Maine Gun Laws And Concealed Carry Guide

Maine is a permitless carry state. Since October 15, 2015, adults 21 and older who can legally have a gun may carry a concealed handgun without a permit. Adults 18 to 20 can do the same if they are on active duty or honorably discharged from the military or National Guard.

Maine still issues an optional Concealed Handgun Permit, and it still matters. This guide covers who can carry, how to get the permit, the training rule, reciprocity, open carry, vehicles, where you can’t carry, and Maine’s self-defense law.

Do You Need A Permit To Carry In Maine?

No, not inside Maine if you are 21 or older and not barred from having a gun. The permitless carry rule is in 25 M.R.S. § 2001-A(2)(A-1). It covers handguns only.

Adults 18 to 20 may carry concealed without a permit only if they are on active duty in the Armed Forces or National Guard, or were honorably discharged from either. Other 18- to 20-year-olds need a permit to carry concealed. The permit’s minimum age is 18.

The Maine State Police say the law applies to residents and non-residents alike. A visitor who is 21 or older and not prohibited may carry concealed in Maine without any permit.

Permitless carry does not change who may have a gun. You still can’t carry if state or federal law bars you, including people with:

• Certain criminal convictions or juvenile adjudications
• Many protection-from-abuse orders
• Certain mental health or probate adjudications
• Bail, probation or deferred disposition conditions that bar firearms
• A dishonorable military discharge or certain immigration status

Why Get A Maine Concealed Handgun Permit Anyway?

Permitless carry stops at the state line. A permit is still the only way to carry in some places, even inside Maine.

1. Carry in other states. The Maine State Police list 22 states that recognize Maine permits held by Maine residents.
2. Carry at 18 to 20. Civilians under 21 need a permit to carry concealed. The permit’s minimum age is 18.
3. State parks and Acadia. The state says you need a Maine permit to carry in state parks and in Acadia National Park, and carry there must be concealed.
4. Your car at work. Maine’s employer parking-lot protection covers permit holders only.
5. Archery deer season. The state lists the permit as one way to carry a handgun while bow hunting in that season.

How To Get A Maine Concealed Handgun Permit

Who issues your permit depends on where you live. Towns with their own police department handle their own permits. The Maine State Police issue permits for about 360 towns, unorganized territories and all non-residents.

1. Find your issuing authority. Check the State Police town list. If your town isn’t on it and has a police department, apply there. Otherwise, ask your town office.
2. Complete a handgun safety course. It must be finished within 5 years before you apply (details below).
3. Fill out the application. Use the resident application or non-resident application. The last three pages are required. They authorize background checks and need a witness who is at least 18.
4. Add your documents. The State Police ask for one color head-and-shoulders photo, a copy of your birth certificate or a current passport, and your course certificate. They won’t accept a copy of a driver’s license as your photo.
5. Pay and submit. Send the packet and fee to your issuing authority.

Cost: $50 new and $35 renewal for residents. Non-residents pay $80 for a new or renewal permit. These fees took effect September 24, 2025.

Processing: The issuing authority must act within 30 days for residents of 5 years or more. It has 60 days for non-residents and newer residents. A denial must be in writing.

Term: Permits last 4 years. You can renew at the renewal rate up to 6 months after expiration. After that, you start over as a new applicant.

Questions go to the Maine State Police Weapons and Professional Licensing Unit at (207) 624-7210.

Do You Need A Class For A Maine Carry Permit?

Yes, for the permit. You must show the issuing authority “a knowledge of handgun safety” under 25 M.R.S. § 2003. Carrying without a permit needs no class.

The usual proof is a course that included handgun safety, finished within 5 years before you apply. It must be one of these:

• A course offered by or supervised by a federal, state, county or town law enforcement agency
• A course taught by a firearms instructor certified by a private firearms association the issuing authority recognizes

A certificate or other document showing the course meets the rule is enough. The issuing authority may let you show your knowledge in person instead, but it doesn’t have to offer that.

The law sets no hours and does not require live fire. People who held a valid permit on April 15, 1990, and veterans with basic firearms training, are exempt.

Online courses are a gray area.

