Debt collectors in Maine: your rights

Your federal rights

These federal rules apply in Maine and every other state. Maine's own law, below, can add more.

• Who the federal law covers. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) covers debt collectors who collect for someone else and companies that buy debts, not usually the original creditor collecting its own debt (15 U.S.C. 1692a(6)). Some state laws also cover original creditors.
• A validation notice. A collector must give you a validation notice, in its first message or within 5 days after it, with the amount, the creditor and how to dispute (15 U.S.C. 1692g(a); 12 CFR 1006.34).
• Your right to dispute. If you dispute the debt in writing within the validation period (30 days after you get the notice), the collector must stop collecting until it mails you verification (15 U.S.C. 1692g(b); 12 CFR 1006.38).
• When collectors can contact you. No calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. your time, or at work if your employer doesn't allow it (15 U.S.C. 1692c(a)). More than 7 calls in 7 days about one debt is presumed to break the law (12 CFR 1006.14(b)(2)).
• Telling a collector to stop. If you tell a collector in writing to stop contacting you, it must stop, except to tell you it is ending collection or will take a specific step such as a lawsuit (15 U.S.C. 1692c(c)).
• What collectors can't do. No threats, obscene language, false statements (for example pretending to be a lawyer or the government, or threatening arrest) and no unfair practices such as collecting fees your contract doesn't allow (15 U.S.C. 1692d, 1692e, 1692f). A collector generally can't discuss your debt with your family, neighbors or employer (15 U.S.C. 1692c(b)).

Read how to dispute a debt or stop collector calls.

Maine law and extra protections

State law

Maine Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

Law

32 M.R.S. §§ 11001-11054

Covers original creditors

No

Extra protections

• Debt collectors cannot sue you more than 6 years after your last activity on the debt, and once that time runs out, a payment or promise does not restart it. (32 M.R.S. § 11013(7)-(8))
• Debt collectors cannot sue consumers in small claims court. (32 M.R.S. § 11021)
• On medical debt, collectors cannot charge interest or fees, and cannot garnish your wages or put a lien on your home. (32 M.R.S. § 11013(3)(O)-(P), (12)-(13))
• A payment plan or settlement must be in writing; the collector must give you a written copy within 10 business days, and you don't have to pay until you get it. (32 M.R.S. § 11013(6))
• Debt buyers must have detailed records (original creditor, chain of ownership, the contract) before collecting. (32 M.R.S. § 11013(9))

Can you sue under it?

Yes. You can sue a debt collector for actual damages plus up to $1,000 in extra damages ($2,000 against a debt buyer), plus court costs and attorney's fees if you win. You must sue within 1 year after the violation. (32 M.R.S. § 11054)

Official text

Read the law

Old debts in Maine

Written contracts

6 years

Open accounts and unwritten agreements

6 years

Does a payment restart the clock?

Not for debt collectors: once the 6 years since your last activity have passed, a later payment, written or oral promise, or other activity does not revive or extend the time to sue. (32 M.R.S. § 11013(8))

Law

14 M.R.S. § 752; 32 M.R.S. § 11013(7)-(8)

Official text

Read the law

The time limit is the statute of limitations. Once it runs out, the debt is “time-barred”: a collector must not sue or threaten to sue you, but the debt still exists. Read more about time-barred debt.

Is my debt too old? Check Maine's time limit

Every state limits how long a creditor or collector has to sue you over a debt. This is the statute of limitations. Choose your state, the type of debt and the date of your last payment to see the limit and an estimated end date. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Wage garnishment and bank accounts in Maine

Wage limit

Stricter than federal. The court can order payments of no more than the smallest of: 25% of your weekly disposable earnings (plus exempt income), or the amount above 40 times the higher of the federal or Maine minimum wage per week. If your only income is exempt (for example Social Security or unemployment), no payment order is allowed.

Bank account

Up to $3,000 in cash and bank or other financial accounts is exempt. (14 M.R.S. § 4422(17))

Law

14 M.R.S. § 3126-A; 14 M.R.S. § 4422(17)

Federal benefits such as Social Security, SSI and VA benefits that were directly deposited are protected in your bank account up to two months' worth (31 CFR 212.6). A creditor usually needs a court judgment before it can garnish your wages or bank account.

Property you can keep in Maine

Home: up to $80,000 of equity, or $160,000 if minor dependents live with you or you or a dependent are 60+ or disabled (14 M.R.S. § 4422(1)). Your main home cannot be taken for medical debt at all (§ 4422(1)(F)). One vehicle up to $10,000 (§ 4422(2)). Household items up to $500 per item (§ 4422(3)); $3,000 in cash or bank accounts (§ 4422(17)).

Collector licensing in Maine

License required

Yes

Who licenses

Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection (Superintendent of Consumer Credit Protection)

Check a license

Official license lookup

Medical debt in Maine

Debt collectors cannot charge interest or fees on medical debt, and cannot sue to collect it unless they first gave you notice and 30 days to show your household income is at or below 300% of the federal poverty level (PL 2023, c. 663; 32 M.R.S. § 11013(3)(O)-(Q)). Collectors also cannot garnish wages or put a lien on your home for medical debt (32 M.R.S. § 11013(12)-(13), PL 2025, c. 649), and your main home is exempt from execution for medical debt (14 M.R.S. § 4422(1)(F)). Credit bureaus cannot report medical debt, and medical creditors, collectors and debt buyers cannot report it to them (PL 2025, c. 201; 10 M.R.S. § 1310-H(4)). Note: on October 28, 2025 the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued an interpretive rule saying that the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act generally preempts state laws that ban medical debt from credit reports (90 Fed. Reg. 48710). The state law is still on the books, but credit bureaus may argue it cannot be enforced, and courts have the final say.

If you are sued in Maine

Time to answer

Superior or District Court civil case: 20 days after you are served with the summons and complaint (Maine Rule of Civil Procedure 12(a)). Debt collectors cannot use small claims court in Maine.

If you don't answer

If you don't answer within 20 days, the collector can ask the court for a default judgment.

Court self-help

Maine court self-help (official)

Don't ignore court papers. Read what to do if a debt collector sues you.

Where to complain in Maine

• Maine: Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection · 1-800-332-8529
• Federal: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau takes complaints about debt collectors at consumerfinance.gov/complaint · (855) 411-2372.
• You can also report a collector to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Free help in Maine

• Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection · 1-800-332-8529
• Pine Tree Legal Assistance (free legal aid)
• Maine Judicial Branch Help

Good to know in Maine

• Maine is one of the few states that bars debt collectors from filing in small claims court (32 M.R.S. § 11021).
• Maine's 6-year limit for debt collectors runs from your last activity and cannot be revived (32 M.R.S. § 11013(8)).

Changes in 2024–2026

2024 (PL 2023, c. 663): new medical-debt limits on interest, fees and lawsuits. 2025 (PL 2025, c. 201): full ban on medical debt in credit reports. PL 2025, c. 649 (132nd Legislature): no wage garnishment or home liens by debt collectors for medical debt (32 M.R.S. § 11013(12)-(13)). PL 2025, c. 488 also amended § 11013.

Free letters to send a collector

Questions about debt collection in Maine

Other states