Maine FAIR Plan: there isn't one, and what to do instead

Does Maine have a FAIR Plan?

No. Maine does not operate a FAIR Plan or any state-run insurer of last resort. If every admitted carrier in Maine has turned you down, the route is the surplus-lines (E&S) market: a licensed surplus-lines broker places the policy with a non-admitted carrier. Expect a higher premium and no state guaranty-fund backstop if the carrier later fails.

What is changing right now?

February 2024: Bob Carey confirmed by the Maine Senate as Superintendent of Insurance. July 1, 2024: new statutory $500 towing and storage mandate for personal auto becomes effective. 2024: Maine BOI approves an average 12.8% homeowners rate increase affecting 316,802 policyholders. September 2025: Maine BOI publishes 2025 Availability of Insurance Report (covering 2024 data); 99 homeowners writers active, top-10 share 50%, leading carrier 12%. 2025: Fortify Maine Homes Program announced by Maine BOI; up to $10,000 or $15,000 grants for FORTIFIED-roof replacement; pilot in York, Cumberland, Kennebec, Penobscot counties; planned launch mid-2026.

How Maine handles hard-to-insure homes

Surplus lines (non-admitted / E&S) market; no FAIR Plan, no JUA, no Beach/Wind Plan, no activated market assistance program. Maine is not a PIPSO member. Surplus lines accounted for less than 1% of Maine homeowners written premiums in 2024 and 5.2% of the total Maine insurance market. (Source: Maine Bureau of Insurance, 2025 P&C Availability Report, verified 2026-05-14.)

Surplus lines provided less than 1% of Maine homeowners written premiums in 2024 and 5.2% of the total Maine insurance market. As of September 2025, 253 companies were eligible to write surplus lines in Maine. Under 24-A M.R.S. §2004, surplus-lines coverage may be written only when an admitted-market option is not available for the risk. (Source: Maine Bureau of Insurance, 2025 P&C Availability Report, verified 2026-05-14.)

How Maine regulates the homeowners market

Maine Bureau of Insurance, a division of the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation (Source: Maine Bureau of Insurance, verified 2026-05-14.)

Maine is a prior-approval state for personal lines property/casualty rate filings. Carriers must file rates with the Maine Bureau of Insurance and obtain approval before use. The Superintendent reviews filings for adequacy, non-excessiveness, and non-discrimination, and Medical Mutual of Maine and others file under the same prior-approval framework. (Source: Maine Bureau of Insurance, 2025 P&C Availability Report, verified 2026-05-14.)

Maine requires at least 30 days' written notice of intent not to renew a homeowners policy under the Maine Property Insurance Cancellation Control Act (24-A M.R.S. §3049 et seq.); a postal certificate of mailing is conclusive proof of receipt on the 3rd calendar day after mailing. Cancellation requires 10 days' notice for nonpayment of premium or 20 days for other valid grounds. Policies in effect less than 90 days (120 days for certain residential properties) cannot be canceled except for limited grounds. A policyholder may request a hearing before the Superintendent within 30 days to contest a cancellation or nonrenewal. (Source: Maine Revised Statutes Title 24-A §3049, verified 2026-05-14.)

Post-disaster protections and mitigation credits

Maine does not have a standing post-disaster nonrenewal moratorium analogous to California Insurance Code §675.1. Maine's principal homeowner protections after a non-renewal notice are the 30-day hearing right before the Superintendent under 24-A §3049 and the prohibition on vague or non-specific cancellation reasons. (Source: Maine Bureau of Insurance / 24-A M.R.S. §3049, verified 2026-05-14.)

Maine launched the Fortify Maine Homes Program in 2025 under the Bureau of Insurance: a grant of up to $10,000 (or up to $15,000 for homeowners enrolled in MaineCare or SNAP) toward replacement of a primary residence's roof to IBHS FORTIFIED standards. Pilot counties are York, Cumberland, Kennebec, and Penobscot. Applications were not yet open as of May 2026; planned launch is mid-2026 with statewide expansion to follow. The program is intended to address the dominant non-renewal driver in Maine (roof condition). (Source: Maine Bureau of Insurance, Fortify Maine Homes Program, verified 2026-05-14.)

Recent Maine home-insurance changes

February 2024: Bob Carey confirmed by the Maine Senate as Superintendent of Insurance. July 1, 2024: new statutory $500 towing and storage mandate for personal auto becomes effective. 2024: Maine BOI approves an average 12.8% homeowners rate increase affecting 316,802 policyholders. September 2025: Maine BOI publishes 2025 Availability of Insurance Report (covering 2024 data); 99 homeowners writers active, top-10 share 50%, leading carrier 12%. 2025: Fortify Maine Homes Program announced by Maine BOI; up to $10,000 or $15,000 grants for FORTIFIED-roof replacement; pilot in York, Cumberland, Kennebec, Penobscot counties; planned launch mid-2026. (Source: Maine Bureau of Insurance, verified 2026-05-14.)

Your protections if you're declined in Maine

If admitted carriers decline you in Maine, your options are: (1) shop with an independent agent across the 99 homeowners writers active in the state; (2) work with a Maine-licensed surplus-lines producer who can place coverage with an eligible non-admitted insurer under 24-A §2004, recognizing that surplus-lines policies are not backed by the Maine Insurance Guaranty Fund; (3) if your roof is the issue, watch for the Fortify Maine Homes Program (pilot in York, Cumberland, Kennebec, Penobscot counties) which offers up to $10,000 or $15,000 toward an IBHS FORTIFIED replacement roof; (4) if you receive a cancellation or nonrenewal notice, request a hearing before the Superintendent within 30 days under 24-A §3049, and file a complaint with the Maine Bureau of Insurance at (800) 300-5000. (Source: Maine Bureau of Insurance, verified 2026-05-14.)

Maine Insurance Guaranty Association (also known as the Maine Insurance Guaranty Fund) covers claims against insolvent admitted property/casualty carriers; it does not cover surplus-lines / non-admitted carriers. This is explicitly noted in the BOI 2025 Availability Report as a key consumer-protection trade-off for surplus-lines policyholders. (Source: Maine Bureau of Insurance, 2025 P&C Availability Report, verified 2026-05-14.)

How we compile and verify every fact on this page →

What to do this week if you just got a non-renewal notice

1. Read the notice fully. Note the cancellation date: that is your runway.
2. Call your current agent and ask why. Some non-renewals are reversible (a minor issue, a missed inspection); most aren't.
3. Get quotes from at least three other admitted carriers before reaching the surplus-lines market. If you're rural / WUI / coastal you may strike out; that's normal.
4. If admitted carriers decline, contact a licensed surplus-lines (E&S) broker in Maine. They can submit on your behalf the same week.
5. Don't let coverage lapse. A lapse triggers force-placed insurance from your lender: much more expensive, and worse coverage.

For the full playbook see I just got a non-renewal notice →