The statute says who must teach the course, not whether it can be online. Neither the statute nor the State Police booklet addresses online courses. Your issuing authority decides, so ask before you pay for any class.

A short online safety course is a good primer on safe handling and Maine’s carry rules, whether you carry permitless or plan to apply. It is not a permit and is not an approved substitute for the course your issuing authority accepts.

Can Non-Residents Get A Maine Carry Permit?

Yes. The Maine State Police issue all non-resident permits. The fee is $80 for a new or renewal permit, and the State Police have 60 days to act.

Many visitors won’t need one to carry in Maine. Permitless carry covers non-residents who are 21 or older. A non-resident who carries under a home-state permit must have that permit with them.

Which States Honor The Maine Concealed Handgun Permit?

The Maine State Police reciprocity list names 22 states that recognize Maine permits held by Maine residents. The list is based on research by the Attorney General’s Office and shows no date.

• No stated conditions: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming
• Must be 21 or older: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and North Dakota
• 21 or older with government ID: Virginia

Arizona appears with a 21-or-older note but no clear yes or no. Some permitless carry states not on the list also let visitors carry without a permit. A non-resident Maine permit may not be honored in the same places, because the list covers permits held by Maine residents.

Going the other way, Maine recognizes resident permits from the states on that list. Most visitors 21 and older don’t need one, since permitless carry applies to them. Reciprocity changes, so check the state you’re visiting before every trip.

Going next door? See our New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts guides, or the full concealed carry laws by state list.

Can You Open Carry In Maine?

Yes, in most places. Maine’s carry statute regulates concealed weapons, and no state law requires a permit to carry openly. You must still be legally allowed to have the gun.

Open carry is not allowed in state parks or Acadia National Park. There, a permit holder may carry only concealed. The places listed below are off-limits whether you carry openly or concealed.

Can You Keep A Gun In Your Car In Maine?

Yes, for a handgun. 12 M.R.S. § 11212-A lets you have a loaded pistol or revolver in a vehicle if you are 21 or older and not prohibited.

Adults 18 to 20 qualify if they are on active duty, in the National Guard or honorably discharged. Loaded long guns are generally barred in vehicles, with narrow hunting and target shooting exceptions.

• Work parking lots: An employer may not stop an employee who holds a Maine permit from keeping a gun in their vehicle. The vehicle must be locked and the gun out of sight (26 M.R.S. § 600). The law does not cover employees without a permit.
• School parking lots: Maine bans firearms on public and approved private school property (20-A M.R.S. § 6552). The only vehicle exception is a narrow one for board-approved hunter’s breakfasts. There is no general exception for a gun locked in your car, even with a permit.

Where You Can’t Carry A Gun In Maine

A permit or permitless status doesn’t change these:

• Courthouses. A permit is not a defense (17-A M.R.S. § 1058).
• Public and approved private school property (20-A M.R.S. § 6552).
• The State Capitol Area in Augusta (25 M.R.S. § 2904 and Department of Public Safety Rule Chapter 41).
• Bars and other businesses licensed for on-site drinking that post a no-guns sign. Carrying in any of them while under the influence is illegal, posted or not (17-A M.R.S. § 1057).
• State parks without a permit. Permit holders may carry concealed (12 M.R.S. § 1803(7)).
• Acadia National Park without a Maine permit, or carried openly (12 M.R.S. § 756).
• Federal buildings (18 U.S.C. § 930).
• Private property where the owner prohibits guns.
• Other areas the State Police list, including wildlife sanctuaries, labor disputes and strikes, and parts of Baxter State Park and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway closed by rule.

Duty to inform: Yes, if you carry without a Maine permit. At first contact during an arrest, detention or traffic stop, you must tell the officer right away that you are carrying a concealed handgun (25 M.R.S. § 2003-A). Permit holders must keep the permit on them and show it when an officer asks (25 M.R.S. § 2003(11)).

Maine Castle Doctrine And Stand Your Ground Law

Maine is not a stand-your-ground state. It has a duty to retreat outside the home, under 17-A M.R.S. § 108.

