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Maine dealer and title-professional resource

Maine Title & Registration Guide

A comprehensive Maine reference for titles, municipal registration, sales and use tax, excise tax, liens, ELT, UCC filings, trailers, motorcycles, commercial vehicles, watercraft, ATVs, snowmobiles, manufactured homes, inspections and transaction planning.

Estimate Maine Fees Visit Maine BMV ↗ Official Forms ↗
Vehicle agency
Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Telephone
207-624-9000
State sales/use tax
5.5%
Registration workflow
Town-office walk-in for most residents

Planning and funding tool

Maine Fee Calculator

Estimate title, registration, municipal excise tax, sales/use tax, agent fees, recreation fees and UCC charges. The preview updates automatically as information is entered.

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Walk-in registration: Maine towns generally require the driver to appear in person to pay excise tax and complete registration. Title paperwork may be prepared in advance, but the local municipal office controls the final excise amount, agent charge and walk-in requirements.

Customer, address and unit identification

Transaction and Maine title classification

Purchase amounts, trade credit and municipal excise tax

Use the original maker's list price: Maine municipal excise tax is generally based on the vehicle's original MSRP, not the base-model price, selling price, current value or financed balance. When the Monroney total includes destination, enter that destination charge separately so the calculator can remove it from the excise basis.
Rates step down on January 1. Ordinary new automobile, truck and truck-tractor registrations are assessed for a one-year period from registration and should not receive the last-four-month half-tax treatment. IRP proration applies only when the IRP registration period is fewer than 12 months. Boat excise and unusual trailer classifications require the municipality's exact calculation.
Like-kind trade categories are: motor vehicles (including motor homes, snowmobiles and ATVs); trailers (including camper trailers and truck campers); special mobile equipment; and watercraft. The VIN, year, make and model of the trade must be shown on the title application and bill of sale.

Registration class, terms, municipal charges and inspections

Municipal agents may charge up to $6 for a new registration plate, $5 for renewal, and certain smaller program charges. Enter only the amount confirmed by the selected town office. Boats require a separate town-calculated boat excise amount.

Lien perfection, UCC filing and print-package details

Title-exempt financed collateral: File a UCC1 with the Maine Secretary of State, UCC Section. Do not send UCC payment with the BMV or town-office transaction. Use the debtor's exact legal name and do not place Social Security numbers or unnecessary sensitive data on the public record.

Automatically Updated Estimate

Estimated Total

$0.00 Planning estimate—not a BMV, municipal or tax determination.
Payment & filing routing
Quick Navigation At a Glance Title & Ownership Liens, ELT & UCC Transfers & Deadlines Registration Taxes & Excise Boats, ATVs & Snowmobiles Insurance & Inspections Forms, Payees & Offices

Maine at a Glance

Core title, tax and walk-in registration rules.

Title fee

$33 for a standard title application. Manufactured or tiny-home title: $100.

Sales/use tax

5.5% of the taxable purchase price after an eligible like-kind trade credit.

Excise tax

Paid to the local town before registration and based on original MSRP and vehicle age.

Town walk-in

Most Maine residents complete registration through their municipal office.

The Maine MVT-2 title application is a controlled carbon-copy form and is not officially published online. Obtain a current original from a town office or BMV branch. Any uploaded reference copy is for funding and preparation only.

Title & Proof of Ownership

Title eligibility, ownership evidence, odometer and special title routes.

Rolling 25-year rule

In 2026, model years 2001 and newer generally require a title. The cutoff advances each January.

Motorcycles

Motorcycles with engines of 300cc or more require a Maine title. Units below 300cc are title exempt.

Trailers

Trailers and semitrailers with unladen weight of 3,001 lbs. or more require a title.

Original ownership

Submit the original MCO for a new unit or the properly assigned original title for a used titled unit.

Odometer

MVT-32 may be required when the title or MCO is nonconforming. Model year 2010 and older vehicles are generally exempt.

Manufactured and tiny homes

Qualifying homes use MVT-2MH and a $100 title fee unless the statutory real-property affixation exception applies.

Title itemAmountCalculator treatment
Standard certificate of title$33.00Title-required vehicle, motorcycle or qualifying trailer
Permanent trailer title$18.00Eligible permanent trailer or semitrailer route
Manufactured/tiny-home title$100.00MVT-2MH workflow
Warranty title$40.00Qualifying antique/classic transaction
Rush issuance$10.00Optional addition to an eligible title
Late delivery penalty$50.00Required ownership documents delivered more than 30 days late

Liens, ELT & UCC

Title-record perfection and separate UCC treatment for title-exempt collateral.

Titled collateral

List the lienholder's exact name, complete address and lien date on the title application. The title fee perfects the title-record security interest.

ELT

Participating lenders may receive an electronic title record. After electronic release, a paper title is mailed to the owner.

Title-exempt collateral

Use a separate UCC1 when Article 9 applies. Mail filing and payment to the Maine Secretary of State UCC Section.

Maine UCC filing

Payee: Secretary of State

Mail: Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, UCC Section, 101 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0101

In person: 6 East Chestnut Street, 5th Floor, Augusta, ME 04330

Standard fee: $10 electronic; $15 paper for 1–2 pages; $30 paper over 2 pages.

Transfers, Documents & Deadlines

Assignments, trade support, financial-purpose copies and timing.

