A Protection from Harassment Order
5 M.R.S. § 4655 — against anyone, for a fixed period of up to one year
A protection from harassment order reaches someone who is not family. Harassment means 3 or more acts of intimidation, confrontation, physical force or threats, meant to cause fear, intimidation or property damage and that do, or a single act that is one of the listed crimes, among them assault, threatening, terrorizing, stalking and violation of privacy.
Who handles this in Maine: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Maine directory.
The complaint is filed in the District Court where either side lives, or where a plaintiff who fled lived before or lives now.
An order or approved consent agreement lasts a fixed period of up to one year, and the court may extend it. Violating it with prior actual notice is a Class D crime, and an officer may arrest without a warrant on probable cause.
Sources for this section (4)
- 5 M.R.S. § 4651 — Definitions
- 5 M.R.S. § 4652 — Filing of complaint; jurisdiction
- 5 M.R.S. § 4655 — Relief
- 5 M.R.S. § 4659 — Violation
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Maine attorney.