Me. Rev. Stat. » Title 17-A
Maine Revised Statutes

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 509 (2026)

False public alarm or report; aggravated false public alarm or report

✓ current as of May 2026
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1.  A person is guilty of false public alarm or report if:  
A. The person knowingly gives or causes to be given false information to a law enforcement officer, an emergency communications center or the 9-1-1 services established in Title 25, chapter 352 with the intent of inducing the officer, the emergency communications center or any other emergency services personnel to believe that a crime has been committed or that another has committed a crime, knowing the information to be false;   [PL 2025, c. 167, §2 (AMD).]
B. The person knowingly gives or causes to be given false information to a law enforcement officer, a member of a firefighting agency, including a volunteer fire department, an emergency communications center, the 9-1-1 services established in Title 25, chapter 352 or any other person knowing that the other person is likely to communicate the information to a law enforcement officer, a member of a firefighting agency, an emergency communications center or any other emergency services personnel concerning a fire, explosive or other similar substance that is capable of endangering the safety of persons, knowing that the information is false, or knowing that the person has no information relating to the fire, explosive or other similar substance; or   [PL 2025, c. 167, §3 (AMD).]
C. The person knowingly gives or causes to be given false information concerning an emergency to an ambulance service, an emergency communications center, the 9-1-1 services established in Title 25, chapter 352, any other emergency services personnel or a government agency or public utility that deals with emergencies involving danger to life or property, with the intent of inducing the service, personnel, agency, center or utility to respond to the reported emergency, knowing the information to be false.   [PL 2025, c. 167, §4 (AMD).]
A violation of this subsection is a Class D crime.  
For the purposes of this subsection, "emergency communications center" means a state, county or municipal government entity that receives calls by 9-1-1, business lines, radio or other methods requesting public service or emergency response from public safety agencies and, as appropriate, dispatches requests to public safety agencies and assists in coordinating the response between agencies and other specialized professionals.  
[PL 2025, c. 167, §§2-4 (AMD).]
2. 
[PL 2023, c. 430, §1 (RP).]
3.  A person is guilty of aggravated false public alarm or report if the person violates subsection 1 and the violation causes the evacuation, shutdown or lockdown of a building, school, public square or park, place of assembly or public transportation facility.  
A violation of this subsection is a Class C crime.  
[PL 2023, c. 430, §1 (NEW).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1975, c. 499, §1 (NEW). PL 1975, c. 740, §68 (AMD). PL 1977, c. 510, §56 (AMD). PL 2023, c. 430, §1 (AMD). PL 2025, c. 167, §§2-4 (AMD).
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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 6 cases, 1976–2012 · leading case: State v. Dolloff, 58 A.3d 1032 (Me. 2012).
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State v. Dolloff, 58 A.3d 1032 (Me. 2012). “§ 208-B(l)(A), (2) (2011), and false public alarm or report (Class D), 17-A M.R.S. § 509(1)(A), (2) (2011). We affirm the judgment.”
State v. Naoum, 548 A.2d 120 (Me. 1988). · cites it 2× “§ 2178), and making a false report (17-A M.R.S.A. § 509) in regard to an alleged claim for burglary of business property for which he received insurance proceeds, occurring in 1983 [2] (Counts IV, V and VI), and with theft by deception and insurance fraud involving a 1984 claim…”
Opinion of the Justices of the Supreme Jud. Court, 355 A.2d 341 (Me. 1976). “17-A MRSA § 509, sub-§ 1, ¶ B, as enacted by PL 1975, c.”
Prokey v. Watkins, 942 F.2d 67 (1st Cir. 1991). “On January 20, 1987, District Attorney Paul Aranson authorized the filing of a complaint charging plaintiff with filing a false public report in violation of Title 17-A M.R.S.A. § 509. The criminal complaint alleged that plaintiff “did knowingly give or cause to be given false…”
State v. Jordan, 659 A.2d 849 (Me. 1995). “1994) (Class D); one count of filing a false public report, 17-A M.R.S.A. § 509 (1983) (Class D); and one count of violating a condition of release, 15 M.”
State v. Mitchell, 751 A.2d 444 (Me. 2000). · cites it 2× “See 17-A M.R.S.A. § 509 (1983). Mitchell contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion for acquittal.”
— Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A, § 509(1)(A) — 1 case
State v. Dolloff, 58 A.3d 1032 (Me. 2012). “§ 208-B(l)(A), (2) (2011), and false public alarm or report (Class D), 17-A M.R.S. § 509(1)(A), (2) (2011). We affirm the judgment.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.