Do disabled veterans pay vehicle excise tax or registration fees in Maine?

Maine exempts up to 3 automobiles from the local excise tax for veterans who receive federal pension or compensation for total, service-connected disability or who are granted free registration, under 36 M.R.S. Section 1483(12). Under 29-A M.R.S. Section 523(2), a veteran certified as permanently disabled and receiving 100 percent service-connected benefits registers up to 3 vehicles with no annual registration fee and may request Disabled Veteran plates. Purple Heart plates (up to 2 vehicles) and POW plates are issued at no fee under 29-A M.R.S. Section 524.

Do veterans get free admission to Maine state parks?

Yes. Maine resident veterans with an honorable discharge or general discharge under honorable conditions qualify for a free lifetime pass from the Bureau of Maine Veterans' Services covering day-use admission at Maine state parks and historic sites, regardless of disability rating. The pass does not cover camping fees and is not valid at Acadia National Park, Baxter State Park, or the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Maine residents serving on active duty in an enlisted grade can get an annual day-use pass that also admits an accompanying spouse and children.

Do disabled veterans get free hunting and fishing licenses in Maine?

Yes. Under 12 M.R.S. Section 10853(4), a veteran with a service-connected disability evaluated at 50 percent or more receives a complimentary lifetime license covering all hunting, trapping, and fishing licenses, permits, and stamps, applied for through the Bureau of Maine Veterans' Services. Maine residents qualify, and nonresidents qualify if their state has a reciprocal agreement with Maine; the Bureau lists New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Texas.

Updated August 2026

Maine Veteran Benefits 2026

Q: Does Maine have a state income tax?

Maine has a state income tax. Maine fully exempts military retirement pay from state income tax with no dollar cap.

The Pine Tree State opens its parks, waters, and woods to the people who served.

Maine’s thank-you is the outdoors itself — free lifetime park access for every resident veteran — plus real tax and registration relief. Every claim below is verified against Maine statutes and agencies.

Maine Highlights

Full military retirement pay tax exemption
$6,000 property tax exemption for qualifying wartime veterans ($50,000 for paraplegic veterans with a federal SAH grant)
Vehicle excise-tax exemption (up to 3 autos) and free registration & DV plates for 100% disabled veterans
Free lifetime state park day-use pass for all Maine resident veterans; free lifetime hunting & fishing licenses at 50%+ disability
Free tuition at Maine public colleges for spouses & children of 100% permanently disabled veterans
Maine Veterans Emergency Assistance

Portland Head Light and its red-roofed keeper’s house on the rocky coast of Cape Elizabeth, Maine — Portland Head Light, Cape Elizabeth. Photo: Wolfgang Fricke (CC BY 3.0)

Income Tax Treatment

Maine has a state income tax.

Military Retirement Pay: Maine fully exempts military retirement pay from state income tax with no dollar cap.

Active Duty Pay: Active duty pay earned outside Maine may be exempt.

VA Disability Compensation: VA disability compensation is tax-free at both the federal and state level in all 50 states. Maine does not tax VA disability payments.

Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans in Maine

Type: Fixed-dollar reduction

Maine exempts up to $6,000 of just (assessed) value for qualifying wartime veterans who are age 62+ or receiving a federal pension/compensation for total disability, and up to $50,000 for paraplegic veterans who received a federal specially-adapted-housing grant; the benefit is a fixed valuation reduction, not a full exemption or percentage-graduated by rating.

VA disability rating / category	What you get
Wartime veteran, age 62+	$6,000 reduction in just value of the homesteadServed during a federally recognized war period and reached age 62 (36 M.R.S. §653(1)(C)). No disability rating required.
Wartime veteran receiving compensation/pension for total disability (effectively 100%)	$6,000 reduction in just value of the homesteadServed during a federally recognized war period and receiving a federal pension or compensation for total disability, regardless of age.
World War I-era veteran	$7,000 reduction in just value (in lieu of the $6,000)Served during or before WWI; same age-62/total-disability conditions (36 M.R.S. §653(1)(C-1)).
Paraplegic veteran (specially adapted housing)	$50,000 reduction in just valueParaplegic veteran under 38 U.S.C. §2101 who received a federal specially-adapted-housing grant (36 M.R.S. §653(1)(D-1)).

Income limit: None.
Age requirement: Age 62 required only for the wartime-service path with no disability; total-disability path qualifies at any age.
Surviving spouse: Yes — unremarried surviving spouse (and certain minor children/parents) of a qualifying veteran is eligible for the $6,000/$7,000 exemption; surviving spouse of a paraplegic veteran qualifies for $50,000.
Counts being paid at 100% via unemployability (TDIU)? Varies / not explicitly addressed — confirm with the assessor or state VA

Recent change: Ties exemption to 'compensation for total disability' not a fixed 100% rating; dollar amounts unchanged 2023-2026. PL 2025 c.113 made a technical amendment to parent-of-deceased-veteran eligibility; did not change tier amounts. Proportional-to-rating bills (e.g., LD 1042) proposed but not enacted.

Source: 36 M.R.S. §653 and a second official source. Verified June 2026 against primary sources.

To apply, contact your county assessor's office or the Maine Department of Veterans Affairs. You will typically need your VA disability rating letter (and often your DD‑214) and proof that the home is your primary residence.

Real estate vs. personal property: this benefit applies to real-estate (home/homestead) property tax. Personal-property taxes — such as the annual tax some states levy on vehicles — are separate and generally still apply, even at a 100% rating, unless your state specifically exempts them.

