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LD928 • 2025

An Act to Maintain Public Access to Town Ways in Maine

An Act to Maintain Public Access to Town Ways in Maine

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Representative James White
Last action
2025-05-21
Official status
Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)
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 Maintain Public Access to Town Ways in Maine

An Act to Maintain Public Access to Town Ways in Maine Sponsor: Representative James White Reference committee: State and Local Government Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Maintain Public Access to Town Ways in Maine Sponsor: Representative James White Reference committee: State and Local Government Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

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.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-21 Senate

    Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)

  2. 2025-05-21 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP

  3. 2025-04-16 Committee

    Work Session Held

  4. 2025-04-16 Committee

    Voted; ONTP

  5. 2025-03-21 House

    Carried over, in the same posture, to the next special or regular session of the 132nd Legislature, pursuant to Joint Order SP 519.

  6. 2025-03-05 Committee

    Referred to Committee on State and Local Government.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Maintain Public Access to Town Ways in Maine
Sponsor:
Representative James White
Reference committee:
State and Local Government
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; ONTP

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 928
H.P. 593 House of Representatives, March 11, 2025
An Act to Maintain Public Access to Town Ways in Maine
Received by the Clerk of the House on March 5, 2025. Referred to the Committee on State
and Local Government pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule
401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative WHITE of Guilford.
Cosponsored by Senator LIBBY of Cumberland and
Representatives: ALBERT of Madawaska, FOSTER of Dexter, MASON of Lisbon,
MONTELL of Gardiner, PARRY of Arundel, RAY of Lincolnville, RUDNICKI of Fairfield,
THORNE of Carmel.

Page 1 - 132LR1604(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 23 MRSA §3028-A, sub-§11, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 145, §2 and
3 affected by §3, is amended to read:
411. Removal of obstructions. If the municipal officers or county commissioners have
5 declared a town way discontinued by abandonment and have retained a public easement in
6 the abandoned town way under this section for at least 15 years, the municipality, county
7 commissioners or an abutter on the way may not gate, bar or otherwise obstruct the town
8 way. If the municipal officers or county commissioners have declared a town way
9 discontinued by abandonment and have retained a public easement in the abandoned town
10 way under this section for less than 15 years, the municipality, county commissioners or
11 an abutter on the way, acting with the written permission of the municipal officers or county
12 commissioners, may remove any gates, bars or other obstructions in the town way.
13SUMMARY
14 This bill provides that if the municipal officers or county commissioners have declared
15 a town way discontinued by abandonment and have retained a public easement in the
16 abandoned town way under this section for at least 15 years, the municipality, county
17 commissioners or an abutter on the way may not gate, bar or otherwise obstruct the town
18 way.
19 The bill also provides that if the municipal officers or county commissioners have
20 declared a town way discontinued by abandonment and have retained a public easement in
21 the abandoned town way under this section for less than 15 years, the municipality, county
22 commissioners or an abutter on the way, acting with the written permission of the municipal
23 officers or county commissioners, may remove any gates, bars or other obstructions in the
24 town way.
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