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LD358 • 2025

An Act to Increase Fees Paid to Registers of Deeds

An Act to Increase Fees Paid to Registers of Deeds

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Senator Richard Bennett
Last action
2025-06-17
Official status
Became Law without Governor's Signature
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to Increase Fees Paid to Registers of Deeds

An Act to Increase Fees Paid to Registers of Deeds Sponsor: Senator Richard Bennett Reference committee: State and Local Government Governor action: Became Law without Governor's Signature

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Increase Fees Paid to Registers of Deeds Sponsor: Senator Richard Bennett Reference committee: State and Local Government Governor action: Became Law without Governor's Signature

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Adopted by House & Senate

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR0068(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR0068(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 358 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • S- ) 3STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT 4 Reproduced and distributed under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate.
  • 5STATE OF MAINE 6SENATE 7132ND LEGISLATURE 8FIRST SPECIAL SESSION 9 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT “ ” to S.P.

Bill History

  1. 2025-06-17 Governor

    Became Law without Governor's Signature

  2. 2025-06-03 Senate

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED , in concurrence.

  3. 2025-06-02 House

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED . Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

  4. 2025-05-29 Committee

    Reported Out; OTP-AM

  5. 2025-03-26 Committee

    Work Session Held

  6. 2025-03-26 Committee

    Voted; OTP-AM

  7. 2025-01-30 Committee

    Referred to Committee on State and Local Government.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Increase Fees Paid to Registers of Deeds
Sponsor:
Senator Richard Bennett
Reference committee:
State and Local Government
Governor action:
Became Law without Governor's Signature

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Page 1 - 132LR0068(03)
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
_____
S.P. 144 - L.D. 358
An Act to Increase Fees Paid to Registers of Deeds
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 33 MRSA §604, 3rd ¶, as enacted by PL 1979, c. 710, §1, is amended to
read:
Registers shall photocopy each warranty or quitclaim deed send an electronic or paper
copy of transfers received and send the copy to the assessors of the appropriate municipality
in the format requested by the assessors within 30 days of recordation. They Registers may
charge a reasonable fee for such service a paper copy provided pursuant to this paragraph.
Sec. 2. 33 MRSA §751, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2013, c. 370, §1, is further
amended to read:
1. Instruments generally. Receiving, recording and indexing any instrument that
may be recorded and for which a specific fee is not set forth in this section or in any other
section, the sum of $19 for the first record page and $2 for each additional record page or
portion of an additional record page. In addition, if more than 4 names are to be indexed,
a fee of $1 must be paid for each additional name, counting all grantors and grantees; a flat
fee charged as follows:
A. Twenty-five dollars per instrument recorded at the request of the State or a
municipality; and
B. Thirty-five dollars per instrument recorded at the request of all other persons.
Sec. 3. 33 MRSA §751, sub-§9, as amended by PL 2013, c. 370, §2, is further
amended to read:
9. Plans. Recording, indexing and preserving plans, the sum of $21 $45;
Sec. 4. 33 MRSA §751, sub-§13-A, as amended by PL 2005, c. 246, §3, is
repealed.
Sec. 5. 33 MRSA §751, sub-§14-B, ¶A, as amended by PL 2013, c. 370, §3, is
further amended to read:
A. Five Ten dollars per page for paper copies of plans; and
LAW WITHOUT
GOVERNOR'S
SIGNATURE

JUNE 17, 2025
CHAPTER
328
PUBLIC LAW
Page 2 - 132LR0068(03)
Sec. 6. 33 MRSA §751, sub-§14-D, as enacted by PL 2013, c. 370, §4, is amended
to read:
14-D. Downloads of 1,000 or more consecutive electronic images or electronic
abstracts from a county registry of deeds. Acquiring downloads of 1,000 or more
consecutive electronic images or electronic abstracts from a county registry of deeds that
is equipped to and voluntarily agrees to provide downloads of 1,000 or more consecutive
electronic images or electronic abstracts pursuant to a written agreement with the person
requesting the downloads, 5¢ 25¢ per image or electronic abstract;
Sec. 7. 33 MRSA §751, sub-§14-E, as enacted by PL 2013, c. 370, §5, is amended
to read:
14-E. Electronic images, or printed images or electronic abstracts from a county
registry of deeds website. Acquiring electronic images, or printed images or electronic
abstracts from a county registry of deeds website as follows:
A. No charge for the first 500 400 electronic images or electronic abstracts, or a
combination of the first 500 images and electronic abstracts, acquired by a person in a
calendar year; and
B. Fifty cents per electronic image or electronic abstract for each subsequent image or
electronic abstract after 500 400 electronic images acquired under paragraph A in the
same calendar year, except that a municipality may not be charged a fee under this
paragraph for acquisition of any number of electronic images from a county registry of
deeds website; and
C. One dollar per printed image acquired, not including any applicable postage rates
set by the county; and
Sec. 8. 33 MRSA §752, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2017, c. 116, §1, is further
amended to read:
1. Surcharge. In addition to any other fees required by law, a register of deeds may
collect a surcharge of $3 $5 per document for all records that are recorded in the registry
of deeds, except those recorded by agencies of State Government, including quasi-
independent state entities as defined in Title 5, section 12021, subsection 5, and
municipalities.
Sec. 9. 33 MRSA §753, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2013, c. 370, §6, is repealed.
Sec. 10. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026.