Maine Carry Laws

Prohibited Places - Where You Cannot Carry

Maine: Firearms prohibited in courthouses (17-A M.R.S. § 1058, Class D — a concealed-handgun permit is expressly not a defense) and on public or approved private school property (20-A M.R.S. § 6552). In establishments licensed for on-premises liquor consumption, possession is criminal only where the premises are posted against firearms or the carrier is under the influence (17-A M.R.S. § 1057 — permit not a defense).

PROHIBITED PLACES - WHERE YOU CANNOT CARRY
Maine

Maine: Firearms prohibited in courthouses (17-A M.R.S. § 1058, Class D — a concealed-handgun permit is expressly not a defense) and on public or approved private school property (20-A M.R.S. § 6552). In establishments licensed for on-premises liquor consumption, possession is criminal only where the premises are posted against firearms or the carrier is under the influence (17-A M.R.S. § 1057 — permit not a defense).
Authority: 17-A M.R.S. § 1058 (courthouses); 20-A M.R.S. § 6552 (school property); 17-A M.R.S. § 1057 (posted liquor establishments).

Duty to Retreat - Castle Doctrine Only

Maine: Castle Doctrine applies (home defense). In public, you may have a duty to retreat if safe before using force.

SELF-DEFENSE LAW - MAINE

Maine imposes a duty to retreat before using deadly force in public, with a castle-doctrine exception in the home (17-A M.R.S. s. 108).

DUTY TO RETREAT
Deadly force is not justified if the person knows that they or a third person can, with complete safety, retreat from the encounter.

CASTLE DOCTRINE
Retreat is not required when the person (or the third person being defended) is in the person's dwelling place and was not the initial aggressor.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS UNDER s. 108
Deadly force is justified only when the person reasonably believes it necessary to defend against imminent use of unlawful deadly force (or certain listed felonies). A person who provokes the encounter or is the initial aggressor loses the justification.

Constitutional Carry - No Permit Required

Maine allows permitless concealed carry for anyone 21+ (18+ military) who can legally possess a firearm.

CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY - NO PERMIT REQUIRED
Maine

Maine allows permitless concealed carry for anyone 21+ (18+ military) who can legally possess a firearm.

Authority: 25 M.R.S. § 2001-A(2)(A-1).

Duty to Inform - Must Notify Police Immediately (Permitless Carry)

Maine: If you are carrying a concealed handgun WITHOUT a valid permit (Maine allows permitless carry, so this covers most carriers), you MUST immediately inform the officer that you are carrying upon first contact during an arrest, detainment or routine traffic stop; carriers with a valid permit have no such duty (25 M.R.S. § 2003-A).

DUTY TO INFORM LAW ENFORCEMENT
MAINE

Maine: If you are carrying a concealed handgun WITHOUT a valid permit (Maine allows permitless carry, so this covers most carriers), you MUST immediately inform the officer that you are carrying upon first contact during an arrest, detainment or routine traffic stop; carriers with a valid permit have no such duty (25 M.R.S. § 2003-A).

Authority: 25 M.R.S. § 2003-A (permitless carriers must immediately inform on contact; permit holders exempt).

No Magazine Capacity Limit

Maine has no state-level magazine capacity restrictions. Standard and extended magazines are legal.

NO MAGAZINE CAPACITY LIMIT
Maine

Maine has no state-level magazine capacity restrictions. Standard and extended magazines are legal.

Authority: Exhaustive review of Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A ch. 43 (Weapons, §§ 1051-1059) and tit. 25 ch. 252 section lists - no magazine provision; Giffords state page.

No-Carry Signs - Not Criminal to Ignore

Maine has no firearms statute giving 'no guns' signs independent force; exclusion runs through criminal trespass (17-A M.R.S. § 402): remaining after a personally communicated order to leave is a Class E crime, and entering a place from which you may lawfully be excluded that is posted per § 402-A or in a manner reasonably likely to come to an intruder's attention is itself a Class E crime — so compliant posting can criminalize entry without any verbal warning.

"NO FIREARMS" SIGN LAW
MAINE

Maine has no firearms statute giving 'no guns' signs independent force; exclusion runs through criminal trespass (17-A M.R.S. § 402): remaining after a personally communicated order to leave is a Class E crime, and entering a place from which you may lawfully be excluded that is posted per § 402-A or in a manner reasonably likely to come to an intruder's attention is itself a Class E crime — so compliant posting can criminalize entry without any verbal warning.

Authority: 17-A M.R.S. § 402(1)(D)-(E) (criminal trespass; posted premises).

Red Flag Law - ERPO in Effect (2026)

Maine now HAS an Extreme Risk Protection Order (red flag) law: voters approved Question 2 on November 4, 2025 (62.9%), enacting the Maine Extreme Risk Protection Order Act effective February 21, 2026, allowing family/household members and law enforcement to petition courts to temporarily remove firearms; it operates alongside Maine's older 2019 'yellow flag' protective-custody law (34-B M.R.S. § 3862-A).

RED FLAG / EXTREME RISK LAW
Maine

Maine now HAS an Extreme Risk Protection Order (red flag) law: voters approved Question 2 on November 4, 2025 (62.9%), enacting the Maine Extreme Risk Protection Order Act effective February 21, 2026, allowing family/household members and law enforcement to petition courts to temporarily remove firearms; it operates alongside Maine's older 2019 'yellow flag' protective-custody law (34-B M.R.S. § 3862-A).

Authority: Maine Question 2 (citizen initiative), approved Nov. 4, 2025 (62.90% yes) — Maine Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, effective Feb. 21, 2026 (per Johns Hopkins ERPO National Resource Center); supplements the 2019 'yellow flag' law, 34-B M.R.S. § 3862-A.

Vehicle Carry - Loaded Firearms Allowed; Permitless Carriers MUST Inform

Maine: permitless carry applies only at 21+ (or 18-20 for active-duty military and honorably discharged veterans) for those not prohibited from possession (25 M.R.S. sec. 2001-A(2)(A-1)); loaded vehicle carry is allowed for those carriers, but anyone carrying concealed without a Maine-recognized permit must immediately inform the officer at first contact during any arrest, detainment, or routine traffic stop (25 M.R.S. sec. 2003-A) — permit holders have no inform duty.

VEHICLE CARRY - LOADED FIREARMS ALLOWED; PERMITLESS CARRIERS MUST INFORM
Maine

Maine: permitless carry applies only at 21+ (or 18-20 for active-duty military and honorably discharged veterans) for those not prohibited from possession (25 M.R.S. sec. 2001-A(2)(A-1)); loaded vehicle carry is allowed for those carriers, but anyone carrying concealed without a Maine-recognized permit must immediately inform the officer at first contact during any arrest, detainment, or routine traffic stop (25 M.R.S. sec. 2003-A) — permit holders have no inform duty.

Authority: 25 M.R.S. sec. 2001-A(2)(A-1) (enacted by P.L. 2015, c. 327, sec. 2 — LD 652): permitless concealed carry only for persons 21+ (or 18-20 if active-duty military or honorably discharged veteran); duty to inform for permitless carriers in 25 M.R.S. sec. 2003-A (P.L. 2015, c. 327, sec. 4).