Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A. Municipalities and Counties § 3821. Register; contents; inspection; penalty

1. Register of guests. Every person conducting a hotel or lodging house shall have a register kept and maintained in the hotel or lodging house at all times. The name of every guest or person renting a room or rooms in the hotel or lodging house must be written in the register. The person renting the room or rooms, or someone under that person's direction, shall sign the register. The proprietor of the hotel or lodging house, or the proprietor's agent, shall then write the number of each room assigned to each guest, together with the date that room is rented, opposite the name or names so registered. A guest of a hotel or lodging house is not a tenant pursuant to the landlord and tenant laws as provided in Title 14.

2. Record of departures. The proprietor or the proprietor's agent shall keep and maintain a record showing the date when the occupant of each room surrenders the room. This record may be made a part of the register.

3. Availability for inspection. Both the register and the record must be kept for 2 years and be available at all reasonable times to the inspection of any lawful agent of the licensing authority. The guest register may be “kept,” within the meaning of this section, when reproduced on any photographic, microfilm or other process that reproduces the original record.

4. Violation and penalty. Notwithstanding Title 17-A, section 4-A, any person who willfully violates this section is guilty of a Class E crime and shall be punished by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500, or by imprisonment for not more than 90 days for each offense, or both.