Maine Felony Classifications, Sentences, and Consequences

Maine’s felony classes are A, B, and C, set out in Title 17-A of the Maine Criminal Code, with Class A the most serious and Class C the least. A Class A conviction can carry up to 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine; Class B tops out at 10 years and $20,000; Class C at 5 years and $5,000. Murder sits outside this lettered system entirely and carries a minimum sentence of 25 years.

Class A Offenses

Class A covers the most serious conduct in Maine’s lettered system: severe physical harm, sexual violence, and acts that put lives at risk. Gross sexual assault, arson, and kidnapping are the offenses most people recognize at this level.

Gross sexual assault is charged as Class A when the victim was subjected to compulsion (force or the threat of force) or when the victim was under 14. The same offense can drop to Class B or Class C depending on the circumstances, such as when the offender used a position of authority instead of physical force.¹

Arson is always Class A. A person commits arson by starting, causing, or maintaining a fire or explosion on someone else’s property with intent to damage or destroy it, on any property with intent to collect insurance proceeds, or in a manner that recklessly endangers other people or their property.² That last category matters: you don’t need to intend the destruction. Recklessly creating the danger is enough.

Class B Offenses

Class B sits in the middle tier: serious harm to people or significant property loss, but short of the extreme conduct that pushes an offense into Class A. Aggravated assault, drug trafficking, high-value theft, and unlawful firearm possession by a prohibited person all live here.

Unlawful trafficking of scheduled drugs is charged as Class B when it involves a Schedule W drug (which includes heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine) or large quantities of marijuana (20 pounds or more, or 500 or more plants).³ Theft of property or services worth more than $10,000 also falls into Class B.

One point catches people off guard. Possession of a firearm by someone with a prior conviction for a crime punishable by a year or more of imprisonment is itself a Class B crime under Maine law.⁴ A person with a prior Class C felony who later picks up a firearm charge faces a potential 10-year sentence on that new charge alone.

Class C Offenses

Class C is the lowest felony tier. The consequences are still serious, but the conduct involves less harm or lower dollar amounts than Class B. Aggravated operating under the influence and mid-range property theft are the most frequently charged Class C offenses.

OUI becomes a Class C felony in two situations: when the driver has two or more prior OUI convictions within a 10-year period, or when the driver causes serious bodily injury to another person while operating under the influence.⁵ The injury-based charge is a strict liability offense; the prosecution does not need to prove the driver intended harm.

Theft of property or services valued at more than $1,000 but not more than $10,000 is also Class C. This tier captures conduct that warrants a felony record and potential prison time but lacks the extreme violence or large financial loss found in the upper classes.

Murder Sits Outside the Class System

Murder is unclassified in Maine and follows its own sentencing rule. A person convicted of murder faces at least 25 years in prison, with a maximum of life, and the court must set the exact length at the time of sentencing.⁶ The minimum for murder alone exceeds the maximum sentence for any Class A crime.

Prison Ceilings and Fines by Class

Each felony class has a hard ceiling for both prison time and fines. The maximum prison terms are:

Class A: up to 30 years
Class B: up to 10 years
Class C: up to 5 years

These are the absolute maximums a judge can impose on a single conviction.⁷ Actual sentences are typically shorter and depend on the facts, the defendant’s history, and any plea agreement.

Fine ceilings follow the same tiered structure for individual defendants:

Class A: up to $50,000
Class B: up to $20,000
Class C: up to $5,000

Organizations face higher caps: $100,000 for Class A, $40,000 for Class B, and $20,000 for Class C. On top of that, a court can impose a fine up to twice the financial gain the defendant took from the offense, which can push the total well above the standard cap in fraud or theft cases.⁸

Mandatory Minimums for Drug Offenses

Maine judges have broad sentencing discretion for most felonies, but drug trafficking and furnishing offenses carry mandatory minimum prison terms that cannot be suspended. The minimums track the class of the offense:

Class A drug offense: 4 years
Class B drug offense: 2 years
Class C drug offense: 1 year (except for marijuana-related charges)

A court can impose a lower minimum if it finds, on substantial evidence, that the standard minimum would cause a substantial injustice, would not harm public safety, and would not undermine the deterrent effect of the law. When that reduced floor applies, it drops to 9 months for Class A, 6 months for Class B, and 3 months for Class C.⁹

Every drug sentence also carries a separate mandatory fine of at least $400 that cannot be suspended.⁸

