What a real estate agent's website must show in Maine

Does a website count as advertising in Maine?

• Yes, by name. Advertising includes all representation, promotion and solicitation for real estate brokerage, and the rule lists the internet, including the world wide web, email and social media. 02-039 C.M.R. ch. 410, §1

  “the Internet (including but not limited to the world wide web, electronic mail and social media)”

What every advertisement must show

• The trade name, as licensed by the Commission, of the real estate brokerage agency that placed the ad, prominently displayed or presented. "Prominent" means standing out so as to be seen easily; conspicuous; particularly noticeable. 02-039 C.M.R. ch. 410, §1

  “Real estate brokerage advertisements must contain the trade name as licensed by the Commission of the real estate brokerage agency that placed the advertisement. The trade name of the agency must be prominently displayed or presented.”

Websites specifically

• In an advertisement on or sent via the internet, the agency's trade name must prominently appear or be readily accessible. 02-039 C.M.R. ch. 410, §1

  “In an advertisement that appears on or is sent via the Internet, the trade name of the agency that placed the advertisement must prominently appear or be readily accessible.”

Team names

• The designated broker may authorise ads that include the name, phone number, slogan, logo or photo of an agent or of a group or team, as part of the agency's brokerage services. A team may not independently engage in real estate brokerage. The rule has no team-name word list. 02-039 C.M.R. ch. 410, §1

What gets agents in trouble

• Advertising real estate for sale without the written permission of the owner or the owner's authorised representative. 02-039 C.M.R. ch. 410, §1

• Advertising another agency's exclusive listing without prior written consent from the designated broker the owner authorised to give it. 02-039 C.M.R. ch. 410, §1

• Deceptive advertising, or misrepresenting the property's condition, the terms, the agency's policies or its services. 02-039 C.M.R. ch. 410, §1

  “Advertising must be free from deception and shall not misrepresent the condition of the real estate, terms of the sale or purchase, real estate brokerage agency policies, or real estate brokerage services.”

Worth knowing

• Chapter 410 §1 does not require a license number; it requires the agency's licensed trade name. 02-039 C.M.R. ch. 410, §1

How many agents this applies to

544 real estate agents were working in Maine when we last counted, across 5 brokerage offices. That is agents with a live profile on a brokerage's own site, not everyone holding a licence, so it is the population these rules actually bind day to day. The Maine brokerage directory breaks it down office by office. Counted 2026-10-07.

Sources

This page paraphrases the rules; the rules themselves are what bind you. Each was read on the date shown. If the Commission changes a rule, the page will lag until it is read again.

• 02-039 C.M.R. ch. 410, §1 — Advertising — read 2026-10-07
• Regulator: Maine Real Estate Commission (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation)

Not legal advice. When a rule and this page disagree, the rule wins; when in doubt, ask your broker or the Commission.

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