Maine Enacts Ticketing Reform Law, Caps Resale Prices

“Maine State Capitol Building, Augusta, Oct 2015” by MonsieurNapoléon is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

On Wednesday, June 18, Maine’s Janet Mills, the Democratic Governor of the Pine Tree State, signed a new bill, Maine Public Law Chapter 354, into law that imposes new consumer protection measures for event ticketing, including a limit on prices in the secondary resale market. The legislation caps ticket resale prices at 10% above the initial purchase price. 

The new legislation concerns both the primary and secondary ticketing markets and aims to make the ticket-buying process more consumer-friendly. According to the updated rules, ticket sellers must disclose the total price, including all mandatory fees, to clearly compute pricing information. Sellers must now provide a breakdown of the total cost, seat number, and section placement at the time of purchase. 

Maine Public Law Chapter 354 also strengthens refund requirements for cancelled events, counterfeit tickets, invalid event passes, or if the seller does not provide the ticket in time for attendance, or falsely represents the offer. It also prohibits “selling speculative tickets, reselling the same ticket more than once, and using bots to circumvent ticket-purchase limits.”

The law will go into effect 90 days from Wednesday’s enactment. Maine’s Attorney General will enforce the new rules. Violations will be handled as unfair trade practices under state law, and violators will face up to a $10,000 penalty per infraction. 

“By creating this law, Maine’s state elected leaders have shown the rest of the country what’s possible,” said Stephen Parker, Executive Director of NIVA and Co-Chair of the Fix the Tix Coalition. “This legislation doesn’t just protect fans—it rebalances the live event ecosystem to put power back in the hands of consumers, artists, and venues. By banning fake tickets, capping resale at a fair 10% above face value, and ensuring clear accountability for deceptive practices, Maine has created a blueprint for ticketing reform that other states and Congress should now follow.”