Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §3005, as amended by PL 1989, c. 104, Pt. C, §§8 and 10, is further amended to read:

§3005. Ordinances available

Every ordinance of a municipality shall must be on file with the municipal clerk and shall must be accessible to any member of the public. Copies shall must be made available to any member of the public, at reasonable cost, at the expense of the person making the request. Notice that the ordinances are available shall must be posted. A municipality must file a certified copy of each of its ordinances with the register of deeds for the registry district in which the municipality is located.__ Municipal ordinances not filed with the register may not be enforced by the municipality.

Sec. 2. 33 MRSA §671 is enacted to read:

§671.__Record of municipal ordinances

The register of deeds shall maintain a file of certified copies of municipal ordinances filed as provided in Title 30-A, section 3005.__The register may not charge municipalities for filing their ordinances.

Sec. 3. Application. This Act applies to municipal ordinances adopted after the effective date of this Act. Municipal ordinances in effect on the effective date of this Act must be filed as required by the Act within one year of the effective date of this Act.

SUMMARY

This bill requires a municipality to file a copy of every ordinance with the county register of deeds and prohibits enforcement of ordinances that are not properly filed. Current ordinances must be filed within one year and municipalities may not be assessed a filing fee.