ME LD1985

Property owners, lessees, and occupants abutting public easements receive liability protection for repairs and maintenance activities (snowplowing, grading, culvert work, brush cutting) conducted to access their property, except for willful or malicious creation of dangerous conditions

Municipalities and village corporations may vote to provide minimum year-round maintenance on public easements serving year-round residences, including grading, snowplowing, and culvert replacement, with immunity from liability under the Maine Tort Claims Act

Towns electing to maintain public easements must install 24"x24" yellow diamond warning signs reading "Minimum Maintenance Road - Travel at Your Own Risk" at each intersection with public ways

County commissioners and municipal officers gain authority to designate public easements for vehicle weight restrictions similar to Department of Transportation restrictions on public ways, regardless of whether the municipality maintains them

Appropriates $6,500 annually from the General Fund beginning FY 2025-26 to support the Maine Abandoned and Discontinued Roads Commission's ongoing work and member expense reimbursement