• Deadly force: Allowed when you reasonably believe someone is about to use unlawful deadly force against you or another person. It also covers kidnapping, robbery and certain gross sexual assaults.
• Duty to retreat: You may not use deadly force if you know you can retreat with complete safety. You don’t have to retreat in your own home if you were not the initial aggressor.
• Castle doctrine: Deadly force is allowed against someone who has entered or is trying to enter your home unlawfully, when you reasonably believe it’s needed to prevent bodily injury to someone inside. 17-A M.R.S. § 104 also covers a criminal trespasser who is committing another crime inside. In that case you must first demand they stop, unless that would be dangerous.
• Civil protection: 14 M.R.S. § 171 gives a defense to a civil suit over force used on your premises, if the force was justified under § 104. It is a defense you raise in court, not immunity from being sued.
• Limits: No protection if you provoked the attack intending to cause harm. Deadly force must be reasonably believed necessary.

The law doesn’t prevent an arrest, charges or a lawsuit. You may still have to prove your case, and a defense can be expensive.

Maine Gun Laws FAQ

Is Maine A Constitutional Carry State?

Yes. Since October 15, 2015, adults 21 and older who can legally have a gun may carry a concealed handgun without a permit. Adults 18 to 20 qualify only with active-duty or honorably discharged military or National Guard service.

Can You Carry A Gun In Church In Maine?

Yes, unless the church prohibits it. Maine has no statute that bans guns in places of worship. A church is private property, so it can ban guns and ask you to leave.

A church that runs a school is a different case, because school property is off-limits. Churches that want armed volunteers should look at legal protection for church security teams.

Does Maine Have A Waiting Period To Buy A Gun?

Yes. 25 M.R.S. § 2016 bars a seller from handing over a firearm sooner than 72 hours after the sale agreement.

A federal judge blocked the law in February 2025. The First Circuit vacated that order on April 3, 2026, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case on October 19, 2026.

The case continues in the trial court. The exemptions don’t include permit holders.

Can I Carry A Concealed Gun In Maine Without A Permit If I’m From Another State?

Yes, if you are 21 or older and not prohibited. Maine’s permitless carry law applies to residents and non-residents. You still have the duty to inform an officer.

State parks and Acadia need a permit. In Acadia, Maine recognizes a home-state permit from a state that honors Maine’s, so check before you go.

Does Maine Accept Online Concealed Carry Classes?

Maybe. Maine law requires a course run or supervised by law enforcement, or taught by a certified instructor. It says nothing about online format.

The issuing authority decides, so check with your local police or the State Police before you sign up.

Does Maine Have A Red Flag Law?

Yes. Voters approved extreme risk protection orders as Question 2 on November 3, 2025, and the law took effect in February 2026. It lets a court order a person found to pose a risk to give up firearms for a time.

Sources

• Maine State Police, Concealed Carry in Maine
• Maine State Police, Reciprocity
• Maine State Police, Concealed Handguns Booklet
• Maine State Police, LD 652 Summary
• Maine State Police, Permit FAQ
• Maine State Police, Permit Fee Statute Amendment Memo
• Maine Legislature, 25 M.R.S. § 2001-A (carrying concealed weapons)
• Maine Legislature, 25 M.R.S. § 2003 (permits)
• Maine Legislature, 25 M.R.S. § 2003-A (duty to inform)
• Maine Legislature, 25 M.R.S. § 2016 (waiting period)
• Maine Legislature, 20-A M.R.S. § 6552 (school property)
• Maine Legislature, 26 M.R.S. § 600 (employee vehicles)
• Maine Legislature, 12 M.R.S. § 11212-A (loaded firearms in vehicles)
• Maine Legislature, 17-A M.R.S. § 1057 and § 1058 (licensed premises, courthouses)
• Maine Legislature, 17-A M.R.S. § 108 and § 104 (use of force)
• Maine Legislature, 14 M.R.S. § 171 (civil defense)
• Office of Governor Janet Mills, Certification of Questions 1 and 2
• U.S. Supreme Court, Beckwith v. Frey docket, No. 26-258
• WABI (news report), Maine red flag law goes into effect
• Bangor Daily News (news report), Maine gun waiting period upheld