05/05/2025
📣 Legislative Update: Mushers and dog owners in Maine
A bill currently under review — LD 1771 — could have major implications for anyone in Maine who owns 5 or more dogs.
What’s changing? LD 1771 proposes eliminating Municipal Kennel Licenses and shifting all licensing to the State’s Animal Facility system — which could reclassify your home as a commercial facility, not just a private kennel. If passed, this means:
Higher Costs – You’ll need to pay per-dog licenses and may face commercial compliance expenses
Zoning Risks – Your home could be deemed incompatible with residential zoning if it’s now classified as a facility
Infrastructure Concerns – Facility-level requirements like fire suppression could apply •
Enforcement Gaps – A state license still depends on your local Animal Control Officer (ACO) inspecting your home — but the bill doesn’t fix current inspection delays or accountability gaps
Insurance Impacts – Reclassification may affect your coverage.
Annual state application process - if LD 1771 passes, Municipal Kennel Licenses would be eliminated and replaced with an annual State Facility License application process managed by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
Many mushers across the state currently rely on the more affordable Municipal Kennel License ($42/year), which includes tags for up to 10 dogs without individual licensing. That option would disappear under LD 1771.
A public hearing is scheduled for May 6 at 1 PM in Augusta (Cross Building, Room 214).
We encourage all our community members — especially mushers and kennel operators — to stay informed and consider making your voice heard by speaking in person at the 1PM, May 6, 2025, public hearing. Alternatively you may testify via zoom: https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/
🔗 Full bill details: https://legislature.maine.gov/backend/App/services/getDocument.aspx?documentId=116076
🔗 AKC Article: https://www.akc.org/legislative-alerts/alert-stop-inappropriate-licensure-hobby-kennels-commercial-facilities/
