GC Laws — Maine contractor-law checklist preview (free)
Sources reviewed 2026-09-30. Public summaries remain free on gclaws.com.

[ ] Licensing
      - The Maine Attorney General states that general contractors and trades such as roofing and framing are not licensed by the State.
      - Maine licenses electricians and plumbers; the responsible licensing board handles complaints about licensed practice.

[ ] Mechanic's liens
      - Section 3251 grants the lien for its listed work and services on the building and relevant land or owner interest.
      - A claimant without an owner contract must file the sworn statement in the relevant registry and mail a copy to the owner within 90 days after ceasing work, materials or services. Section 3253 exempts direct owner contracts from this requirement.
      - The enforcement action generally must be filed within 120 days after last furnishing, subject to section 3256. An indirect claimant cannot serve the owner with the complaint and summons until 30 days after filing.
      - The owner-payment defense in subsection 3 protects specified payments made before suit or the prescribed warning notice. That subsection does not apply to business, commercial or industrial premises unless the owner resides there; it is not a universal preliminary-notice requirement.

[ ] Retainage
      - Retainage due upon completion must be paid within 30 days after final acceptance. If the owner holds none for a sub’s work, the contractor may retain as agreed but must pay it within 30 days of final acceptance.
      - Notwithstanding a contrary agreement, retainage received must pass to the sub/supplier entitled to it within seven days. Unreasonable withholding of acceptance or failure to pay invokes the chapter’s interest, penalty and fee provisions.
      - The chapter excludes DOT contracts and owners’ own-work material purchases.
      - Own-property material-purchase contracts are excluded.
      - Covered owners include the State and its subdivisions.

[ ] Prompt payment
      - The owner pays under the contract; except as otherwise agreed, interim/final invoices are due 20 days after billing-period end or invoice delivery, whichever is later.
      - Notwithstanding a contrary agreement, for contract-compliant work the contractor/subcontractor passes through the full or proportional payment seven days after receiving the progress/final payment or the sub/supplier invoice, whichever is later. Failure accurately to disclose the upstream due date triggers subsection 2.
      - The chapter excludes Maine DOT contracts.
      - The chapter excludes material purchases by a person working on that person’s own real property.
      - The definition of owner includes the State and its instrumentalities and subdivisions.

[ ] Prevailing wage
      - Public-works laborers must receive at least the fair minimum wage and benefit rate determined under section 1308.
      - The public-works and assisted-project definitions set distinct coverage tests. Construction excludes architectural/engineering services, temporary/emergency repairs and contracts below $10,000.
      - For covered assisted projects, contractors/subcontractors must pay construction workers at least the prevailing wage and benefit rate beginning January 1, 2023.
      - The bureau uses the highest wage/benefit information from the three prescribed data sets and limits a published classification’s annual decrease to 15%; written objections to a determination are due within ten days of filing it with the public authority.

[ ] Davis-Bacon (federal)
      - Under 40 U.S.C. section 3142, covered contracts require payment to laborers and mechanics employed directly on the site of the work at least weekly, at rates no lower than the applicable prevailing wage determination. The required compensation includes the basic hourly rate and required fringe benefits, which may be provided through qualifying benefits or cash as the statute permits.
      - Qualifying apprentices may receive a lower registered-program rate only when the applicable registration and program conditions are met. The Department of Labor’s apprenticeship rules govern those exceptions.
      - The Department of Labor determines the prevailing rates for the work classifications and locality. Contractors and subcontractors must use the wage determination applicable to their covered contract.
      - Federal assistance alone does not establish coverage: many, but not all, construction-assistance statutes include Davis-Bacon requirements. Identify the funding program and its governing Related Act.
      - SAM.gov publishes Davis-Bacon wage determinations. Search by the wage-determination number or the Davis-Bacon public-buildings-or-works category, and match the decision to the contract, locality, and work classification.

This preview lists the topics and rules covered in the full state pack. The paid pack adds the complete source URLs, citations, review dates, and the three editable tools.
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