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STATE SHIPPING LAWS: Maine

Open Permit

Last Updated: September 23, 2021

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Permit

DTC Permit
  • Required: Yes
  • Fee: $300 initial permit, $50 for renewals
  • Expiration:1 yr from issue date

Sales Tax

  • Required: Yes
  • State:5.50%
  • Local:No
  • Tax on Shipping:No

Excise Tax

  • Required: Yes
  • Table Wine: $.60/gal
  • Sparkling Wine: $1.24/gal
  • Fortified Wine: $1.24/gal

Volume Limit

Limits per Winery
  • Calendar year:12 cases per recipient address

Reporting

  • Required:Yes
  • Sales Tax: Quarterly by the 15th
  • Excise Tax: 30th of the month following the annual expiration date of DTC license
  • Direct Shipment: 30th of the month following the annual expiration date of DTC license

Product Requirements

Identify Labels for Direct Shipment
  • Submit list of all product labels to be shipped to consumers at the time of application
Product Restrictions
  • ONLY wines produced by the permittee may be sold and shipped to consumers
  • Wine may NOT be shipped in containers smaller than 750ml
  • “Wine coolers” may NOT be shipped DTC

Additional Information

A Direct Shipper License is required for making on-site and off-site direct shipments to Maine consumers. The license fee for first-time applicants is $200, plus an additional one-time $100 registration fee with subsequent renewals costing $50. Wineries must have applied for and received a Retailers Certificate from the Maine Revenue Service to avoid any delay in the processing of their application and issuance of their liquor license. Limited Liability Companies, Limited Partnerships and Corporations must complete and submit the Supplementary Corporate Questionnaire with their license application and the application must be signed by the Owner or Corporate Officer.

  • A direct shipper shall label each package to be shipped in accordance with this section so that it conspicuously reads “CONTAINS ALCOHOL: SIGNATURE OF A PERSON 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER IS REQUIRED FOR DELIVERY.”

Maine Implements New Container Redemption Program Rule

May 10, 2017

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) new rule for the Beverage Container Redemption Program became effective on May 8, 2017. Under the new rule only one distributor is permitted to register product labels of the same brand and act as the Initiator of Deposit (IoD). Therefore, a winery who sells product labels of the … Read More ⟶

View All Maine Alerts View All Compliance Alerts

Licensing Forms

  • Direct Shipper License Application
  • Instructions Direct Shipper Application
  • Corporate Information Required for Business Entities
  • Online Application for Sales Tax Registration
  • Direct Shipper License Renewal

Reporting Forms

  • Direct Shipper Sparkling and Fortified Excise Tax Report (12/2016)
  • Direct Shipper Sparkling & Fortified Wine Shipments Report
  • Direct Shipper Table Wine Excise Tax Report (12/2016)
  • Direct Shipper Table Wine Shipments Report
  • Maine Sales, Use and Service Provider Tax Filing System
  • Maine Sales & Use Tax Forms

Statutes & Advisories

  • MRS Title 28-A §1403-A. Direct Shipment of Wine

CONTACT INFORMATION

Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages & Lottery Operations
Division of Liquor Licensing and Enforcement
8 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0008
Phone: (207) 624-7220
Fax: (207) 287-3434
Maine Revenue Services
PO Box 1057
Augusta, ME 04332-1065
Phone: (207) 624-9693
Fax: (207) 287-6628
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Please Note: This information is intended for winegrower licensees only. All information on WineInstitute.ComplianceRules.org is provided as an informational aid and is not legal advice. Data may be out-of-date or incomplete. Please consult a lawyer before taking any action.
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