An Act to Reduce Illegal Cannabis Operations by Requiring Permits for High Electrical Usage

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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1535
S.P. 619 In Senate, April 8, 2025
An Act to Reduce Illegal Cannabis Operations by Requiring Permits
for High Electrical Usage
Reference to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology suggested and ordered
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator HAGGAN of Penobscot.
Cosponsored by Representative PERKINS of Dover-Foxcroft and
Senator: TIMBERLAKE of Androscoggin, Representative: MORRIS of Turner.

Page 1 - 132LR2304(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §4173, sub-§6 is enacted to read:
36. Permit required. A permit is required for the installation or upgrade of electrical
4 service to a total of 300 amperes or more in a residential building. The ampere ratings of
5 all electrical panels must be added together to determine whether the 300-ampere threshold
6 in this subsection is met. If the residential building is in a municipality that has provided
7 for electrical inspections, the person performing the work must apply to the municipal
8 electrical inspector in writing for a permit. If the residential building is not in a municipality
9 that has provided for electrical inspections, the person performing the work must apply to
10 a state electrical inspector in writing for a permit. A municipal electrical inspector or state
11 electrical inspector shall notify the transmission and distribution utility that serves the
12 residential building of an application made under this subsection.
13Sec. 2. 35-A MRSA §3217, sub-§5 is enacted to read:
145. Suspicious power use reports. The following provisions govern the reporting of
15 suspicious power use. A consumer-owned transmission and distribution utility and an
16 investor-owned transmission and distribution utility shall report to the code enforcement
17 or inspection authority of a municipality whenever the transmission and distribution utility
18 becomes aware that one of the following events has occurred within that municipality:
19 A. A 300-ampere or more total service is installed or an existing service is upgraded to
20 a 300-ampere or more total service at a residential property, regardless of whether that
21 installation or upgrade is a single 300-ampere or more panel or multiple smaller panels
22 the sum of which is 300 amperes or more;
23 B. A transformer malfunctions;
24 C. A transformer larger than 25 kilovolt-amperes is installed or a transformer is
25 upgraded to a transformer larger than 25 kilovolt-amperes for a residential customer;
26 D. There is a month-to-month increase in power consumption greater than 500% for a
27 residential customer; or
28 E. Upon investigation, the transmission and distribution utility finds evidence that
29 power diversion or theft has occurred by circumventing a residential meter to obtain
30 access to service.
31 The report must include the square footage of the residential property and the reason for
32 the power increase, if known to the consumer-owned transmission and distribution utility
33 or the investor-owned transmission and distribution utility.
34SUMMARY
35 This bill requires a permit for the installation or upgrade of electrical service to a total
36 of 300 amperes or more in a residential building. It also requires a transmission and
37 distribution electric utility to report suspicious power use and transmit that report to
38 municipal officials when: a 300-ampere or more total service is installed or an existing
39 service is upgraded to a 300-ampere or more total service at a residential property,
40 regardless of whether that installation or upgrade is a single 300-ampere or more panel or
41 multiple smaller panels the sum of which is 300 amperes or more; a transformer
42 malfunctions; a transformer larger than 25 kilovolt-amperes is installed or a transformer is
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Page 2 - 132LR2304(01)
43 upgraded to a transformer larger than 25 kilovolt-amperes for a residential customer; there
44 is a month-to-month increase in power consumption greater than 500% for a residential
45 customer; or the transmission and distribution utility finds evidence that power diversion
46 or theft has occurred. The report must state the reason for the power increase if known by
47 the transmission and distribution utility.
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