{"data":{"id":"us-me/12-m.r.s.-544-n","jurisdiction":"us-me","citation":"12 M.R.S. §544-N","heading":"Prohibited acts","body":"1.  Defacing or damaging cave prohibited.  A person may not deface or damage a cave.  A person defaces or damages a cave if the person, without the prior written permission of the owner:\nA.  Breaks, breaks off, cracks, carves upon, writes or otherwise marks upon or in any manner destroys, mutilates, injures, defaces, removes, displaces, mars or harms any natural material found in a cave;\nB.  Kills, harms or disturbs plant or animal life found in a cave, except for safety reasons;\nC.  Disturbs or alters the natural condition of a cave or takes into a cave any aerosol or other container containing paints, dyes or other coloring agents;\nD.  Stores, dumps, litters, disposes of or otherwise places any refuse, garbage, dead animal, sewage or toxic substance harmful to cave life or humans in a cave;\nE.  Burns within a cave any material that produces smoke or gas that is harmful to any organism in the cave; or\nF.  Breaks, forces, tampers with, removes or otherwise disturbs a lock, gate, door, sign or other structure or obstruction designed to prevent entrance to a cave, whether or not entrance is gained.\n2.  Forfeiture.  A person who violates the provisions of this subchapter commits a civil violation for which a forfeiture of up to $1,000 may be adjudged.\n3.  Damages may be collected by landowner.  A person who intentionally defaces or damages a cave on private land in violation of subsection 1 is liable to the owner of that land for actual damages recoverable through a civil action.","path":["TITLE 12: CONSERVATION","PART 2: FORESTS, PARKS, LAKES AND RIVERS","CHAPTER 201-A: GEOLOGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES","SUBCHAPTER 1-A: MAINE CAVE PROTECTION ACT"],"source_url":"https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/12/title12sec544-N.html","current_through":"October 1, 2025","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-04T15:12:25Z","sha256":"faa77c1c08bb574e04f8d8637599855965cd93b255fcd77a43c7253457becb62","source_id":"us-me","stale":false,"prev":"us-me/12-m.r.s.-544-m","next":"us-me/12-m.r.s.-545"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}