Me. Fees Sch. & Doc. Mgmt. P. IV
As amended through November 25, 2024
Clerks of Court may sign certificates or documents prepared or completed by parties or counsel, but parties and counsel are responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in the document presented to the Clerk.
Only one original may be prepared and executed of a judgment, order, or other document that has independent legal significance. The original executed document must be retained in the case file. If there is a charge for the preparation of the document set by this Schedule and Procedure, one attested copy is to be provided without additional charge. When the legal equivalent of an original is necessary, for example, for filing in a Registry of Deeds, an attested copy should be provided and the original retained in the file.
This procedure does not apply to certificates that do not in themselves have a legal significance, but that simply reflect the existence of a filing, event, or other document with that significance that is retained in the court file (i.e., short-form certificate of judgment of divorce; 10 M.R.S. §3261 certificate; 14 M.R.S. §§2401(3)(F), 4455, 6321, 6653 certificates). However, if a Clerk executes such a certificate or document, it should be reflected in the docket. Therefore, a one-page Clerk's certificate would cost $5.00, which is the fee for the Clerk's signature. The attorney or party in this case would receive the original, signed certificate, not an attested copy. However, in the case of a Clerk's certificate that is made a part of the judgment, the original must be retained.
Whenever a document or attested copy must be filed with an agency or organization, including the Registry of Deeds, the parties will be responsible for filing those documents or attested copies with the appropriate agency, including the Registry of Deeds. Clerks will no longer accept payment for agencies or Registries of Deeds and will not forward such payment on behalf of any party.
Promulgation Date: November 7, 2023
For the Court,
____________________
Valerie Stanfill
Chief Justice
Me. Fees Sch. & Doc. Mgmt. P. IV
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 2-24) Effective 2/12/2024; Dated January 12, 2024
Signed by: Valerie Stanfill, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to change the fee for first duplicate recordings in section I(J)(5) from $25 to $50.
Historical Derivation of JB-05-26
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 11-23) Effective 11/13/2023; Dated November 7, 2023
Signed by: Valerie Stanfill, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to indicate that there is no fee in the District Court for filings in the Juvenile Court or for petitions for sterilization.
A.O. JB-05-26 (A.6-22) Effective 6/1/2022; Dated May 17, 2022
Signed by: Valerie Stanfill, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to (1) clarify applicability of filing fee in actions brought by a debt buyer or debt collector, including money judgment disclosures, and update statutory references; (2) clarify that with regard to M.R. Civ. P. 55, the filing fee applies to both motions and requests; (3) remove the specified filing fee in small claims actions brought by a Title 32 debt collector; (4) impose a fee for the registration of a foreign protection from harassment order that does not involve domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, sex trafficking, or unauthorized dissemination of certain private images; (5) increase the filing fee for post-judgment motions filed by defendants in protection from abuse and protection from harassment cases; (6) increase the filing fee for post-judgment motions filed by plaintiffs in protection from harassment cases that do not involve domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, sex trafficking, or unauthorized dissemination of certain private images; (7) impose a fee for when the court effectuates service for a filing party because the respondent's address is confidential; (8) make the initial mediation fee uniform for pre- and post-judgment Family Division Matters; (9) make the filing fee for appeals to the Superior Court uniform; (10) change the fees for attested and non-attested copies of writs to be per writ instead of per page unless every page is attested; (11) eliminate reference to Title 19, which has long been superseded by Title 19-A; and (12) update form numbers and eliminate a form number where use of the form is not mandatory.
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 2-21.2) Effective 2/11/2021; Dated February 11, 2021
Signed by: Andrew M. Mead, Acting Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to (1) revise the explanatory note for A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 2-21) to summarize all revisions and (2) omit from subdivision 1(D) the provision of a fee for signature of a clerk on an abstract of divorce decree because subdivision 1(F)(2) supplies the fee for an abstract of divorce decree.
