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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 824S.P. 342 In Senate, March 4, 2025
An Act Regarding Pet Fees in Rental Housing
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator BAILEY of York.
Cosponsored by Representative DOUDERA of Camden and
Senator: CARNEY of Cumberland, Representatives: ROBERTS of South Berwick, ROEDER
of Bangor, SHAGOURY of Hallowell, SKOLD of Portland, WHITE of Ellsworth. Page 1 - 132LR1966(01)
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2 is enacted to read:
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5 other entity as a condition of keeping a pet within a dwelling unit, other than money paid
6 for pet rent described in subsection 2, is considered part of the security deposit and must
7 be refundable to the tenant. As used in this section, "pet" means a dog or cat kept in a
8 residential dwelling that is not being kept for commercial purposes.
9 The portion of the security deposit charged for maintaining a pet within a rented dwelling
10 may not exceed $300.
11 A landlord, agent, contractor, designee or other entity may charge a
12 monthly fee for pet rent that is separate from the monthly rental charge for a dwelling unit
13 as long as the fee does not exceed 1% of the monthly rental charge, regardless of the number
14 of pets that are kept in the dwelling unit.
15 A landlord, agent, contractor, designee or other entity may not
16 charge or collect a fee, other than the pet security deposit described in subsection 1 or the
17 pet rent described in subsection 2, as a condition of keeping a pet within a rented dwelling
18 unit.
19 A landlord, agent, contractor, designee or
20 other entity may not charge or collect a security deposit, as described in subsection 1, or
21 pet rent, as described in subsection 2, for a service animal or an assistance animal that is
22 required by a tenant with a disability as a reasonable accommodation pursuant to Title 5,
23 chapter 337, the federal Fair Housing Act, 42 United States Code, Section 3604(f)(3)(B),
24 or any other law.
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26 This bill prohibits a landlord, agent, contractor, designee or other entity from charging
27 or collecting a fee as a condition of keeping a pet within a rented dwelling unit, except that
28 a fee for pet rent not to exceed 1% of the monthly rental charge and a pet security deposit
29 not to exceed $300 may be charged. The bill also prohibits a landlord, agent, contractor,
30 designee or other entity from charging or collecting a fee for a service animal or an
31 assistance animal.
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