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The End of Life Plannerby Valoren

General information · not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

Free · general informationMaine

What to do when someone dies in Maine

The first things Maine’s own law asks for after a death, quoted word for word, then the pages for everything that follows, in the order it usually comes. Nothing here decides what a particular family must do. That belongs to the office named, the court, or an attorney in Maine.

  • Every fact dated, in the official words
  • Each state’s own law

Every quotation checked October 24, 2026

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The free first-week checklist

Pages taken from the planner, by email: who to phone first, and a blank records sheet.

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Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.

Filing the death certificate: who files it, where, and how the deadline is set

Registering the death comes first. These are Maine’s own words on who files the record, and how soon.

The funeral director or other authorized person in charge of the disposition of the dead human body or its removal from the State is responsible for filing the certificate.

Except as authorized by the department, a certificate of each death that occurs in this State must be filed with the State Registrar of Vital Statistics or clerk of the municipality where death occurred within a reasonable period of time, as specified by department rule, after the day on which death occurred and prior to the removal of the body from the State.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · 22 M.R.S. §2842

What the person holding the will must do, and the penalty for refusing once the court orders it

The will has its own rules. These are Maine’s own words on who brings it to the court after a death, and what the court does with it.

After the death of a testator, a person having custody of a will of the testator shall deliver it with reasonable promptness to a person able to secure its probate or, if no such person is known, to an appropriate court for filing and recording until probate is sought.

A person who willfully refuses or fails to deliver a will, or who defaces or destroys it, after being ordered by the court in a proceeding brought for the purpose of compelling delivery is subject to penalty for contempt of court.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · 18-C M.R.S. §2-515

The end of new will deposits, and what happens to a will deposited before then

The court may not accept a will for safekeeping after September 19, 1997.

A will deposited for safekeeping with the court in the office of the register before September 19, 1997 may be delivered only to the testator or to a person authorized in writing signed by the testator to receive the will.

Upon being informed of the testator's death, the court shall notify any person designated to receive the will and deliver it to that designated person on request

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · 18-C M.R.S. §2-514

The first weeks

The estate: probate in Maine, its route for a smaller estate, what falls to whoever is settling it, and the accounts that pass outside the will.

The same page for other states

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FAQ

Common questions

The funeral director or other authorized person in charge of the disposition of the dead human body or its removal from the State is responsible for filing the certificate.

Except as authorized by the department, a certificate of each death that occurs in this State must be filed with the State Registrar of Vital Statistics or clerk of the municipality where death occurred within a reasonable period of time, as specified by department rule, after the day on which death occurred and prior to the removal of the body from the State.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · 22 M.R.S. §2842

After the death of a testator, a person having custody of a will of the testator shall deliver it with reasonable promptness to a person able to secure its probate or, if no such person is known, to an appropriate court for filing and recording until probate is sought.

A person who willfully refuses or fails to deliver a will, or who defaces or destroys it, after being ordered by the court in a proceeding brought for the purpose of compelling delivery is subject to penalty for contempt of court.

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · 18-C M.R.S. §2-515

The court may not accept a will for safekeeping after September 19, 1997.

A will deposited for safekeeping with the court in the office of the register before September 19, 1997 may be delivered only to the testator or to a person authorized in writing signed by the testator to receive the will.

Upon being informed of the testator's death, the court shall notify any person designated to receive the will and deliver it to that designated person on request

Maine · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · 18-C M.R.S. §2-514

For anyone who would rather their family found it all in one place than went looking.

A couple. A parent. An adult child and a parent, doing it together. One sitting starts it; keep it current, and tell someone where it is.

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