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AI Laws in Scarborough, Maine
As of 2026-06-17, AI Laws USA tracks 17 AI rules that apply to people and businesses in Scarborough, Maine: 10+ federal protections, 6 Maine state-level rules, and 1 local Scarborough ordinance. Coverage is strongest on data-center siting and energy, consumer protection, facial recognition, and police and surveillance AI. 4 of these rules are already in effect. Each entry below links to its official source.
Scarborough local AI rules (and Cumberland County)
1 local AI rule specific to Scarborough, Maine or Cumberland County.
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In effect Moderate protection
Scarborough Data Center Moratorium
Scarborough, ME · Effective 2026-06-03 · Town of Scarborough, Me., data center moratorium (June 3, 2026)
On June 3, 2026 the Scarborough Town Council unanimously approved a 180-day moratorium on data center development, effective immediately and applying retroactively to applications submitted on or after April 1, 2026. The pause — prompted by a proposed 52-acre data center and concerns about water use and wildlife — gives the town time to amend its zoning ordinance.
Maine-level AI rules
6 Maine state rules apply to residents and businesses in Scarborough. Sorted strongest first.
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Vetoed Limited protection
Maine Data Center Moratorium (vetoed)
Maine · Me. LD 307 (132nd Leg.); passed ~Apr. 14, 2026; vetoed Apr. 24, 2026
Maine's legislature became the first in the nation to pass a statewide data center moratorium — a pause on data centers over 20 megawatts until November 2027 — but Gov. Janet Mills vetoed it on April 24, 2026. She said she supports a temporary moratorium but wanted an exemption for development already underway at the former Androscoggin Mill site in the town of Jay. So there is no statewide Maine data center moratorium; local moratoriums (e.g., Bangor) still apply.
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Vetoed Unknown
ME LD 307 (vetoed)
ME · Me. LD 307 (2026) — vetoed Apr. 24, 2026
Maine LD 307 would have imposed a one-year moratorium on new large AI data centers. Governor Mills vetoed it on April 24, 2026, citing federal preemption concerns and economic harm — the first gubernatorial veto of a data-center AI moratorium.
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In effect Moderate protection
ME LD 1585 (FR limitation)
ME · Effective 2021-10-01 · P.L. 2021 ch. 394 (Me. LD 1585)
Maine LD 1585 is the strictest U.S. state law on government face surveillance — limits use to serious crime investigation via state agency conduit, with logging and a private right of action.
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In effect Limited protection
Maine AI Chatbot Disclosure Law
Maine · Effective 2025-09-16 · 10 M.R.S. ch. 239, Sec. 1500-Y (reallocated to Sec. 1500-DD); P.L. 2025, ch. 294 (L.D. 1727)
Maine prohibits businesses from using an AI chatbot or other computer technology in commercial dealings with a consumer in a way that could mislead a reasonable person into thinking they are interacting with a human, unless the consumer is clearly and conspicuously told they are not. A violation is treated as a violation of the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act.
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Enacted (not yet in effect) Limited protection
Maine AI-in-Therapy Law (licensed pros only)
Maine · Effective 2026-07-28 · P.L. 2026, ch. 687 (L.D. 2082 / H.P. 1397); 10 M.R.S. Sec. 1500-EE
Maine bars anyone from providing, advertising, or offering therapy or psychotherapy to the public — including through internet-based AI — unless the services are delivered by a licensed professional. Licensed professionals may use AI only for administrative or supplementary support, and only if they retain full responsibility for its outputs; using AI for supplementary support requires written client notice and consent. AI may not make independent therapeutic decisions, engage in therapeutic communication with clients, or generate treatment plans without the licensee's review and approval.
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In effect Limited protection
ME AI Private Images Law
Maine · Effective 2025-09-24 · Me. LD 1944 / HP 1303 (132nd Leg., 1st Spec. Sess.); P.L. 2025, ch. 400; 17-A M.R.S. § 511-A
Maine expanded its unauthorized-private-images ("revenge porn") crime to explicitly cover artificially generated/AI-made intimate images of real people, and lets people seek protection-from-abuse or harassment orders when someone threatens to release such images. Unauthorized dissemination is a Class D crime (up to one year, $2,000).
Federal AI rules that apply in Scarborough, Maine
These federal protections apply everywhere in the United States, including Scarborough, Maine. Showing the 10 strongest and most recent.
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In effect Stronger protection
Bartz v. Anthropic
N.D. Cal. · Effective 2025-09-05 · Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, No. 3:24-cv-05417 (N.D. Cal.)
Authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson sued Anthropic over its use of pirated-book datasets to train Claude. In June 2025 Judge William Alsup issued a split ruling: training on lawfully purchased books was fair use, but ingesting pirated copies from LibGen was not. In September 2025 Anthropic agreed to a $1.5 billion class settlement — the largest AI copyright recovery to date.