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 2-21) Effective 2/4/2021; Dated February 4,2021 (explanatory note revised February 11, 2021)
Signed by: Andrew M. Mead, Acting Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to (1) reformat the document, include new subdivision numbers and letters, and list all fees for each court separately; (2) provide in subdivisions I(A)(2)(b), (3)(b), and (5)(j) that a $127 surcharge is imposed when a statutorily defined debt collector commences a debt collection action, see 32 M.R.S. §11002, and that a $45 mediation fee is included in the filing fee in such actions; (3) clarify in subdivision I(A)(3)(u) that there is no fee for a plaintiff filing a motion for contempt either in a protection from abuse action or in a protection from harassment action involving domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, sex trafficking, or unauthorized dissemination of certain private images; (4) clarify in subdivision I(A)(3)(kk) that there is no fee for filing a petition for special findings and rulings for certain at-risk noncitizen children pursuant to 22 M.R.S. §4099-I; (5) clarify in the footnote to subdivision I(A)(3)(x) that when a Motion for Post Judgment Relief that requires a fee under subsection x is accompanied by a Registration of a Foreign Judgment, the total fee will still be $80.00; (6) clarify in subdivision I(C)(2) that there is no fee for a plaintiff requesting a subpoena in a protection from abuse or protection from harassment action when the complaint alleges domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, sex trafficking, or unauthorized dissemination of certain private images; (7) provide a $10 fee in subdivision I(F)(2) for the issuance of an abstract of divorce decree, including any attachments, 19-A M.R.S. §953(7); (8) clarify in subdivision IV(B) that parties are responsible for filing documents with other agencies or organizations and that clerks will not accept payments for those other agencies or organizations, including any Registry of Deeds; (9) eliminate reference to the fee for a certificate of good standing for an attorney; and (10) eliminate the provision regarding filing/registering a foreign judgment for post-judgment relief pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 120 in an action under Title 1919-A. The document has also been reorganized and reformatted for clarity, with minor changes in language to adapt to the format.
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 7-20.2) Effective 7/27/2020; Dated July 27, 2020 (explanatory note revised July 30, 2020)
Signed by: Andrew M. Mead, Acting Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to (1) clarify that there is no fee for registering a foreign judgment in a protection from harassment action based on domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, sex trafficking, or unauthorized dissemination of certain private images pursuant to the Violence Against Women Act, see 34 U.S.C.S. § 10450 (LEXIS through Pub. L. No. 116-149); and (2) clarify that there is a fee for a Post-Judgment Petition for Modification of Guardianship, Termination of Guardianship, Removal of Guardian, or Resignation of Guardian.
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 7-20) Effective 7/20/2020; Dated July 20, 2020
Signed by: Andrew M. Mead, Acting Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to (1) set forth a fee schedule for payment of fees in protection from abuse and protection from harassment matters when the fee is not prohibited by the Violence Against Women Act, see 34 U.S.C.S. § 10450 (LEXIS through Pub. L. No. 116-146); and (2) add fees for Petition for Modification of Guardianship, Termination of Guardianship, Removal of Guardian, or Resignation of Guardian, as well as Petition to Annul Adoption Decree.
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 9-19) Effective 10/2/2019; Dated October 2, 2019
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to (1) improve readability of this section; and (2) include domestic violence and sexual assault services advocates among lists of persons to whom copies will be provided without charge.
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 9-19) Effective 9/19/2019; Dated July 25, 2019
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to amend section I(A)(4) to (1) clarify in the footnote to "Entry of a Family Matter Action" that, when a grandparent visitation action is filed, it is always a new action requiring payment of the fee for entry of a family matter action, (2) substitute, in that same footnote, the term "post-judgment" for "post-divorce," in describing the termination of parental rights actions to which the fee applies, and (3) impose the $127 surcharge required by P.L. 2019, ch. 509, § 3 (codified at 4 M.R.S. §18-A(3-A)(C)) for small claims actions and money judgment disclosures brought by debt collectors as defined in 32 M.R.S. §11002(6).