Document package

  • Original MCO or title properly reassigned to every buyer
  • Original notarized power of attorney when used
  • Original odometer disclosure when required
  • Itemized bill of sale
  • Current driver license copy for every individual buyer
  • Current insurance card or policy page showing the new VIN

Trade documentation

  • Show the trade VIN, year, make and model on the title application and bill of sale
  • The trade must be the same statutory kind as the unit purchased
  • Retain evidence supporting the allowance and prior ownership
  • Do not reduce the excise-tax MSRP by the trade allowance
30-day title-delivery warning: A $50 penalty may apply when an application, title or other required ownership document is not delivered to the Secretary of State within 30 days.

Registration, Plates & Municipal Processing

State schedules, town-office charges and expiration rules.

Passenger

$35 annually through 6,000 lbs. A pickup from 6,001–10,000 lbs. is $37.

Motorcycle

$21 annually. Motorcycle registrations expire March 31.

Trailers

$10.50 up to 2,000 lbs. registered weight and $20 above 2,000 lbs.; eligible two-year and long-term programs differ.

Commercial vehicles

Registration depends on declared gross weight and vehicle class. IRP and special commercial transactions require live review.

Municipal fees

Up to $6 for a new plate registration, $5 for renewal, plus limited program charges where authorized.

Fee reduction

An eligible application during the last four months of the registration year may use one-half the annual fee.

Sales/Use Tax & Municipal Excise Tax

Two separate tax calculations with different bases and payees.

Sales/use tax

Generally 5.5% of the taxable purchase price. Taxable consideration can include freight, accessories, dealer preparation, documentation charges and extended warranties on automobiles and trucks.

A creditable trade must be the same statutory kind as the purchased unit. Credit may also be allowed for qualifying tax paid to another jurisdiction.

Municipal excise tax

Paid annually to the municipality before registration. The calculator now resolves the age year from the model year and excise-payment date; rates step down on January 1.

  1. Year 1: 24.0 mills
  2. Year 2: 17.5 mills
  3. Year 3: 13.5 mills
  4. Year 4: 10.0 mills
  5. Year 5: 6.5 mills
  6. Year 6+: 4.0 mills

The ordinary basis is the original maker's list price. Qualifying model-year 1996+ trucks or truck tractors registered over 26,000 lbs. and Class A special mobile equipment use the controlled original-title purchase-price basis instead.

Use the original maker's list price. The selling price, financed amount and base-model price are not substitutes. Present the window sticker for a new vehicle when required by the town, and remove the destination charge when it is included in the entered Monroney total. Trade-in value reduces eligible sales/use tax but does not reduce the municipal excise-tax basis.

Watercraft, ATVs & Snowmobiles

IFW registration, local excise and title-exempt treatment.

Watercraft

No Maine BMV title. Registration depends on horsepower and inland/tidal classification. Boat excise is calculated by the municipality.

ATVs

Resident season $70; nonresident season $115; nonresident 7-day $100; antique $45, before applicable agent charge.

Snowmobiles

Resident season $55; nonresident season $119; 10-day $99; 3-day $74; antique $33, before applicable agent charge.

Current IFW forms may display fees that include a $1 department/agent charge. The calculator separates the base schedule and entered agent charge so the funding route remains auditable.

Insurance, VIN & Safety Inspections

Evidence required before registration and special verification triggers.

Insurance

Provide a current card or policy page showing the new VIN, effective dates and required coverage. A promise to provide coverage is not proof.

VIN inspection

May be required for foreign-country vehicles, homemade trailers, questionable or short VINs, assigned VINs and certain salvage or abandoned transactions.

Annual inspection

Most registered vehicles require annual safety inspection. Cumberland County has an enhanced emissions component for applicable vehicles.

Forms, Payees & Filing Offices

Application selection and separate payment routing.

BMV title transaction

Payee: Secretary of State

Mail: Division of Title Services, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, 29 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0029

Physical delivery: 101 Hospital Street, Augusta, ME 04330

Send the title application, original ownership evidence and title-related payment together. Do not combine UCC payment with the title transaction.

Municipal excise and registration

Suggested payee: Town/City of the registrant’s municipality — confirm the exact check wording with that office.

Delivery: Current local municipal office or authorized registration agent.

Maine generally requires excise tax to be paid at the local town office before registration. The calculator prints the office payee and address entered in Step 4.

MDIFW recreational registration

Payee: Treasurer, State of Maine

Mail: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Licensing Division, 41 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0041

Physical delivery: 353 Water Street, Augusta, ME 04333-0041

Use this route only when the selected ATV, snowmobile or watercraft transaction is being submitted through MDIFW rather than a local registration agent.

Use tax without registration

Payee: Treasurer, State of Maine

Mail: Maine Revenue Services, P.O. Box 1060, Augusta, ME 04332-1060

This direct-mail route applies when the property will not be registered in Maine. When registration is requested, submit the Use Tax Certificate and payment to the registering authority.

UCC filing for title-exempt collateral

Payee: Secretary of State

Mail: Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions, UCC Section, 101 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0101

Physical delivery: 6 East Chestnut Street, 5th Floor, Augusta, ME 04330

Mail the current original UCC form and separate filing payment. Checks may be made payable to the Secretary of State.

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