Maine Civil Violation 6-Year Limit / Stale Parking Invoice Defense
Maine parking citations issued by municipalities are civil violations. Under 14 M.R.S. §752, civil actions on contracts and similar civil claims are subject to a 6-year statute of limitations. Private parking 'invoices' (which are contractual claims, not government fines) are time-barred 6 years after accrual. Municipal parking tickets, while civil violations, are also subject to the 6-year limit absent a docketed court action; a municipality cannot resurrect a 7-year-old unpaid ticket by adding it to a registration scofflaw list without a perfected court action within the limitations period. Additionally, debt-buyers attempting to collect on assigned private parking invoices are subject to the 6-year limit and must prove chain of assignment under Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection rules.
Legal basis
14 M.R.S. §752 (6-year limit on civil actions); 32 M.R.S. ch. 109-A (Maine Fair Debt Collection Practices Act); Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection regs
Sample appeal wording
[DATE] [Issuer / Collector] [Address] Re: Time-Barred Claim — Notice/Invoice #[NUMBER] This letter is formal notice that the parking-related claim referenced above is barred by the six-year statute of limitations under 14 M.R.S. §752. The alleged violation occurred on [ORIGINAL DATE], more than six years prior to your demand dated [DEMAND DATE]. Under Maine law, no civil action may be commenced on this claim. I do not waive, and expressly preserve, the limitations defense, and I dispute the debt in full. If you are a debt-buyer, I further demand under 32 M.R.S. ch. 109-A complete chain-of-assignment documentation including (1) the original contract/notice, (2) every written assignment to your firm, and (3) proof that each assignor was registered with the Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection at the time of assignment. No further communications regarding this claim are authorized except (a) confirmation of withdrawal or (b) court process. Continued collection efforts will be reported to the Maine Attorney General and the Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection. Sincerely, [NAME] [ADDRESS] [PHONE] [EMAIL]
Replace [PARKING DATE], [NtK DATE] etc. with your own dates before sending.
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- 14 M.R.S. §752
- 32 M.R.S. ch. 109-A (Maine FDCPA equivalent)
- Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection — Maine