Revoking a Will
18-C M.R.S. § 2-506 — a later will, or burning, tearing or canceling it
- A later will revokes an earlier one, expressly or by being inconsistent with it.
- So does burning, tearing, canceling, obliterating or destroying it, by the testator meaning to revoke, or by someone else in the testator's conscious presence and at the testator's direction.
- A burn, tear or cancellation counts even if it does not touch the words.
Who handles this in Maine: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Maine directory.
A later will that disposes of the whole estate is presumed to replace the earlier one; one that does not is presumed to supplement it. Otherwise, apart from divorce and the other cases the code names, a change of circumstances does not revoke a will.
Sources for this section (2)
- 18-C M.R.S. § 2-506 — Revocation by writing or by act
- 18-C M.R.S. § 2-507 — Revocation by change of circumstances
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Maine attorney.