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 7-18) Effective 7/1/2018; Dated June 11, 2018
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to (1) increase certain fees to include a $15 (marked *) or $25 (marked **) fee that will be deposited into an Other Special Revenue account to fund the Court Management System, see 4 M.R.S. §17-A; P.L. 2017, ch. 284; (2) separate out the types of appeals to which such fees will apply; (3) impose a $15 Case Management System Surcharge on fines imposed in criminal and civil matters and administrative enforcement or licensing actions that will be deposited into an Other Special Revenue account to fund the Court Management System; (4) impose an additional $100 fee for appearances pro hac vice to be deposited into an Other Special Revenue account to fund the Court Management System; (5) provide that there is no fee for filing an emergency petition for blood-borne pathogen testing; and (6) clarify that the Violations Bureau Re-Opening Fee is imposed on a per-charge basis.
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 12-17) Effective 1/1/2018, except that section 1(C) is effective for violations occurring on or after February 1, 2018; Dated December 18, 2017
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to (1) add the filing fee for filing/registering a foreign judgment on a general civil action; (2) clarify that there is no filing fee for filing/registering a foreign judgment on a family matter or protection from abuse action, or entry of a protection from harassment action with an allegation of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault; (3) provide a fee for filing/registering Foreign Judgment for post-judgment relief pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 120 in an action under title 19 19-A, including a stipulated amendment to a judgment but excluding a motion or stipulation to modify or enforce a child support order, or a motion to enforce a child custody order pursuant to 19-A M.R.S. §1763 et seq.; (4) clarify that no fee will be charged for entry of an emancipation action; (5) add a footnote indicating that Violations Bureau late fees are imposed on a per-violation basis; (6) add Court Management System fees on original traffic fines for violations committed on or after February 1, 2018, with the fees deposited into an Other Special Revenue account; and (7) make minor stylistic and formatting changes.
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 7-16) Effective: July 29, 2016; Dated July 25, 2016
Signed by: Donald G. Alexander, Senior Associate Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to indicate by footnote in section I(A)(1) that there shall be no filing fee for a notice of appeal "in Unemployment Compensation, Child Protection, or Criminal actions as set forth in subsection C below," and that "the fee for a Workers' Compensation Appeal is established separately in subsection C below"; to provide, in section I(A)(2), that, for purposes of the filing fee, a family matter pre-judgment or post-judgment motion for contempt shall be treated as a motion brought pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 66, not as a motion for post-judgment relief brought pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 120; to change the words "Protective Custody" to "Child Protection" in section I(A)(2), consistent with Title 22, chapter 1071 of the Maine Revised Statutes; to add fees in section I(A)(4) for filing a petition for guardianship of a minor ($50.00), a petition for adoption of a minor ($65.00), and a name change ($40.00); to note that, with respect to an adoption of a minor, additional charges for background checks and new birth certificates must be paid to entities other than the Judicial Branch; to note that no fee is charged when a name change is requested as part of a divorce, adoption, or parentage action; to provide, in section I(A)(6), that the initial mediation fee in post-judgment Family Division matters applies in a proceeding for adoption or guardianship of a minor; to note that mediation in adoptions and guardianships is voluntary; and to state in Section I(C) that there is no fee for child protection appeals.
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 8-15) Effective and dated: August 24, 2015
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to (1) in section I(A)(2), increase the fee for filing a motion for post-judgment relief pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 120 in an action under title 1919-A, including a stipulated amendment to a judgment but excluding a motion or stipulation to modify or enforce a child support order, from $60.00 to $80.00 (which includes a $20.00 mediation fee); (2) in section I(A)(2), establish a $100.00 late waiver fee (applicable to a waiver filed more than 5 business days after failure to appear in a Criminal Action), 4 M.R.S. §§164, 164-A; (3) in section I(A)(4), increase the fee for entry of a forcible entry and detainer action from $70.00 to $75.00 to include a mediation fee of $15.00 instead of $10.00; (4) in section I(A)(4), increase the fee for entry of a small claims action from $50.00 to $55.00 to include a mediation fee of $15.00 instead of $10.00; (5) in section I(A)(6), replace the $160.00 fee for pre-judgment or post-judgment mediation pursuant to CADRES in Family Division matters with separate fees of $160.00 for the first mediation session in pre-judgment Family Division matters (for two mediation sessions) and $140.00 for the first mediation session in post-judgment Family Division matters (for two mediation sessions); and (6) in section I(I), establish the fees for applying for and renewing attorney identification cards.
