How to Evict a Tenant in Maine (2026)
The legal steps for landlords in Maine — the notice, the court case, costs, timeline and the mistakes that get cases thrown out — with the statute or official page behind each step.
Short answer: In Maine a landlord must give the required written notice, file an eviction case in court if the tenant doesn't pay or leave, win a judgment, and have a sheriff or other officer carry out the removal. Changing the locks or removing belongings yourself is not allowed.
Step 1: Have a legal reason and give the right notice
| Unpaid rent | 7-day written notice to quit (tenancy at will) when rent is 7 or more days in arrears. Paying the full rent due before the notice expires voids it. After expiration, paying all arrears, rent due to date, and the landlord's filing and service fees before the writ of possession issues reinstates the tenancy. Source: 14 M.R.S. § 6002(1)(C), (1), (2) |
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| Lease violation | Tenancy at will: 7-day written notice for specified causes - substantial unrepaired damage, nuisance/making the unit unfit/violation of law, domestic violence/sexual assault/stalking against another tenant, violence or threats against other tenants/guests/landlord, or an unauthorized occupant. The statutory cure/reinstatement right in § 6002 applies to the rent-arrears ground. For written leases, the lease terms govern; if a lease has no termination provision for material breach, § 6001(1-B) allows termination under § 6002 procedures. |
| Ending a month-to-month tenancy (no fault) | 30 days' written notice by either landlord or tenant (tenancy at will); no cause required. If rent has been paid through a date beyond the 30 days, the notice must expire on or after that date. Source: 14 M.R.S. § 6002(1) |
Local rent-control or just-cause rules can limit evictions: No statewide cap on rent amounts. State law regulates increases by notice: at least 45 days' written notice of any rent or mandatory recurring fee increase, and 75 days' notice if the increase (or several increases within 12 months) totals 10% or more. Rent may not be increased while the unit violates the warranty of habitability. State law does not preempt local rent control, and Portland has a local rent control ordinance.
Step 2: Write and deliver the notice correctly
| What the notice must say | Written 7-day notice once rent is 7 or more days late. It must state the specific ground and the amount of rent 7 or more days in arrears as of the notice date, and must include this statutory text word for word: "If you pay the amount of rent due as of the date of this notice before this notice expires, then this notice as it applies to rent arrearage is void. After this notice expires, if you pay all rental arrears, all rent due as of the date of payment and any filing fees and service of process fees actually paid by the landlord before the writ of possession issues at the completion of the eviction process, then your tenancy will be reinstated." It must also say the tenant has the right to contest the termination in court. Since Jan. 1, 2024 the landlord must attach the judicial branch's form notice. Delivery: in hand. After 3 good-faith attempts at personal service, by both first-class mail to the last known address and leaving it at the tenant's last and usual place of abode. An unintentional clerical error in the amount does not void the notice. A 30-day notice and a 7-day notice may be combined. |
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| How it must be delivered | Termination notices must be written and are normally served in hand. After at least 3 good-faith attempts at personal service, the landlord may serve by BOTH first-class mail to the last known address AND leaving the notice at the tenant's home. The statute has no provision for email or text. The notice must tell the tenant they have the right to contest in court. Whoever is authorized to sign the lease is the owner's agent for receiving notices and service. |
Notice forms:
- Maine notice to pay rent or quit — requirements and free draft
- Maine notice to end a month-to-month tenancy — requirements and free draft
Step 3: File the eviction case and go to the hearing
Eviction cases in Maine are heard in: Maine District Court (where the property is located); called Forcible Entry and Detainer (FED).
- Serve a notice to quit (7-day for cause/nonpayment or 30-day no-cause for tenancies at will; per lease terms if a lease), with the CV-256 Information Sheet and Mediation Request
- After the notice period ends, file Complaint (CV-007) and get an FED Summons (CV-034, $5 each) from the clerk; attach the CV-256 and Notice Regarding Electronic Service
- Sheriff serves each defendant at least 14 days before the hearing (mail-plus-posting allowed after 3 attempts on 3 separate days, with affidavit CV-204)
- File notice to quit, complaint, summons with return of service, lease, and $100 filing fee at least 3 business days before the hearing
- Hearing; free mediation available at court on the hearing day
- Judgment for possession
- Writ of possession issues 7 days after judgment (tenant can still reinstate in nonpayment cases by paying arrears, rent due, and filing/service costs before the writ issues)
- Sheriff or constable serves the writ; tenant has 48 hours to leave, after which belongings are treated as abandoned under § 6013
Court timing: Hearing date must be at least 14 days after service of the summons and complaint (Maine Judicial Branch guide). The statute itself (§ 6004) does not set a day count.
How long it takes to evict a tenant in Maine
For unpaid rent, the notice period is 7 days; after that comes the court process (filing, service, the tenant's answer and a hearing), then the final order and removal by an officer. Uncontested cases move fastest; a contested case, an appeal or a crowded court adds weeks. See how long evictions take in every state.
