Maine has its own Fair Credit Reporting Act, 10 M.R.S. sections 1306 through 1310-H. It adopts the federal FCRA by reference, so the federal duties also become duties under Maine law, and it has its own civil liability provisions. It then adds rights the federal law does not. A credit bureau may not charge for one report you request in any 12-month period. When you dispute an item directly with the bureau, Maine law requires it to reinvestigate within 21 calendar days, faster than the usual 30-day federal deadline. Placing, lifting or removing a security freeze has been free in Maine since 2015.
Maine also has some of the country's strongest rules on medical debt and economic abuse. As amended in 2025, 10 M.R.S. 1310-H(4) says a consumer reporting agency may not report medical debt on a consumer report. Medical creditors, debt collectors and debt buyers may not report medical debt to an agency. Section 1310-H(2-A) protects survivors of economic abuse. If a consumer documents that a debt resulted from economic abuse, the bureau must reinvestigate and, if confirmed, remove the debt or the affected part. The credit reporting industry has challenged parts of these laws in federal court as preempted by the FCRA, and courts have found some applications preempted, so how they apply can depend on the facts.
Maine has one federal district. FCRA cases by Maine residents are usually filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, which sits in Portland and Bangor. A case may include federal FCRA claims and claims under Maine's act.
Where Maine FCRA cases are filed
FCRA claims are federal, so they go to a United States District Court. Cases from Maine are heard in one federal district:
- District of MaineCourthouses: Bangor, Portland.Filed with local or cooperating counsel
Our attorneys are licensed in Texas, California, and Georgia. Where they aren't admitted in your local federal court, we work with local or cooperating counsel who are. You may also be able to sue where the company that reported you is based, in a court where our attorneys are admitted:
- Experian: HQ in C.D. California · Dispute Processing in E.D. Texas · Offices in N.D. Illinois
- Equifax: HQ in N.D. Georgia
- TransUnion: HQ in N.D. Illinois
- Santander Consumer: HQ in N.D. Texas
Which court is right depends on your facts. We'll tell you at your free case review.
Maine laws that add to the FCRA
- Maine Fair Credit Reporting Act, incorporation of federal law (10 M.R.S. § 1309)
Requires persons covered by Maine's act to comply with the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and its regulations, as amended, making those duties part of Maine law. Read it - Free report, 21-day reinvestigation, economic abuse and medical debt (10 M.R.S. § 1310-H)
Gives Maine consumers one free report on request every 12 months and requires a reinvestigation within 21 calendar days of a direct dispute. It requires removal of debts documented and confirmed as resulting from economic abuse, and bars reporting of medical debt. Some provisions have been the subject of federal preemption litigation. Read it - Security freeze (10 M.R.S. § 1310(1))
Lets Maine consumers freeze their consumer report. Since October 1, 2015, placing, lifting or removing a freeze has been free. The agency must place the freeze within five business days. Read it
Common credit report errors
- Accounts that aren't yours, including mixed-file and identity theft accounts
- Late payments you didn't make, or payments not credited
- Paid, settled or discharged debts still shown as owed
- Collections reported past the seven-year limit or re-aged
- A deceased indicator on a living person's file
Learn how these cases work on our credit report lawsuits page, or read our lawsuit guides for Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
Frequently asked questions
Can medical debt appear on my credit report in Maine?
Maine law, as amended in 2025, says a consumer reporting agency may not report medical debt and that medical creditors and collectors may not report it to an agency. The credit reporting industry has challenged parts of Maine's medical debt rules as preempted by federal law. If medical debt appears on your Maine report, you can dispute it.
What if a debt on my report came from an abusive partner?
Maine's economic abuse law lets you submit documentation to the credit bureau showing the debt resulted from economic abuse. The bureau must reinvestigate and, if it finds the debt resulted from economic abuse, remove it. The law applies except where federal law prohibits it.
How fast must a credit bureau handle my dispute in Maine?
When you dispute an item directly with the bureau, Maine law requires it to reinvestigate and record the item's current status within 21 calendar days, unless it reasonably believes the dispute is frivolous. The federal FCRA's 30-day deadline also applies.
How long do I have to file an FCRA lawsuit in Maine?
FCRA deadlines are the same everywhere: generally two years from when you discover the violation, and no more than five years from when it happened (15 U.S.C. § 1681p). Waiting can cost you the claim.
Sources
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maine
- 10 M.R.S. Chapter 209-B (Maine Fair Credit Reporting Act)
- 10 M.R.S. § 1309
- 10 M.R.S. § 1310
- 10 M.R.S. § 1310-H
- First Circuit, Consumer Data Industry Ass'n v. Frey (2022)
- 26 M.R.S. § 600-A
- 15 M.R.S. § 2261
- 15 M.R.S. § 2262
- NELP, Ban the Box / Fair Chance Hiring State and Local Guide
- Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.
Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.