Seasonal Sites › State guides › Maine
Maine · reviewed September 2026

Seasonal RV site agreements in Maine

What Maine law says about seasonal and annual RV guests, sub-metered electricity, sales tax and online signatures — and the clauses your agreement should carry because of it. Written for park owners, not lawyers.

Guest or tenant?Maine has no statute saying when a campground guest becomes a tenant.
Metered electricMaine has a campground-specific submetering statute: a campground (10+ sites) may submeter electricity to sites and charge only kWh used times the combined per-kWh rate the campground pays its utility, with no markup, and only where a given user is not served for more than 6 consecutive months.
Sales / lodging taxMaine's 9% living-quarters sales tax applies to 'the rental of space for the pitching of tents or the parking of motor homes, travel trailers, and camper trailers' at campgrounds.
Signing onlineUniform Electronic Transactions Act (10 M.R.S. § 9401 et seq.)

Short version. Details, citations and sources are below.

Is a seasonal guest a tenant in Maine?

Maine has no statute saying when a campground guest becomes a tenant. Owners of a 'camping area' may order out anyone causing a disturbance or damaging property and call police if they refuse (30-A M.R.S. § 3837). But Maine courts decide case by case: in Degenhardt the court required a formal forcible entry and detainer eviction because the occupants lived on site long-term and paid rent monthly. Seasonal campers paying by the season on a written agreement are evaluated the same way, so a seasonal guest who effectively lives at the park should be treated as a tenant.

What that means for notices and removal

Disruptive guests: immediate ejection under 30-A § 3837. Occupants who look like tenants: 30-day written notice to terminate a tenancy at will (14 M.R.S. § 6002), 7-day notice for nonpayment or serious violations, then FED action in district court.

Cite: 14 M.R.S. § 6001 et seq.; 30-A M.R.S. § 3837 (ejection from 'camping area'); Degenhardt v. EWE Ltd. Partnership (Me. 2011)

Sub-metering electricity to RV sites in Maine

Maine has a campground-specific submetering statute: a campground (10+ sites) may submeter electricity to sites and charge only kWh used times the combined per-kWh rate the campground pays its utility, with no markup, and only where a given user is not served for more than 6 consecutive months. Submeter charges are not a taxable 'sale,' and the section does not otherwise authorize resale of electricity. Year-round occupants (over 6 consecutive months) fall outside this safe harbor.

Cite: 35-A M.R.S. § 313

Sales and lodging tax on seasonal sites in Maine

Maine's 9% living-quarters sales tax applies to 'the rental of space for the pitching of tents or the parking of motor homes, travel trailers, and camper trailers' at campgrounds. Rent for 28 or more consecutive days is exempt only if the site is the person's primary residence or is occupied in connection with education or employment; a purely recreational seasonal site does not qualify, so seasonal site fees remain taxable.

Cite: 36 M.R.S. § 1811; 36 M.R.S. § 1760(20); MRS Instructional Bulletin 32

Signing agreements online in Maine

Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. Electronic signatures are valid for seasonal site agreements when the guest agrees to sign electronically, intends to sign, and the record is kept in a form that can be reproduced and shown not to have changed. Seasonal Sites records the signer’s typed name, email, time, IP address and a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact text signed, and stores the signed PDF.

Cite: 10 M.R.S. § 9401 et seq.

Clauses to include in a Maine seasonal agreement

These are added on top of the eleven sections in the free template. Adjust the bracketed parts and have a local attorney read the result.

Recreational use, not a residence"The Site is licensed for recreational use only. The Guest maintains a permanent residence elsewhere at the address above, and the Site is not the Guest’s primary residence. Nothing in this agreement creates a residential tenancy." In this state the line between a recreational guest and a residential tenant is what decides which removal process applies, so say it plainly and keep the guest’s home address on file.
Notice periodMatch the notice periods in your termination section to the ones the state uses (30-day notice appears in the rules summarized above) rather than inventing shorter ones; a shorter contractual notice is not enforceable where the statute sets a floor.
Metered electricity"Electricity is individually metered and billed at the Park’s actual cost per kWh from its utility, with no markup, read on or about the [day] of each month; readings are available to the Guest on request." Keep the utility bills and meter readings for at least three years.
Term length and taxState the exact term dates; a written agreement with a fixed term is usually the evidence a long-stay tax exemption depends on.
Electronic signature consent"The Guest consents to sign this agreement electronically and to receive invoices, receipts and notices by email at the address above." Keep the signer name, email, date/time, IP address and a fingerprint of the signed text.

Your state association is a good second opinion on all of this: Maine Campground Owners Association (MECOA).

Get the free seasonal site agreement template

Eleven plain-English sections, Word and PDF, with bracketed fields to fill in. Then paste the Maine clauses above into it.

Or skip the paperwork entirely

Seasonal Sites takes this same agreement, fills in each guest’s name, site, rate and dates, emails them a link to sign on their phone, puts the installments on autopay, bills metered electric from your readings, and keeps the signed PDF with the audit record. Renewals for the whole park go out in one click. It works beside whatever reservation system you already use.

Other states

Sources

This page summarizes public sources as of September 2026 for park owners and is not legal or tax advice. Statutes, tariffs and tax rules change; confirm anything you rely on with the agency or an attorney licensed in Maine. Found an error? Email hello@seasonalsites.com.