What does Maine’s prompt payment law require on private construction?

In Maine, unless the contract says otherwise, an owner pays a contractor’s invoice 20 days after the end of the billing period or 20 days after delivery of the invoice, whichever is later, a contractor pays its subcontractors and suppliers 7 days after being paid or after their invoice, whichever is later, and late payments carry interest at the rate set by 14 M.R.S. § 1602-C. The owner’s 20-day terms apply except as otherwise agreed, while the 7-day subcontractor terms apply notwithstanding any contrary agreement. Owner interest begins on the 21st day, and the rate referenced is the one in 14 M.R.S. § 1602-C, which for actions without a contract interest provision is the one-year United States Treasury bill rate plus 6%. An invoice error must be raised in writing within 10 working days or it is deemed waived. If arbitration or litigation finds a party failed to comply, the arbitrator or court must award 1% a month of the sums wrongfully withheld as a penalty, and the substantially prevailing party must be awarded reasonable attorney’s fees; good faith withholding equal to the value of a claim is allowed. A written contract can set its own payment terms where the statute allows. This is 10 M.R.S. §§ 1111, 1113, 1114, 1115, 1118; 14 M.R.S. § 1602-C.

WhatMaine
Payment deadlineOwner pays within 20 days of invoice; sub within 7 days
Who this coversPrivate construction, not only public works

What the statute says

“Except as otherwise agreed, payment of interim and final invoices is due from the owner 20 days after the end of the billing period or 20 days after delivery of the invoice, whichever is later.”

Quoted word for word from the section’s text.

Source

10 M.R.S. §§ 1111, 1113, 1114, 1115, 1118; 14 M.R.S. § 1602-C

Read the statute in the Maine Revised Statutes (Maine Legislature): legislature.maine.gov.

Checked against the statute on November 15, 2026.

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

How Seayora uses this rule

A contractor on Seayora keeps every job’s dates, its estimate, its invoices and its payments in one record, so the date work was last performed, the date each invoice went out and the amount still owed are on file when a lien or payment deadline is counted.

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