Pet care | Maine | Licensing updates
Maine Boarding-Kennel License Fee Is Now $125
Maine's current boarding-kennel statute sets a $125 annual license fee, December 31 expiration, and advertising and customer-notice duties.
- Budget the $125 license fee plus the application-identified background-check charge for each owner when applicable.
- Calendar the December 31 annual expiration and confirm renewal timing with the Department.
- Place the state license number in print advertising and provide it to boarding customers.
- Post service fees and the hours when a responsible person is on the premises.
Published: 2026-09-01 ยท Reviewed: 2026-09-01
Official context
Maine Title 7, Section 3932 requires a Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry license for a boarding kennel. The current statute sets the license fee at $125 following a 2025 amendment and states that the license expires December 31 annually, or later when required by the Maine Administrative Procedure Act's license provisions. Maine's current application also identifies a separate $25 criminal-background-check charge per owner.
What this means
A boarding kennel must prominently display its state-issued license number in print advertising and provide that number to a customer boarding an animal. It must post and provide on request written notice of boarding and other service fees, including the hours when the owner or another responsible person is on the premises. This is a Maine compliance baseline rather than a newly effective September rule, but the fee increase and annual cycle belong in current operating guidance.
Official sources
- https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/statutes/7/title7sec3932.html
- https://www.maine.gov/dacf/ahw/animal_welfare/documents/boarding-kennel-application-form.pdf
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