A Claim Against the Government
14 M.R.S. § 8107 — a written notice of claim within 365 days
Within 365 days after a claim permitted by Maine's tort claims chapter accrues, the claimant, or the claimant's personal representative or attorney, files a written notice. A later notice is allowed, within the limits of another section of the chapter, where the claimant shows good cause why it could not reasonably have been filed in time.
Who handles this in Maine: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Maine directory.
- The name and address of the claimant, and of any attorney or other representative.
- A concise statement of the basis of the claim: the date, time, place and circumstances.
- The name and address of any governmental employee involved, if known.
- A concise statement of the nature and extent of the injury.
- The amount of monetary damages claimed.
A notice of a claim against the State goes to the department, board, agency, commission or authority whose act or omission is said to have caused the injury, and to the Attorney General. A notice of a claim against a political subdivision goes to one of the persons who could be served with a summons and complaint in a civil action against it.
For a claimant who is a minor when the claim accrues, the notice may be presented within 365 days after the minor turns 18.
The time to sue afterward, and whether an immunity applies, are questions for a licensed Maine attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- 14 M.R.S. § 8107 — Notice of claim against a governmental entity
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Maine attorney.