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In effect Stronger protection
Banner v. Tesla (Autopilot)
S.D. Fla. · Effective 2025-08-01 · Banner v. Tesla, Inc., No. 1:21-cv-21940 (S.D. Fla. Aug. 1, 2025)
A Florida federal jury found Tesla 33% liable in August 2025 for the 2019 death of Naibel Benavides Leon, in a crash involving Autopilot. The verdict awarded $243M (later reduced to ~$220M) — the first Autopilot wrongful-death verdict against Tesla.
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In effect Stronger protection
COPPA + 2025 Rule (childrens data)
United States · Effective 2025-06-23 · 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501–6506; 16 C.F.R. Part 312
COPPA requires online services aimed at children under 13 to get verifiable parental consent before collecting kids' personal data. The 2025 rule update — fully in effect since April 22, 2026 — adds biometric identifiers (like face templates and voiceprints, which matter for AI tools), requires separate parental consent before sharing children's data for targeted advertising, and tightens data retention limits.
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In effect Stronger protection
TAKE IT DOWN Act
United States · Effective 2025-05-19 · Pub. L. No. 119-12 (S. 146)
Makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish intimate images of someone without consent, including AI-generated deepfakes. Social media and similar platforms must give victims a way to request removal and must take the content (and known copies) down within 48 hours. The platform removal requirement became enforceable May 19, 2026, and the FTC has already begun enforcement.
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In effect Stronger protection
Thaler v. Perlmutter (Copyright)
D.C. Cir. · Effective 2025-03-18 · Thaler v. Perlmutter, 130 F.4th 1039 (D.C. Cir. 2025)
The companion copyright case: Stephen Thaler sought to register a copyright with 'Creativity Machine' (his AI) as the author. The D.C. Circuit affirmed in March 2025 that the Copyright Act's human-authorship requirement is constitutional and dispositive. AI cannot be a copyright author under U.S. law.
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In effect Stronger protection
Thomson Reuters v. Ross
D. Del. · Effective 2025-02-11 · Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH v. Ross Intelligence, Inc., 694 F. Supp. 3d 467 (D. Del. 2025)
Thomson Reuters sued legal-research startup Ross Intelligence in 2020 for copying Westlaw headnotes to train a competing AI legal-research tool. In February 2025, Judge Stephanos Bibas (sitting by designation) granted summary judgment to Thomson Reuters on direct copyright infringement and rejected Ross's fair-use defense — the first definitive U.S. ruling on AI-training fair use. The 2023 jury trial verdict had been deadlocked; the 2025 ruling resolved liability.
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In effect Stronger protection
Louis v. SafeRent
D. Mass. · Effective 2024-11-20 · Louis v. SafeRent Solutions, LLC, No. 1:22-cv-10800 (D. Mass.)
SafeRent agreed in November 2024 to a $2.275M settlement and a five-year ban on using its 'SafeRent Score' for housing-voucher applicants, after a class action alleged its AI tenant-screening tool systematically denied housing to Black and Hispanic Section 8 voucher holders. The first major AI tenant-screening Fair Housing Act settlement.
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In effect Stronger protection
NetChoice v. Yost (Ohio)
S.D. Ohio · Effective 2024-04-30 · NetChoice, LLC v. Yost, No. 2:24-cv-00047 (S.D. Ohio Apr. 30, 2024)
Ohio's Social Media Parental Notification Act — requiring parental consent for minors' social-media use, including algorithmic feeds — was permanently enjoined as unconstitutional in April 2024.
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In effect Stronger protection
FTC Impersonation Rule (AI)
United States · Effective 2024-04-01 · 16 C.F.R. Part 461; 89 Fed. Reg. 15017
The FTC's Impersonation Rule lets the agency directly sue scammers who pretend to be a government agency or a real business — including those who use AI-cloned voices or generated images to do so. Civil penalties can reach $53,088 per violation. The FTC also issued a supplemental notice in February 2024 proposing to extend the rule to all individual impersonation.
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In effect Stronger protection
TCPA (AI voice calls)
United States · Effective 2024-02-08 · 47 U.S.C. § 227; FCC 24-17
Robocalls using AI-cloned or AI-generated voices are treated like other 'artificial voice' calls: callers need your prior express consent, must identify themselves, and must offer opt-outs for telemarketing. You can personally sue violators for $500 to $1,500 per illegal call.
Frequently asked questions about AI laws in Scarborough, Maine
Are there AI laws in Scarborough, Maine?
What federal AI rules apply in Scarborough?
Does Maine have an AI privacy law?
Are deepfakes illegal in Maine?
Can my employer use AI to screen me for jobs in Scarborough?
How do I report an AI law violation in Scarborough?
Are facial recognition cameras allowed in Scarborough?
Is Scarborough regulated by Maine's consumer privacy act?
Have we missed an AI rule in Scarborough?
This page is generated from our open civic dataset. If you know of a Scarborough ordinance, county rule, or local enforcement action we should add, email [email protected] or submit a correction. Every entry must include a verifiable source.