How much it costs to evict a tenant in Maine
Court filing and service fees are set locally. Verified fees in the largest Maine counties:
| County | Filing and service fees |
|---|---|
| Cumberland County (Portland) | $100 to enter a forcible entry and detainer (eviction) action (includes $15 mediation fee); FED summons $5 |
Add the cost of a lawyer if you hire one, lost rent during the case, and any writ or officer fee to remove the tenant.
Evicting someone without a lease (family member, roommate, guest or squatter)
| Someone with no written lease who pays rent (month-to-month / at will) | 30 days' written notice by either landlord or tenant (tenancy at will); no cause required. If rent has been paid through a date beyond the 30 days, the notice must expire on or after that date. Source: 14 M.R.S. § 6002(1) |
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| Someone who was never a tenant (squatter / unauthorized occupant) | No special squatter-removal or affidavit statute. The owner uses the court process of forcible entry and detainer (FED), which may be brought against 'a disseisor who has not acquired any claim by possession and improvement.' For an occupant of a tenant's unit who is not an authorized occupant, the tenancy may be ended with a 7-day written notice (14 M.R.S. § 6002(1)(F)) and then an FED action. No self-help. Source: 14 M.R.S. §§ 6001(1), 6002(1)(F) |
Mistakes that get eviction cases dismissed — or get landlords sued
| Changing locks / shutting off utilities | Self-help eviction is illegal: a landlord may not willfully interrupt utilities (water, heat, electricity, gas, etc.), lock the tenant out, or seize the tenant's property except by judicial process. Remedy: actual damages or $250, whichever is greater, plus costs and reasonable attorney's fees. Source: 14 M.R.S. § 6014 |
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| Retaliation | Rebuttable presumption of retaliation if the landlord files an eviction within 6 months after the tenant: asserted rights under §§ 6015, 6016, 6021, 6030-D, 6030-I or 6030-J; made a good-faith code complaint (or a code agency filed one); made a good-faith written complaint or repair request; filed a fair-housing complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission or HUD; notified the landlord of domestic violence/sexual assault/stalking victim status; or reported sexual harassment by the landlord. Source: 14 M.R.S. § 6001(3) |
| Accepting rent after the notice | By statute, a termination based on a 30-day notice is NOT affected by the landlord receiving money (back rent or current use and occupancy) until the writ of possession issues. Exception: the tenant isn't subject to eviction without new notice if, after the notice, they paid rent that accrued after the tenancy ended. On a 7-day nonpayment notice, paying the full rent due before the notice expires voids it. Afterward, paying all arrears, current rent and the landlord's filing and service fees before the writ issues reinstates the tenancy. |
Federal rules that can change the process
- Servicemembers Civil Relief Act: eviction protection: A landlord may not evict a covered servicemember or their family during military service without a court order. When the servicemember's ability to pay is materially affected by service, the court must on request stay the case for 90 days or adjust the lease. Knowingly evicting without a court order is a federal misdemeanor. More
- VAWA housing protections: An applicant or tenant cannot be denied, evicted or cut off from assistance because they are or were a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking. The abuse cannot be treated as a serious lease violation by the victim. The landlord may 'bifurcate' (split) the lease to evict the abuser and keep the victim housed. Covered programs must also have an emergency transfer plan. A transfer is available on request if the tenant reasonably fears imminent harm, or if a sexual assault happened on the premises within the prior 90 days. More
- CARES Act 30-day notice to vacate (covered dwellings): The landlord of a covered dwelling may not require the tenant to leave until 30 days after giving a notice to vacate. The 120-day filing moratorium in the same section expired in July 2020, but the 30-day notice subsection has no expiration date in its text. More
- HUD 30-day nonpayment notice (public housing and project-based Section 8): Before filing an eviction for nonpayment, the landlord must give written notice at least 30 days in advance. The notice must itemize the rent owed by month, explain how to pay it off and by what date, and explain how to recertify income or request a hardship exemption. The notice cannot be served before the day after rent is due. If the tenant pays the amount owed within the 30 days, the landlord may not file the eviction. More
Maine eviction FAQ for landlords
How much notice does a landlord have to give to evict for unpaid rent in Maine?
7-day written notice to quit (tenancy at will) when rent is 7 or more days in arrears. Paying the full rent due before the notice expires voids it. After expiration, paying all arrears, rent due to date, and the landlord's filing and service fees before the writ of possession issues reinstates the tenancy.
How much does it cost to evict a tenant in Maine?
Court fees are set locally — for example, Cumberland County (Portland): $100 to enter a forcible entry and detainer (eviction) action (includes $15 mediation fee); FED summons $5.
Can a landlord change the locks to evict a tenant in Maine?
Self-help eviction is illegal: a landlord may not willfully interrupt utilities (water, heat, electricity, gas, etc.), lock the tenant out, or seize the tenant's property except by judicial process. Remedy: actual damages or $250, whichever is greater, plus costs and reasonable attorney's fees.
How do you evict a tenant without a lease in Maine?
30 days' written notice by either landlord or tenant (tenancy at will); no cause required. If rent has been paid through a date beyond the 30 days, the notice must expire on or after that date.
← All Maine landlord-tenant rules · Notice deadline calculator
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.