Probation Terms

Most felony sentences in Maine include probation, either after prison or in place of incarceration. Standard maximum probation periods are:

Class A: up to 4 years
Class B: up to 3 years
Class C: up to 2 years

Certain cases allow longer terms. When the victim was under 12 and the conviction involved a sex offense, probation can extend to 18 years for Class A, 12 years for Class B, and 6 years for Class C. Domestic violence and dating violence convictions allow up to 6 years for Class A and up to 4 years for Class B or C.¹⁰

Every probation sentence carries a monthly supervision fee of $10 to $50 set by the court and paid through the Department of Corrections. If the court does not specify an amount, the default is $10. Electronic monitoring or substance testing can add more.¹¹

Restitution to Victims

A court can order restitution as compensation for a victim’s economic losses. The judge weighs several factors: whether the victim’s own conduct contributed to the harm, whether the crime was reported to police within 72 hours, and the offender’s present and future ability to pay.¹²

Restitution cannot be ordered without the victim’s consent, when the victim was an accomplice, or when payment would create excessive financial hardship on the offender or the offender’s dependents. That hardship exemption does not apply when the offender is an organization.¹²

Consequences That Outlast the Sentence

The prison term and fine are only part of a felony conviction. Several restrictions continue after the sentence ends, some imposed by Maine law and some by federal law.

Firearms

Under Maine law, anyone convicted of a crime punishable by a year or more of imprisonment (which covers every Class A, B, and C offense) is barred from owning, possessing, or having control over a firearm unless they obtain a special permit.⁴ Violating that prohibition is itself a Class B crime carrying up to 10 years.

Federal law adds an overlapping ban. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), a person convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year cannot ship, transport, receive, or possess firearms or ammunition anywhere in the country.¹³

Voting

Maine is one of only two states (with Vermont) that never strips voting rights from people with felony convictions. People serving time in a Maine prison can vote by absentee ballot throughout their incarceration. No restoration process is needed because the right is never lost.

Housing

Federal law does not broadly ban people with felony records from public housing or Housing Choice Voucher programs. Only two categories face an automatic bar: people convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine in federally assisted housing, and people subject to lifetime sex offender registration. Beyond those, local Public Housing Agencies set their own admission policies and have wide discretion over which criminal history they will accept.¹⁴ An agency cannot deny admission based on an arrest alone, but the underlying conduct can be considered.

Passports

A felony drug conviction can lead to passport denial or revocation, but only if the person used a passport or crossed an international border in committing the offense. The restriction lasts through the entire period of imprisonment, parole, or supervised release.¹⁵ Non-drug felony convictions do not trigger this restriction.

Record Sealing for Maine Felonies

Maine is one of the more restrictive states on clearing a criminal record. Class A, B, and C convictions are not eligible for sealing. The state’s sealing process applies only to Class E crimes (the lowest classification of criminal offense in Maine) and certain marijuana-related charges that predated legalization.¹⁶

Even for those eligible offenses, the rules are strict: at least four years must have passed since the person completed every part of the sentence (including probation, fines, and restitution), and the person must have no other criminal convictions or pending charges in Maine or elsewhere.¹⁶ For anyone convicted of a Class A, B, or C felony, the conviction stays on the public record permanently under current Maine law.

1
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 17-A 253 – Gross Sexual Assault
2
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 17-A 802 – Arson
3
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 17-A 1103 – Unlawful Trafficking in Scheduled Drugs
4
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 15 393 – Possession of Firearms Prohibited for Certain Persons
5
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A 2411 – Criminal OUI
6
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 17-A 1603 – Imprisonment for Crime of Murder
7
Justia Law. Maine Code Title 17-A – Imprisonment for Crimes Other Than Murder
8
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 17-A 1301 – Amounts Authorized
9
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 17-A 1125 – Mandatory Minimum Term of Imprisonment for Certain Drug Offenses
10
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 17-A 1804 – Period of Probation; Modification; Termination and Discharge
11
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 17-A 1807 – Conditions of Probation
12
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 17-A 2005 – Criteria for Restitution
13
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Identify Prohibited Persons
14
HUD Exchange. Are Applicants With Felonies Banned From Public Housing or Any Other Housing Funded by HUD?
15
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 U.S. Code 2714 – Denial of Passports to Certain Convicted Drug Traffickers
16
State of Maine Judicial Branch. Sealing Your Criminal Record