Selling landlocked land in Maine

How Maine law handles land with no road access

In Maine, municipal officers may lay out a public easement on petition for an occupant or cultivating owner whose land will connect to a town way or highway. Maine also recognizes easements by necessity over the grantor's retained land.

Statutory route: Public easement laid out by municipal officers on petition.

Common-law route: Easement by necessity recognized when a landlocked lot is conveyed out of a larger parcel (Northland Realty, LLC v. Crawford, Me. 2008).

Law: 23 M.R.S. 3022 (definition at 23 M.R.S. 3021(2)). Court routes take time and cost money. Ask a local attorney.

Your options as a landlocked owner

• Ask a neighbor to sell or grant an access easement, in writing and recorded.
• Offer the land to the neighbor who borders it. They are often the most natural buyer.
• Use the Maine legal route above to create access, then sell.
• Sell as-is to a cash buyer who accepts land without access.

Maine land at a glance

• Average farm real estate value: $3,400 per acre (2026, USDA).
• Average property tax on farmland: about $30.07 per acre per year (2022 Census of Agriculture).
• Transfer tax: $2.20 for each $500 or fractional part of value (0.44%). Value above $1,000,000 carries an extra $3.80 per $500 (Public Law 2025, c. 388).
• Seller disclosure: Maine requires a seller of vacant land to give the buyer a written disclosure of how the land is accessed and its flood risk. The flood risk statement is due before the buyer makes an offer, or the buyer can cancel within 72 hours of receiving it. The longer residential disclosure form applies only to properties with one to four dwelling units. Court-ordered sales, transfers by will or inheritance, and transfers between co-owners are exempt.

These are statewide averages, not an appraisal. See selling land in Maine for county values, or try the land value estimator.

How a cash sale handles this

Liberty Acres is a family-owned cash land buyer. We buy land anywhere in the US, in any condition, including land with back taxes, inherited land and land with no road access. We pay back taxes and all closing costs, use no agents and charge no commissions, and close through a title company, escrow company or real estate attorney who pays you by wire or check.

Common questions