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 7-14) Effective and dated: July 16, 2014
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to clearly state that the fee exemptions do not apply to fees associated with the production of transcripts and audio recordings, including for state agencies; to refer to the Office of Transcript Operations and to include that Office's contractor(s); to clarify that payment arrangements for transcripts produced by an Official Court Reporter be made directly with the Official Court Reporter and that payment arrangements for transcripts processed through the Office of Transcript Operations be made directly with its contractor(s); to include a sixty-dollar fee for filing of a motion pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 55(b)(2); to increase the fee for requests for records checks in section I(K) from $15.00 to $20.00; to place "Guardians Ad Litem appointed and paid for by the Court" in the part of section III that refers to Maine entities; to clarify references to Clerks as defined in the Administrative Order; and to make minor technical corrections.
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 10-13) Effective: October 9, 2013, Dated: October 29, 2013
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to include a filing fee for actions asserting the filing of false recordable instruments against public employees and public officials pursuant to P.L. 2013, ch. 160 (effective 5/29/2013). The Order is also amended to correct the rule citation for filing motions for post-judgment relief in a family matter, to correct footnote 4 in which the postage fee was removed pursuant to A. 9-11, and to provide the correct form number for the Certificate of Judgment of Divorce Form.
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 2-13) Effective and dated: February 15, 2013
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to clarify the fee for filing an action for the recovery of personal property.
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 6-12) Effective and dated: July 6, 2012
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to change the cost for transcripts in Section I(L) and adds footnote 9 in that section; also adds footnote 11 in Section III.
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 9-11) Effective and dated: September 19, 2011
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 7-10) Effective and dated: July 1, 2010
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Issued to clarify the responsibility for the cost of transcript production and trial record review in cases when counsel is assigned by the court in response to legislation creating the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services. See P.L. 2009, ch. 419. See also M.R. Crim. P. 44, 44A, 44B & 44C and M.R. Civ. P. 88.
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 08-09) Effective and dated: July 31, 2009
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 6-09 & 07-09) Effective: June 15, 2009, and July 1, 2009, Dated: June 8, 2009
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
(This amended order was effective 7/1/2009, except for one provision relating to foreclosure action filings that was effective 6/15/2009.)
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 6-08rev) Effective: June 1, 2008, Dated: May 5, 2008
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 6-08) Effective: June 1, 2008, Dated: April 15, 2008
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 7-07) Effective: July 1, 2007, Dated: June 13, 2007
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 (A. 1-06) Effective: January 1, 2006, Dated: December 19, 2005
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-26 Effective: October 1, 2005, Dated: September 15, 2005
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
A.O. JB-05-3 Effective: August 1, 2005, Dated: July 13, 2005
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
Effective: January 1, 2005, Dated: November 23, 2004
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Revised Court Fees Schedule and Document Management Procedures
Dated: February 23, 2004
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Court Fees
AO JB-00-04, Effective: January 1, 2001, Dated: December 7, 2000
Signed by: James T. Glessner, State Court Administrator
Modifying Transcript Rates Of Official Court Reporters
AO JB-00-02 Rev. (which replaced SJC-406 and amended SJC-118), Dated: April 19, 2002
Signed by: Leigh I. Saufley, Chief Justice, Maine Supreme Judicial Court and
Vendean V. Vafiades, Chief Judge, Maine District Court