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Applying for a Job with a Record

26 M.R.S. § 600-A — no conviction question on the first application form

  • An employer may not ask for criminal history on its initial job application form.
  • Nor may it say in an ad or the first application, or before deciding the person is otherwise qualified, that people with a record need not apply or will not be considered.
  • It may ask in an interview, or once the person is found otherwise qualified, and then gives the person the chance to explain.
  • 26 M.R.S. § 600-A
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Who handles this in Maine: Maine Human Rights Commission; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Maine directory.

Sources for this section (1)
  1. 26 M.R.S. § 600-A — Criminal history record information; employment application

Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Maine attorney.

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Walked through

This section is the long version of a step in one walkthrough. Each one takes the same law one decision at a time, with both sides of the moment written out.