APPROVED CHAPTER
MAY 30, 2025 157
BY GOVERNOR PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
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H.P. 516 - L.D. 809
An Act to Allow a Motion to Extend a Protection from Abuse Order After
Expiration of the Original Order
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 19-A MRSA §4110, sub-§5, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 647, Pt. A, §3
and affected by Pt. B, §65, is amended to read:
A. A final protection order issued under this chapter must be for a fixed period not to
exceed 2 years, unless extended or reinstated by the court pursuant to section 4111.
Sec. 2. 19-A MRSA §4111, sub-§1-A is enacted to read:
1-A. Extension after expiration. The court may reinstate and extend a final
protection order issued under this chapter after expiration, upon motion of the plaintiff,
only if the court finds:
A. That the plaintiff has shown good cause for filing the motion to extend a final
protection order after expiration of the order, which may include that the filing was not
timely due to a dismissal of a prior motion to extend because of an inability to serve
the defendant; and
B. That the filing under this subsection was made within a reasonable amount of time
based upon the underlying circumstances.
If the court makes findings for the plaintiff under paragraphs A and B, the court may
reinstate the final protection order that has expired until a hearing under section 4109,
subsection 1 on the motion to extend and shall apply the standard in subsection 1 to
determine whether an extension of the final protection order is necessary to protect the
plaintiff or minor child from abuse or conduct specified in section 4103.
Page 1 - 132LR0793(03)


Statutes affected:
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 157: 19-A.4110