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Housing & Tenant · Rent Late Fees

Rent Late Fee Limit in Maine

The most a landlord can charge you for paying rent late in Maine, the grace period you may be owed, and what to do about an unfair fee, cited to the statute.

Confirmedagainst §6028Reviewed by Cholilurrohman · July 2026
Most a late fee can be · Maine
4% cap, 15 days grace, told at signing
Hard cap
Maine gives a 15-day grace period, caps the late fee at 4 percent of one month rent, the lowest cap of any state, and only lets a landlord charge it if you were told at signing.
Maximum late fee4% cap, 15 days grace, told at signing
Grace period15 days
Must be in the leaseYes
Statute§6028

The cap and the grace period in Maine

The most a late fee can be, when it can be charged, and whether it has to be in your lease.

Maximum late feeA late penalty may not exceed 4 percent of the amount due for one month, the lowest percentage cap of any state. The disclosure rule is stronger than a lease term. A landlord may not assess a late penalty unless the landlord gave the tenant written notice, at the time they entered into the rental agreement, that a penalty of up to 4 percent of one month rent may be charged. A landlord who added the term later, or never mentioned it at signing, cannot charge at all.
Grace periodA rent payment is late only if it is not made within 15 days from the time it is due. That is one of the longest grace periods of any state.
Must be written in the leaseYes. A late fee that is not in your signed lease generally cannot be charged.
Local ordinanceThe state figures are the operative rule. Maine also scales rent-increase notice to the size of the increase and voids waivers against public policy, so its renter protections are unusually consistent.
How it is enforcedThe disclosure-at-signing requirement is the strongest enforcement tool: if the landlord never disclosed the penalty at signing, no penalty can be charged, whatever the ledger says. A fee above 4 percent, or charged before the 15-day grace period, exceeds the statute and can be disputed as a defense.
StatuteMe. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, §6028

What you can do right now

Concrete, neutral steps if a Maine late fee looks too high or came with no grace period. This is legal information, not legal advice.

  1. Ask whether you were told at signing

    Maine bars a late penalty unless you got written notice at the time you signed that a penalty up to 4 percent may be charged. If the term was added later or never disclosed at signing, the landlord cannot charge it.

  2. Count the 15-day grace period

    Rent is not late until 15 days pass. A late fee before that is improper under 14 M.R.S. 6028, so check the date against your due date.

  3. Apply the 4 percent cap

    The fee cannot exceed 4 percent of one month rent, the lowest cap in the country. Work out 4 percent of your monthly rent, and a higher charge exceeds the ceiling.

  4. Get local help

    A local Maine legal aid office can confirm the disclosure and the cap. Search for legal aid in your area.

This is general legal information, not legal advice. Read your own lease and check for a local ordinance, since either can change the fee that applies to your home.

What Maine renters get wrong

Maine has the strictest late fee rule in the country on every axis at once. The grace period is fifteen days, bettered only by Massachusetts. The cap is four percent of one month rent, the lowest percentage of any state. And the disclosure requirement is fixed to the moment of signing rather than merely to the lease document. Under 14 M.R.S. 6028 a landlord may not assess a late penalty unless the landlord gave the tenant written notice, at the time they entered into the rental agreement, that a penalty of up to four percent may be charged. A landlord who adds the term later, or who never mentioned it at signing, cannot charge at all. That disclosure-at-signing rule is the strongest tool a Maine renter has, because it can defeat a fee entirely regardless of how the arithmetic works out. Maine legislates renter protection more consistently than any other state, scaling rent-increase notice to the size of the increase and voiding waivers as against public policy, and the late fee rule is of a piece with that.

Common questions

Were you told about the late fee when you signed in Maine?

That can decide everything. 14 M.R.S. 6028 bars a late penalty unless the landlord gave you written notice at the time you entered the rental agreement that a penalty up to 4 percent may be charged. No disclosure at signing, no penalty.

Is 4 percent really the cap in Maine?

Yes. Maine caps the late penalty at 4 percent of the amount due for one month, the lowest percentage cap of any state. A fee above 4 percent exceeds the statute and can be disputed.

When does rent become late in Maine?

After 15 days. A rent payment is late only if it is not made within 15 days from the time it is due, so a late fee cannot attach before that grace period runs, which is among the longest in the country.

Can the late fee term be added later in Maine?

No. The disclosure must have happened at the time you entered the rental agreement. A landlord who adds a late-fee term after signing, or who never disclosed it at signing, cannot charge the penalty under 14 M.R.S. 6028.

Primary source
→ Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, §6028
Maine Revised Statutes (14 M.R.S. § 6028) · legislature.maine.gov
Cholilurrohman
Every figure on this page is checked line-by-line against the current statute. Editorial standards →

Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.

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