Parental Rights and Responsibilities
19-A M.R.S. § 1653 — shared, allocated or sole, by the child's best interest
Maine's word for custody is parental rights and responsibilities. The court awards them shared, allocated or sole by the best interest of the child, treating the child's safety and well-being as primary, and parents who agree on shared rights get that award unless substantial evidence says otherwise.
Who handles this in Maine: Pine Tree Legal Assistance, ask for legal help and Pine Tree Legal Assistance; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Maine directory.
- No preference for one parent over the other because of a parent's gender or the child's age or gender.
- Each parent has access to the child's medical, dental and school records unless the court finds otherwise.
- Leaving the family home is not held against a parent who left because of harm or threats from the other, or by agreement.
- Before a contested hearing the court refers the parents to mediation.
Moving with the child. A parent with shared or allocated rights gives the other parent notice at least 30 days before relocating the child, or as soon as possible when the move must happen sooner.
Sources for this section (1)
- 19-A M.R.S. § 1653 — Parental rights and responsibilities
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Maine attorney.