Maine Eviction Record Sealing: Courthouse-Only Access After 3 Years

By Steve Levine · Updated November 3, 2026

Short answer: Maine eviction record sealing does not exist in the strict sense, but Maine limits who can see an eviction file in a way few states do. Under 4 M.R.S. § 9-C, records of a forcible entry and detainer (FED) case are available only at the courthouse, not online, if the case was dismissed, the tenant won, the parties agreed, or more than three years have passed since judgment.

That courthouse-only rule is not the same as erasing a case. Anyone who walks into the clerk’s office can still ask for the file. What it does is take most eviction cases out of the remote, searchable court data that landlords and screening companies rely on. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court built the same limits into its electronic filing rules.

Quick Reference: Maine Eviction Record Sealing and Access Rules

Rule	Maine	Statute or rule
Sealing or expungement statute for FED cases	None found; access is limited instead	4 M.R.S. § 9-C
Dismissed case or tenant wins	Courthouse-only access	4 M.R.S. § 9-C(2)
Parties agree	Courthouse-only access	4 M.R.S. § 9-C(1)
Judgment against tenant	Courthouse-only once 3 years pass after judgment	4 M.R.S. § 9-C(3)
Before any judgment	Courthouse-only access	M.R. Elec. Ct. Sys. 4(D)(1)
Screening fee and copy of results	One actual-cost fee per 12 months; landlord must give you a complete copy	14 M.R.S. § 6030-H
Federal reporting limit on civil judgments	7 years from entry, or the limitations period if longer	15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)(2)

How 4 M.R.S. § 9-C Works

The Legislature added section 9-C through Public Law 2021, chapter 644. It covers civil cases brought under 14 M.R.S. § 6001, the residential eviction statute, and § 7481. For those cases, three categories of records are accessible by the public only at a courthouse:

Agreement of the parties. Records in a case where the landlord and tenant agree the file should be courthouse-only.
Dismissal or tenant win. Records in a case dismissed or resolved in favor of the defendant, which in an eviction is you.
Age. Records in any case more than three years after a judgment has been entered.

None of these require you to file a motion. The statute describes which records fall into the courthouse-only category, and the court’s electronic system applies it.

The Court Rule That Puts It Into Practice

Rule 4(D)(1) of the Maine Rules of Electronic Court Systems goes a step further. Before a judgment is entered, FED court records are accessible only at a courthouse. So while your case is pending, the filing itself should not appear in the court’s remote public data.

After a judgment against a tenant, the rule allows the registry of actions (the docket listing) to be viewed remotely for three years, and other records only if the court approves remote access. The January 2026 advisory note to the rule explains that it was amended under § 9-C, and that party agreement keeps the records courthouse-only even after judgment.

The practical takeaway: in Maine, a three-year window of online visibility exists only when a landlord actually wins a judgment for possession and you did not agree otherwise.

Negotiating a Courthouse-Only Agreement

Because § 9-C(1) honors party agreement, the terms you sign in a settlement can control whether the case ever shows up remotely. Maine’s FED process builds in a chance to negotiate. Under 14 M.R.S. § 6004, the summons packet must tell you that either party may request mediation and include a court-approved form to request it.

If you reach a deal in mediation or in the hallway, ask that the written agreement say both parties agree the court records will be accessible only at the courthouse. You can also negotiate for a dismissal rather than a judgment, which brings the case under § 9-C(2) as well.

In nonpayment cases, timing matters too. Under 14 M.R.S. § 6002, paying all arrears, rent due as of the payment date, and the landlord’s actual filing and service fees before the writ issues reinstates the tenancy. Under § 6005, the writ issues seven calendar days after judgment, and it may not issue at all if you reinstated by paying. See our eviction process by state guide for the full Maine timeline.

Screening Reports, FCRA Limits and Your Free Copy

Courthouse-only access reduces what new screening searches can find, but it does not reach a report that a company already compiled. Federal law fills that gap. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)(2), a consumer reporting agency may not report civil suits or judgments more than seven years after entry, or the limitations period if longer. And § 1681e(b) requires reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy, which matters if a report shows a judgment in a case that was actually dismissed.

Maine gives you an unusual tool for catching errors. Under 14 M.R.S. § 6030-H, a landlord generally may not charge an application fee, may charge only the actual cost of one background check, credit check or other screening, and must give you a complete copy of what it obtained. The landlord cannot charge the fee at all unless it told you about that copy requirement, and it cannot charge you more than one screening fee in any 12-month period.

With that copy in hand, dispute any error directly with the screening company. Under § 1681i(a)(1), it must reinvestigate free of charge within 30 days. The CFPB’s consumer reporting company list notes that tenant screeners supply eviction information and rent payment history, and it advises contacting them to dispute inaccuracies. Our tenant screening report explainer walks through each section of a report.

Worked Example: Marcus in Lewiston

Marcus’s landlord served a seven-day notice for nonpayment and filed an FED complaint in District Court in February 2026. Marcus requested mediation using the form in his summons packet. The parties agreed he would move out by April 30, 2026, the landlord would dismiss the case, and both agreed the records would be courthouse-only.

Because the case was dismissed and the parties agreed, it falls under both § 9-C(1) and § 9-C(2). It was also courthouse-only while it was pending, under Rule 4(D)(1).

Compare his neighbor Lena, who missed her hearing and had a default judgment for possession entered on March 3, 2026. Under Rule 4(D)(1)(a), the registry of actions in her case can be viewed remotely until March 3, 2029, when § 9-C(3) makes it courthouse-only. A screening company that captured her judgment before then could keep reporting it until March 2033 under the seven-year federal limit. When Lena applied for an apartment in June 2026 and paid a $35 background-check fee, § 6030-H entitled her to a complete copy of the results.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a courthouse-only Maine eviction record the same as a sealed record?

No. A sealed record is closed to the public entirely. Under 4 M.R.S. § 9-C, the file stays public but can be seen only by going to the courthouse, so it drops out of remote online searching.

Do I have to ask the court to apply § 9-C?

The statute and Rule 4(D)(1) apply by category, not by motion, for dismissed cases, tenant wins and cases more than three years past judgment. For the agreement route, the agreement has to exist, so put it in writing in your settlement.

Can a Maine landlord refuse to show me my screening report?

If the landlord charged you a screening fee, 14 M.R.S. § 6030-H requires it to give you a complete copy of the information obtained, and to have told you about that requirement before charging. If it charged a fee without doing so, the statute says it may not charge the fee in the first place.

What if my old Maine eviction still shows up after three years?

Courthouse-only status limits new remote searches, but a screener may have copied the record earlier. It may report a civil judgment for up to seven years after entry under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c(a)(2), or longer if the limitations period runs longer, so check whether the entry is accurate and dispute it if it is not.

This page is general information and not legal advice. If you have an FED hearing coming up, the most useful step is to request mediation using the form in your summons packet and to contact legal aid through the LSC legal help finder before your court date. Compare other states on our eviction record sealing by state page, and see Maine security deposit law for your move-out rights.

Sources

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