Maine Revised Statutes, Title 33, § 1201: Legislative intent, purpose, 1973

The Legislature finds that the ownership of many of Maine's coastal islands is uncertain. The Legislature prohibited the further sale of state-owned islands in 1913 but some of the land agent's records of prior conveyances are missing or incomplete. In addition, title to many privately-owned islands was derived from ancient charters and grants. Subsequent grantees many times did not include such islands in grants or bequests or died intestate with no record of island holdings in their estates. Because of the large number of islands and ledges in Maine's coastal waters and the legal uncertainty with respect to the ownership of many such islands, unrealistic and perhaps fruitless expenditures of time and money, far exceeding all legal requirements of due diligence, would be necessary to search all subsequent conveyances from ancient charters and grants to establish State title to these islands. Therefore, in order to clarify and establish title to islands in Maine's coastal waters, to protect the State's ownership of its island resources for public use, to establish title to land that was once granted by the State of Maine, or by grant or charter before Maine became a State and subsequently owned by a person or persons who either died intestate without heirs or with heirs who abandoned the property, the Legislature directs the creation of a Coastal Island Registry and the following procedure to establish title to island property in Maine's coastal waters. [PL 1973, c. 616, §1 (NEW).]