The Maine Judicial Branch has released a schedule to complete the rollout of Maine eCourts and electronic filing (eFiling) in all remaining trial courts by February 2027. The transition to digital court processes began in 2018 with the Violations Bureau and expanded to Bangor, the Business and Consumer Docket, and several counties over recent years.
Starting March 30, 2026, York Judicial Center in Biddeford will implement eCourts for all case types. Following this, district courts in Aroostook County—including Fort Kent, Houlton, Presque Isle, and Caribou—and superior courts in Caribou and Houlton will switch to eCourts on June 1, 2026. Courts in Hancock and Washington counties are scheduled for July 27, 2026.
Attorneys, government agencies (excluding law enforcement), and parties who file more than six non-emergency cases per year must use eFiling where it is available. Self-represented parties can continue filing documents in paper at courthouses or by mail; those filing protection from abuse or harassment cases may also file by email.
The new system provides text reminders of court dates for criminal defendants who supply their mobile numbers to court clerks.
Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Valerie Stanfill stated: “We have an ambitious schedule for the rest of 2026 into early 2027, but we are excited to finally have all of our trial courts on our new digital system. This system will help our courts serve the people of Maine in the 21st century far better than we could with a system based on paper files.”
Training sessions are planned ahead of each regional launch. The first webinar for legal professionals in Aroostook County is set for March 18, 2026.
Additional regions will follow according to this timeline:
– September 28, 2026: Cumberland County
– December 7, 2026: Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc Counties
– February 1, 2027: Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties
Maine eCourts uses Tyler Technologies’ Enterprise Justice Software for managing dockets and hearings, storing digital files, enabling eFiling and online payments. More information about Maine eCourts can be found at https://www.courts.maine.gov/ecourts/index.html.
The Maine Judicial Branch contributes to the rule of law in Maine (official website), aims to administer justice through state courts (official website), serves residents statewide (official website), includes multiple levels of courts such as Supreme Judicial Court and Superior Courts (official website), provides public access to court records (official website), and operates within the judicial sector (official website).
For updates from the Maine Judicial Branch on Maine eCourts or other news items, individuals can sign up at https://www.courts.maine.gov/news/signup.html.
