Maine is one of those states that seems to have it all: from historic places and museums to outdoor activities and natural breath takers. There’s so much to see and visit from Acadia National Park, The Old Port, Ogunquit Beaches, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay Harbor, Maine Maritime Museum, Desert of Maine, Wiscasset, and so much more. If you’re thinking about visiting then it’s also a good idea to know about the weird Maine laws. You just never know when you might (without knowledge) be breaking one or two of them.
1. In Rumford, it’s apparently not ok to bite your landlord
Hmm… but what if you really get the urge to do so? They’ve probably had a few cases of people doing this so this law had to be in effect. The law also states that cats, dogs or other animals should not bite the landlord. Again, since it’s specific, we would guess someone actually “put” their pet to do this?
2. In Hallowell you can’t park your horse “up wind”
This is the case when it’s a windy day outside because… well, you probably have guessed what could happen.
3. In Portland, your shoelaces better be tied
When walking down the street your shoelaces must be tied or you could get into trouble with the law. Of course, this law isn’t enforced any more but it’s still weird to know it once was.
4. In Wells, they don’t like ads in cemeteries
And maybe those don’t even sell very well. Who wants to buy something they’ve seen advertised in a cemetery? Anyway, advertisements in cemeteries are prohibited in Wells, Maine.
5. In Freeport you can’t sell mercury thermometers
This law dates from 2001 when the Freeport town council realized that mercury is very dangerous and banned it altogether. Now, all mercury thermometers have been banned in Maine. If you didn’t know, it seems just the mercury from one thermometer can polluter a lake of medium size! Isn’t this insane? Just 1 mercury thermometer can do so much damage!! No wonder they banned this and we wonder why mercury thermometers even exist anymore if this is how bad they are.
6. No roller skating on the sidewalk
In Biddeford they seem to have a big problem with skating, riding bicycles and such on the sidewalk. You will be fined if caught doing this.
7. Illegal to sell cars on Sunday
Yet another state that has the Sunday law. Do you think this is a useful law? Leave your thoughts in the comment box.
8. No gambling at the airport
In Biddeford you are not allowed to do any kind of gambling at the airport. We’ve never thought about this, are there many airports where gambling is ok?
9. Don’t play a violin down the street in Augusta, Maine!
Doing so will get you into some trouble since they don’t allow this for some reason. Now we can understand that some people may not play that well and disturb others but what about people that can actually sing well? Why shouldn’t they be allowed to play the violin if they’re not disturbing others?
10. You shouldn’t step out of a plane in flight
Well, duh. It’s pretty clear why you shouldn’t. Unless you’re skydiving (which is done quite a lot in Maine by the way), you should never attempt to step out of a moving plane.
11. Spitting on the sidewalk in Portland is a no-no
This law was adopted in 1994 and makes it illegal for people to spit on any public property or sidewalks. There seems to have been such a law in Waterville as well but it was repealed. Anyway, no one should spit on sidewalks and if the need arises, maybe find a public bathroom to do this in?
12. In Freeport, you can’t spit from the 2nd floor of a building
Why the 2nd floor and not the 3rd or the 4th? Who knows? But the law clearly states that you shouldn’t do it from the 2nd floor? Be very careful while in Freeport so you don’t get on the wrong side of the law with this.
13. In Waterville, you can’t blow your nose in public!
Can you believe this is actually illegal? We understand why spitting on the sidewalk wouldn’t be ok, but what happens when you absolutely need to blow your nose?! Do you go searching for a particular spot for this like a bathroom or what? This is probably one of those very weird Maine laws.
Recommended reading next: 35 Weird California Laws You Won’t Believe Are Still In Effect
Myths and repealed Laws
At some point in time, shotguns were REQUIRED in CHURCH in case of a Native American attack!
Yes, that’s correct. Some time ago this was the norm and it didn’t happen just in Maine but in other states as well.
Christmas decorations must be down by Jan 14
Or at least that’s what a since repealed ordinance said. You would be fine if this didn’t happen. Nowadays this is not in the book anymore and you can keep them up as long as you’d like.
Winning more than $3 in a poker game was not permitted in Maine
Can you believe it? You couldn’t win more than just $3! This law has been repealed but it was once enforced and made playing poker for money impossible.
For each 5 potatoes a farmer ate 1 must go to each pig he owns
Apparently this was a law in Huberson, Maine which seems to have been repealed. It sounds strange but it had probably something to do with food waste and also to maybe make sure pigs don’t go hungry? Who knows but it’s a weird one.
Tickling a woman with a feather is absolutely not cool
In Portland this was forbidden and specified a woman shouldn’t be tickled with a feather duster under the chin. There wasn’t a mention about what happens if a woman did this to a man.
Pinball was/is ILLEGAL in Freeport
Some time back this town required businesses to apply for a license and pay a fee for every coin-operated game they owned if they wanted to have pinball on their premises. Back then there were certain questions about the morality of pinball games and as such there were no pinball games in town. This law has been in review since 2022 and from what we know there still aren’t any changes to it (yet). We’ll see how this goes.
I’m a passionate writer with an insatiable curiosity for history, obscure facts, and the weird corners of the internet. When I’m not fact-checking bizarre stories or diving into historical mysteries, I’m exploring the strange and unusual to bring you the most fascinating tales.
A self-proclaimed weirdness enthusiast, who loves turning the odd, the quirky, and the unbelievable into engaging stories for curious minds.
My kids sometimes call me the walking Wikipedia, which can get very annoying sometimes.
