Driving Tests

Maine Cell Phone Driving Law: Hands-Free Rules, Teens and Fines

informational·how to guide·Published May 7, 2026

Can you hold your phone while driving in Maine, even at a red light?

No. Maine law bans using or talking into a handheld phone while you drive on a public way, even when you are stopped for traffic, a traffic light or a stop sign. Only a driver who is 18 or older, with no learner's permit and no intermediate license, may use a phone hands-free. A handheld violation brings a $50 fine, then $250 for a second or later offense.

Where the Maine phone rules come from

Maine sets the phone rules in Maine law (Title 29-A, section 2121) for handheld phones and hands-free use, and in Title 29-A, section 2119 for text messaging. The rules for drivers under 18 are in Title 29-A, section 1311 (intermediate license). The learner's permit rule is in Title 29-A, section 1304. This guide is current as of 2026. All fines are in U.S. dollars. Confirm the rules with the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (maine.gov/sos/bmv) before you drive.

Who may use a phone while driving in Maine

Who may use a phone while driving in Maine
Driver	Handheld phone (even at a red light)	Hands-free	After you pull over and stop
Learner's permit holder	No	No	Yes
Driver under 18 with a license (intermediate license)	No	No	Yes
Driver 18 or older, no permit and no intermediate license	No	Yes	Yes
Commercial driver or school bus driver at work	Allowed within the scope of the job, as federal motor carrier rules permit	Yes (18 or older)	Yes

Phone use at a red light or stop sign in Maine

A stop does not end your drive. The law names the exact case: a handheld phone is banned "while the vehicle is temporarily stationary because of traffic, a traffic light or a stop sign." A driver at a red light who holds a phone for an ordinary call breaks the law, and the free practice question on holding a phone at a red light has the same answer: no. The ban covers using, manipulating, talking into or otherwise interacting with the phone.

What hands-free use means in Maine

Hands-free mode means you use the phone without either hand, through a feature built into the phone or an attachment to it.
You may use one hand to start or stop a feature if the phone is mounted or affixed to the vehicle where it does not block your view of the road.
That one-hand action must need only a single swipe, tap or push of a finger.

What to do in three common phone situations

You are stopped at a red light and a message arrives

Leave the phone alone. The handheld and texting bans apply while you are stopped for traffic, a traffic light or a stop sign. If hands-free use is allowed for you, a mounted phone accepts a single swipe, tap or push.

You are under 18 or have a learner's permit, and a call comes in through the car's Bluetooth

Let it ring. Hands-free use is only for drivers 18 or older with no learner's permit and no intermediate license. Pull over, stop where the vehicle can safely stay, and then call back.

You need police or emergency services right now

Maine law allows a driver to call law enforcement or emergency services when there is an immediate threat to the health or well-being of any person. A driver with a learner's permit cannot use this exception. A permit holder must pull over and stop first. The intermediate license rules (section 1311) allow phone use only after the driver pulls over and stops, so the two sections differ. The safer step for an intermediate license holder is to pull over and stop before any call, also in an emergency. Confirm the rule with the BMV.

Phone rules for permit holders and teens under 18

A learner's permit holder may not use a handheld phone on a public way, even when stopped in traffic, and a permit holder who breaks this rule commits a traffic infraction (Title 29-A, section 1304). During the intermediate license period, a driver under 18 with a license has the same ban in section 1311. Neither group may use hands-free, because section 2121 allows hands-free use only for a driver 18 or older with no learner's permit and no intermediate license. The practice question on a learner using a hands-free phone shows the answer: the learner must first pull over safely and stop.

How long the intermediate license limits last

The intermediate license restrictions, which include the phone ban, last 270 days from the day the license is issued. A driver found to have broken a section 1311 rule gets another 270 days of restrictions, and each violation during that extra time adds more. The full list of limits is in the guide to Maine intermediate license rules.

Maine fines for phone use while driving

Maine fines for phone use while driving
Violation	Maine law	Fine
Handheld phone use, first offense	Title 29-A, section 2121	$50
Handheld phone use, second or later offense	Title 29-A, section 2121	$250
Texting while driving, first violation	Title 29-A, section 2119	At least $250
Texting after an earlier texting adjudication within 3 years	Title 29-A, section 2119	At least $500, plus a license suspension
Intermediate license holder breaks the phone rule	Title 29-A, section 1311	$250 to $500, plus a license suspension and 270 more days of restrictions

Maine license suspensions for phone violations

Texting (section 2119): the Secretary of State suspends the license without a right to a hearing when you have an earlier adjudication in the last 3 years. The minimum suspension is 30 days with 2 adjudications, 60 days with 3 adjudications and 90 days with 4 or more.
Intermediate license holder (section 1311): the Secretary of State suspends the license without a right to a hearing. The suspension is 60 days for a first offense, 180 days for a second offense and one year for a third or later offense.

Key takeaways

You cannot hold or use a handheld phone while you drive in Maine, even when you are stopped for traffic, a traffic light or a stop sign.
Hands-free use is for drivers 18 or older with no learner's permit and no intermediate license. A mounted phone allows one swipe, tap or push.
To use a handheld phone or text, pull over to the side of the road or off it and stop where your vehicle can safely stay.
Fines: $50, then $250 for handheld use. Texting starts at $250 and rises to $500 or more with a suspension. An intermediate license holder faces $250 to $500 and a 60-day to one-year suspension.
Next step: practice the rules of the road on the free Maine Class C permit practice test.

Maine phone law: common questions

Can I text at a red light or stop sign in Maine?

No. Maine law bans text messaging on a public way, including when your vehicle is temporarily stopped because of traffic, a traffic light or a stop sign. A first violation brings a fine of at least $250. You may text only after you pull over to the side of the road or off it and stop where the vehicle can safely stay.

Can I use my phone after I pull over in Maine?

Yes. A driver who has pulled to the side of the road or off it, and stopped where the vehicle can safely stay, may use a handheld phone and text. This also applies to a learner's permit holder and to a driver under 18 with a license, so it is the safe way to take any call or message.

Can a truck driver or school bus driver use a phone in Maine?

Yes, within the scope of the job. Maine law lets a commercial driver or a school bus driver use a handheld phone as Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules permit, and the texting law has the same work exception. Outside the job, the same rules apply as for every other driver.

Can I tap my phone in a phone mount while driving in Maine?

Yes, but only if you are 18 or older with no learner's permit and no intermediate license. The phone must be in hands-free mode and mounted or affixed to the vehicle where it does not block your view of the road. You may use a hand only to start or stop a feature that needs a single swipe, tap or push of a finger. Do not hold the phone.