Maine: Adult Legal Name Change Requirements

Requirements one by one

File the notarized CN-1 petition in the resident county

Under 18-C M.R.S. § 1-701(1)(A), an adult files in the Probate Court for
the county where the adult resides. The statute sets no minimum residence
period.

Current form CN-1 asks for the adult's full legal name, physical and mailing
address, telephone and email, date of birth, every name previously used, the
complete proposed name, and the reasons for the request. The petitioner signs
using the current legal name and acknowledges the signature before a notary
public, register of probate, or attorney at law.

Maine requires a criminal-history check, not applicant fingerprints

Under § 1-701(5), the court must obtain a criminal-history record check for
every adult petitioner. The court may also order a motor-vehicle-record or
credit check and may require the petitioner to pay each check's cost. Neither
the statute nor current CN-1 requires the adult to submit a fingerprint card or
purchase a private background report.

CN-1 tells the petitioner that the check information is confidential and will
be destroyed after the name-change decision. The form itself asks the adult to
acknowledge the checks; it does not demand a conviction-by-conviction history.

Public notice is prohibited, but the order is ordinarily public

For an adult petition, § 1-701(2) says the court may not require public
notice before approval. There is no newspaper-publication step.

The same subsection requires the court to warn the adult about two different
forms of later disclosure. First, the order is public unless confidentiality is
granted. Second, an abstract normally goes to the State Bureau of Identification.
The statute says the court may change the name after receiving the petition and
states no mandatory adult hearing. Its substantive limit is the improper-purpose
rule in § 1-701(6): the court may not grant the change when it has reason to
believe the purpose is fraud or otherwise contrary to the public interest.

Confidentiality and nontransmission require separate findings

Under § 1-701(3-A), an adult may ask the court to make the order
confidential. The court balances the adult's confidentiality interest against
the public interest and must consider abuse, reasonable fear for safety,
Address Confidentiality Program participation, the background-check results,
and any other relevant factor.

Recent criminal convictions create a rebuttable presumption favoring public
disclosure: murder or a Class A, B, or C crime within 10 years, or a Class D or
E crime within five years. The court cannot make the order confidential while
the adult is on probation, parole, or sex-offender supervised release, or is
currently required to register as a sex offender. Maine states no separate
gender-identity name-change track.

Confidentiality alone does not stop state-police reporting. Under
§ 1-701(3-B), the court ordinarily sends the State Bureau of Identification
an abstract containing the former name, new name, date of birth, confidentiality
status, and listed identifiers. Withholding that abstract requires a separate
request, a confidential order, and a showing of extraordinary circumstances.

The filing fee is $75

Under § 1-701(4), the filing fee is $75. Maine Probate Court form
AF-105 is a financial affidavit expressly supporting a request to waive fees or
some service costs.

What trips people up

• No publication does not mean a private order. Adult public notice is
  prohibited, but the order is public unless the court grants confidentiality.
• A confidential order still normally goes to the bureau. Nontransmission
  requires the separate extraordinary-circumstances finding.
• The adult does not supply fingerprints. The court obtains the mandatory
  criminal-history check and may add motor-vehicle or credit checks.

Common questions

Does Maine require newspaper publication?

No. Section 1-701(2) says the court may not require public notice before
approving an adult name change.

Can the court keep the name-change order confidential for safety?

Yes, on request and after the statutory balancing test. Abuse, reasonable fear
for safety, and Address Confidentiality Program participation are express
factors, subject to the criminal-history and current-supervision restrictions.

Does confidentiality prevent reporting to the State Police?

Not by itself. The court may withhold the abstract only after a separate request
and an extraordinary-circumstances showing.

Statutes and sources

• 18-C M.R.S. § 1-701(1)-(6) — venue, no-public-notice rule,
  confidentiality, bureau reporting, $75 filing fee, background checks, and
  improper-purpose denial standard. Official Maine statute
  (accessed July 26, 2026).
• Maine Probate Court form CN-1 — current petition fields, check notice,
  confidentiality and nontransmission requests, and notarized acknowledgment.
  Official probate form
  (accessed July 26, 2026).
• Maine Probate Court form AF-105 — financial affidavit supporting a fee-
  waiver request. Official probate form
  (accessed July 26, 2026).