Check your exemption by rating & state →

Vehicle & Registration Benefits

Excise tax exemption — up to 3 automobiles: Maine towns collect an annual motor-vehicle excise tax when you register, but 36 M.R.S. §1483, sub-§12 exempts automobiles owned by veterans who are granted free registration by the Secretary of State under 29-A M.R.S. §523, sub-§1 or 2, or who are “disabled by injury or disease incurred or aggravated during active military service in the line of duty” and receiving any form of federal pension or compensation for total, service-connected disability. A maximum of 3 automobiles owned by a veteran are exempt. Sub-§16 separately exempts vehicles owned — including jointly with a spouse — by active-duty members permanently stationed at a military or naval post in or outside Maine, or deployed for more than 180 days. Claim either exemption at your municipal office.

Free registration & Disabled Veteran plates — 100% permanent disability: Under 29-A M.R.S. §523, sub-§2, a veteran who presents certification from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or a branch of the armed forces of permanent disability and receipt of 100% service-connected benefits is issued a registration certificate with no annual registration fee and, on request, Disabled Veteran special designating plates — for up to 3 vehicles of not more than 26,000 pounds registered gross weight (motorcycles are covered by sub-§2-A). Sub-§1 also registers fee-free any vehicle of an amputee or blind veteran who received an automobile through the federal automobile grant (38 U.S.C. §3901 et seq.) or who has a specially designed vehicle and receives compensation for a service-connected disability.

Purple Heart, POW & other military plates: Under 29-A M.R.S. §524, a Purple Heart recipient receives a registration certificate and Purple Heart plates at no fee for up to 2 vehicles (proof of the medal required), and a former prisoner of war receives POW plates at no fee with the federal form certifying POW status; a surviving spouse may continue displaying either until remarriage. The same section covers Medal of Honor and Pearl Harbor survivor plates. Standard-fee Veteran plates are available under §523, sub-§3 to honorably discharged veterans (plus National Guard members with 20+ years and active-duty members with 3+ years of continuous service) with a DD-214 or other service verification — see the BMV veteran plate & decal pages for every option, including the veterans commemorative decal program.

Recreation: Parks, Hunting & Fishing

Free lifetime state park pass — all Maine resident veterans: A Maine resident veteran with an honorable discharge or general discharge under honorable conditions — no disability rating required — qualifies for a free lifetime pass from the Bureau of Maine Veterans’ Services covering day-use admission at Maine state parks and historic sites. Apply with a copy of your DD-214. The pass never expires, is non-transferable, and does not waive camping fees; per the Bureau of Parks & Lands fee page, the free-admission category for a 100% disabled veteran also extends to the spouse and unmarried children. It is not valid at Acadia National Park, Baxter State Park, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Penobscot River Corridor, Penobscot Narrows Observatory, or the Maine Wildlife Park. Veterans 65 and older are not issued the pass because Maine seniors already receive free day-use admission.

Active duty: A service member whose home of residence is Maine and who is serving in an enlisted grade can get an annual (calendar-year, renewable) day-use pass admitting the member and an accompanying spouse and children free at state parks and historic sites — apply through MBVS with military ID or a commanding officer’s statement.

Free lifetime hunting, fishing & trapping licenses — 50%+ disability: Under 12 M.R.S. §10853, sub-§4, a veteran with a service-connected disability evaluated at 50% or more receives a complimentary license covering “all hunting, trapping and fishing licenses, including permits, stamps and other permission needed to hunt, trap and fish,” plus a guide license for those who meet guide qualifications. MBVS lists what that includes: archery, muzzleloader, bear, migratory bird, pheasant, spring/fall wild turkey, coyote night hunt, and crossbow, plus one expanded-archery antlerless-deer permit and one expanded-archery either-sex permit (lottery permits such as moose still require separate applications). The license is valid for life as long as residency requirements continue to be met and it is not revoked or suspended. Maine residents qualify; a nonresident qualifies only if that state has a reciprocal agreement with Maine — MBVS lists New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Texas. Apply through the Bureau of Maine Veterans’ Services rather than a regular license agent.

Education & Other Maine Benefits

Veterans Dependents Educational Benefits — 100% tuition waiver: Under 37-B M.R.S. §505, sub-§2, spouses and children of qualifying veterans are admitted free of tuition, including mandatory fees and lab fees (room and board are not waived) at Maine’s state-supported postsecondary schools — the MBVS program page lists the University of Maine System, Maine community colleges, and Maine Maritime Academy. The veteran must have a 100% total permanent disability resulting from a service-connected disability, have been killed in action, have died from a service-connected disability (or been totally and permanently disabled at death), or be listed more than 90 days as missing in action or captured — and must have entered service from Maine or been a Maine resident for the 5 years immediately preceding application (a living veteran must continue residing in Maine). Children must be high-school graduates enrolled in a degree program and awarded benefits before their 22nd birthday (26th if their own military service intervened) and receive up to 120 undergraduate credit hours within 10 academic years; spouses receive up to 120 credit hours within 10 years. Students must maintain at least a 2.0 / “C” GPA and must apply for a Federal Pell Grant.

VA Healthcare in Maine

Maine has approximately 1 VA medical center along with community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) throughout the state. Veterans enrolled in VA healthcare can receive care at any VA facility nationwide.

To find the nearest VA facility, visit VA.gov Facility Locator.