Maine Public Record Laws

Citations

The following records are exempt:

Records, working papers, inter-and intra-office memoranda used by or prepared for faculty and administrative committees of the Marine Maritime Academy, the Maine Community College System, and the University of Maine system;
Work product
Confidential
Working papers (unless distributed by a member or at a public meeting of the advisory organization)
Privileged
Trade secrets
Research for development of processing techniques for fisheries, aquaculture and seafood processing or the design and operation of a depuration plant in the possession of the Department of Marine Resources [2014 Me. Legis. Serv. Ch. 518 (H.P. 1212) (L.D. 1689) (WEST)]
Interest in nondisclosure substantially outweighs public interest in disclosure

Any person
Inspect for free unless cannot inspect absent record being converted or compiled
Right to inspect and/or copy w/in reasonable time of request
Reasonable (regular) office hours
Requests need not be in person nor in writing
Request w/in 5 working days
Within reasonable time of request, agency must provide a good faith nonbinding estimate of time w/in which agency will Denials/refusals also w/in 5 business days, written notice, and stating reasons; subject to appeal
Electronic format access doesn’t require provision of access to computer terminal for requestor
Fees up to $15/hour per request after the first hour, for staff time/actual cost of searching/retrieving/compiling requested record
Also charge fees for mailing, copying, or conversion, etc.
Only if estimate of cost is greater than $30, must custodian inform requestor of cost before proceeding
Estimate of time necessary to complete request
Fee may be waived in whole or in part if indigent or disclosure is in public interest and not primarily in commercial interest of requestor
Appeal refusal, denial or failure within 30 calendar days of the receipt of the written notice of refusal, to any Superior Court within the State as a trial de novo

No record shall be destroyed or otherwise disposed of by any official, except as provided by retention schedule.