State guide
Maine
Maine’s probate code has a standard published notice-to-creditors system, but its outside claim bar can arrive sooner than the publication period. The Probate Code requires publication in a county newspaper, while the Probate Rules say the register publishes the notice on the personal representative’s behalf after a written request and fees.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Publishing the notice
- Maine requires publication once a week for 2 successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the decedent’s county of domicile; under Probate Rule 80B, the register publishes it for the personal representative upon request and fees.
- Creditor claim deadline
- 4 months after first publication
- Outside deadline
- 9 months after death
- Law
- 18-C M.R.S. §§ 3-801, 3-803; Maine Rule of Probate Procedure 80B; 1 M.R.S. § 601
- Small-estate limit
- $40,000, adjusted for inflation, for collection of personal property by affidavit
Official resources in Maine
Official creditor-notice statute for Maine estates, including publication frequency and optional direct notice to creditors.
Official statute setting the claim bar, including the outside deadline tied to the decedent’s death.
Official court rule stating that the register publishes the creditor notice on the personal representative’s behalf upon request and payment.
Official Maine court self-help topic page directing users to wills, estates, and probate information.
Key facts for Maine
- Maine requires notice to creditors to be published once a week for 2 successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county of domicile.
- Maine Probate Rule 80B says the register publishes the creditor notice for the personal representative upon written request and tender of fees.
- A Maine creditor generally must present a claim within 4 months after the first publication of notice.
- A Maine known creditor may be sent written notice, but the statute says the personal representative may give that mailed or delivered notice.
- For Maine claims arising before death, the outside bar is the earlier of 9 months after death or the notice deadline.
- Maine’s collection-by-affidavit threshold is $40,000, adjusted for inflation, for the entire estate less liens and encumbrances.
What to do next
- Ask the probate register to publish the creditor notice promptly, because Maine’s 9-month outside bar can run before the 4-month publication period would otherwise expire.
- For a small personal-property estate, check whether the collection-by-affidavit procedure under § 3-1201 fits before opening probate.
- Use the current Maine Probate Court forms and verify filing practice with the county probate court handling the estate.
Helpful guides
- What is a notice to creditors in probate?
- How to publish a probate notice in a newspaper
- How much does it cost to publish a probate notice?
- What counts as a legal newspaper for probate notices
Creditor deadline calculator →