United States — Maine Act or statute

United States — Maine legislation

Maine Revised Statutes, Title 36, § 1503: Definitions, 1983

This section defines terms used in the chapter.

vessel classificationwatercraft registration

Professional statute overview

Enactment structure, operative effect and source provenance

Official source

01

Purpose and legislative effect

“This section defines terms used in the chapter.”

Use this record to locate individual provisions, understand the instrument’s recorded structure, and move from a research summary to the exact source text.

02

How the instrument operates

  1. 01

    Start with the recorded version

    Enacted 1983 · Source version 1 Oct 2025. The date shown identifies this source expression and should not be treated as proof that no later change exists.

  2. 02

    Locate the controlling provision

    Use the provision map, part headings and full-text filter to move from the broad subject to the exact legal language.

  3. 03

    Read conditions and exceptions together

    Keep subsections, definitions, provisos and cross-references in context before drawing a legal conclusion.

  4. 04

    Verify currency and official wording

    Confirm later legislation, commencement notices and corrections with the official publisher before advice, filing or reliance.

03

Research entry points

Selected provisions across the instrument. Open any row to continue with the exact stored text.

Definitions

This section defines terms used in the chapter.

Section 1503

04

Source and current-law status

Source record view

Source record from legislature.maine.gov · Enacted 1983 · Source version 1 Oct 2025

Verify current force

The source record does not state a definitive current-law status. Check the official publisher and later amendments before relying on this text.

Source-indexed provision map

Sections and provisions

Search by section, heading, part or exact legal wording. Every result remains linked to the stored source record.

Showing 1 of 1 provisions

Interpretation
§ 1503DefinitionsInterpretation

This section defines terms used in the chapter.

As used in this chapter, unless the context indicates otherwise, the following terms have the following meanings. [PL 1983, c. 92, Pt. B, §9 (NEW).] 1. Commercial vessel. "Commercial vessel" means any type of watercraft used exclusively in a business or trade: A. Is required to be registered under Title 12, section 13056; or [PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. B, §54 (AMD); PL 2003, c. 614, §9 (AFF).] B. Is documented under the laws of the United States. [PL 1983, c. 92, Pt. B, §9 (NEW).] [PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. B, §54 (AMD); PL 2003, c. 614, §9 (AFF).] 1-A. Canoe. "Canoe" has the same definition as that set out in Title 12, section 1872, subsection 2. [PL 1997, c. 678, §22 (AMD).] 2. Commissioner. "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. [PL 1985, c. 726, §1 (AMD).] 3. Director. "Director" means the Director of the Division of Licensing, Registration and Engineering, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. [PL 2009, c. 340, §28 (AMD).] 3-A. Dory. "Dory" means an unpowered, double-ended boat used exclusively for the transport and storage of fishing gear. [PL 1985, c. 560, §1 (NEW).] 4. Established base of operations. An "established base of operations" means the location where a commercial vessel has its primary relationship with a municipality. Among the factors identifying a primary relationship are the locations at which the vessel is primarily moored or docked, where it prepares for expeditions and hires a crew and to which it regularly returns for repairs, supplies and activities relating to its business or trade. The fact that a commercial vessel carries on one or more of the activities, as mentioned in this subsection, at more than one location within this State or carries on one or more of the activities, enumerated in this subsection, at a location or locations outside this State shall not prevent it from being deemed to have an established base of operations within the State, if a substantial portion of these activities are carried on at a location or locations within this State. [PL 1983, c. 92, Pt. B, §9 (NEW).] 4-A. Marina or boat yard. [PL 2019, c. 501, §27 (RP).] 5. Overall length. "Overall length" means the horizontal distance stated in feet and defined as the straight line measurement over the deck, excluding sheer, from the foremost part of the watercraft to the aftermost part, measured parallel to the centerline, excluding outboard motors, brackets, bowsprits, rudders and similar attachments. For any watercraft documented under the laws of the United States, overall length means the registered length of the vessel as set forth in the document issued to its owner by the United States Coast Guard. [PL 1983, c. 92, Pt. B, §9 (NEW).] 6. Owner. "Owner" means a person or persons claiming lawful possession of a watercraft by virtue of legal title, equitable interest or a leasehold interest in the watercraft. [PL 1983, c. 92, Pt. B, §9 (NEW).] 7. Principally moored, docked or located. "Principally moored, docked or located" means the place where a watercraft, other than a commercial vessel, is usually moored, docked, anchored or located during the period from June 1st to August 31st. [PL 1983, c. 92, Pt. B, §9 (NEW).] 8. Registration period. [PL 1995, c. 695, §3 (RP).] 8-A. Registration period. [PL 1997, c. 324, §3 (RP); PL 1997, c. 324, §7 (AFF).] 8-B. Registration period. "Registration period" means from January 1st to December 31st of the year for which the certificate of number is issued pursuant to Title 12, section 13056. [PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. B, §55 (AMD); PL 2003, c. 614, §9 (AFF).] 9. Taxable year. "Taxable year" means from January 1st to December 31st. [PL 1997, c. 324, §5 (AMD); PL 1997, c. 324, §7 (AFF).] 10. Watercraft. "Watercraft" means any type of vessel, boat, canoe or craft capable of being used as a means of transportation on water, other than a seaplane, including motors, electronic and mechanical equipment and other machinery, whether permanently or temporarily attached, and which are customarily used in the operations of the watercraft. Watercraft does not include a vessel, boat, canoe or craft located and intended to be permanently docked in one location and not used as a means of transportation on water. [PL 1983, c. 572, §§8, 12 (AMD).]
Section 1503Verify source

Legislative relationships

0 referenced instruments

Names are derived from the stored provision headings and citation-enrichment layer. Treat this as a research index and verify each relationship against the source text.

No structured legislative relationships were detected

The statute remains fully searchable by provision. Consult the source text for amendments and cross-references that have not yet been indexed.

Recorded versions and source checkpoint

1 version available in this collection

Current-law checkpoint
  • 1 Oct 2025 · currentEnglish

Source-linked research

Ask AI about this statute

The overview, provisions, and source records above are public. Continue in a separate conversation with this statute’s jurisdiction and source version attached.

No legal research model is currently available.

Sign in

About this LexChat collection

Statute information is organised from identified legislative sources for professional research. Corrections can be reported to hello@esheria.ai.