost estimate. Costs over $50 require telling you first.
4. If refused, you should get written notice within 5 working days citing the statute used.
5. An appeal to Superior Court must be filed within 30 calendar days of receiving written notice of the refusal, denial or failure. The Public Access Ombudsman offers an informal option.

Build a request letter

What the law says (with sources)

• A person has the right to inspect and copy any public record within a reasonable time of making the request. A request need not be made in person or in writing. (1 M.R.S. § 408-A, intro and (2)(A))

  Source: 1 M.R.S. § 408-A · last verified 2026-10-17

• The agency must acknowledge receipt within 5 working days, may ask for clarification, and within a reasonable time must give a good-faith, nonbinding estimate of the time frame and cost. (1 M.R.S. § 408-A(3))

  Source: 1 M.R.S. § 408-A · last verified 2026-10-17

• A refusal must be in written notice within 5 working days of receipt, state the reason, and cite the statutory authority. Failure to comply is treated as a failure to allow inspection and can be appealed. (1 M.R.S. § 408-A(4))

  Source: 1 M.R.S. § 408-A · last verified 2026-10-17

• Copy fee: no more than 10 cents per page for a standard 8 1/2 x 11 black-and-white copy; no per-page fee for records provided electronically. (1 M.R.S. § 408-A(8)(A))

  Source: 1 M.R.S. § 408-A · last verified 2026-10-17

• Search, retrieval and compiling (including review and redaction): no charge for the first 2 hours of staff time per request, then not more than $25 per hour. Inspection is free unless the record must be converted or compiled. Actual mailing costs may be charged. (1 M.R.S. § 408-A(1), (8))

  Source: 1 M.R.S. § 408-A · last verified 2026-10-17

• If the estimated total cost is over $50 the agency must tell the requester before proceeding; over $100 it may require payment in advance of all or part of the estimate. (1 M.R.S. § 408-A(9)-(10))

  Source: 1 M.R.S. § 408-A · last verified 2026-10-17

• The agency may waive fees if the requester is indigent, or if release is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of government operations and is not primarily in the requester's commercial interest. (1 M.R.S. § 408-A(11))

  Source: 1 M.R.S. § 408-A · last verified 2026-10-17

• An agency is not required to create a record that does not exist. (1 M.R.S. § 408-A(6))

  Source: 1 M.R.S. § 408-A · last verified 2026-10-17

• An agency may ask the Superior Court for protection from a request or series of requests it considers unduly burdensome or oppressive, after following the notice steps in the statute. (1 M.R.S. § 408-A(4), (4-A))

  Source: 1 M.R.S. § 408-A · last verified 2026-10-17

• A person aggrieved by a refusal, denial or failure may appeal to the Superior Court (county where the person lives or the agency has its principal office) within 30 calendar days of receiving written notice of the refusal, denial or failure. The agency files a statement of position within 14 calendar days of service. The court may award attorney's fees to a substantially prevailing plaintiff only if the refusal was in bad faith. (1 M.R.S. § 409(1), (4))

  Source: 1 M.R.S. § 409 · last verified 2026-10-17

• The Attorney General's Public Access Ombudsman reviews complaints about FOAA compliance, attempts to mediate, and answers questions from the public; phone 207-626-8577, 6 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333. The ombudsman route is informal; it is not a lawsuit.

  Source: Maine Attorney General: Public Access Ombudsman · last verified 2026-10-17

• The statute page for 408-A lists amendments by PL 2025, c. 175 and c. 186. Read the current text on the linked page.

  Source: 1 M.R.S. § 408-A · last verified 2026-10-17

Record-by-record guide

Deeds and land records

County registries of deeds (17 registries, because Aroostook has North and South). A statewide portal links to each one.

• The Maine Registers of Deeds Association runs a statewide web portal that links to all 17 county registries (Aroostook has a North and a South registry).

  Source: Maine Registers of Deeds Association: statewide portal · last verified 2026-10-17

• On all Maine registry websites there is no charge for the first 400 pages per calendar year, then $0.50 per page; you may need to create a login. A standard registry copy is $1.00 per page.

  Source: Maine Registers of Deeds Association: Fees · last verified 2026-10-17

• Registry records are indexed by name; a limited number of registries can search by address, so check with the county.

  Source: Maine Registers of Deeds Association: Searching · last verified 2026-10-17

Birth, marriage and death records (genealogy)

Maine CDC Vital Records (1892 to present) and municipal clerks; Maine State Archives for pre-1892.

• Maine began preserving vital records January 1, 1892. The state office holds 1892 to present; earlier records may be at the municipality where the event happened or at the Maine State Archives. Records before 1820 are held in Massachusetts.

  Source: Maine CDC: Register as a Genealogist · last verified 2026-10-17

• After 75 years from birth, 25 years from death and 50 years from marriage, anyone may get noncertified copies; records created before 1892 are open without restriction.

  Source: 22 M.R.S. § 2706 · last verified 2026-10-17

• Registered genealogists can get a researcher card: $50 registration fee, proof of membership in a genealogical society, up to 3 noncertified copies per week, and access to the online index portal.

  Source: Maine CDC: Register as a Genealogist · last verified 2026-10-17

Probate (wills and estates)

The Probate Court in the county, run by county government. Each manages its own records.

• Maine Probate Courts are located in every county and administered at the county-government level; they manage their own records, so contact the appropriate Probate Court.

  Source: Maine Judicial Branch: Court Records · last verified 2026-10-17

Town reports

DigitalMaine (Maine State Library) hosts digitized reports for a number of towns.

• DigitalMaine has digitized annual town report collections for a number of Maine towns (for example Falmouth, Scarborough and Cumberland). Coverage varies by town; search the site by town name.

  Source: DigitalMaine (Maine State Library) town report collections · last verified 2026-10-17

Not covered yet

Cemetery records, school records, police and court-docket records, fee schedules for individual towns, and town-by-town contact details are not covered. Ask the town clerk. Details will be added only after they are checked against an official page.