There S A Rule In Maine That Restricts You From Heating Up Your Car

We like to think you can get away with quite a few things here in Maine. We wear flannel when we should probably be dressed slightly nicer and we have a certain way of talking that allows us to take some (ahem) liberties with the English language. But we’ve recently learned that there’s one thing we’ve done our whole lives that we’ll probably start thinking twice about!

Winter is here and with it comes the hard work of building the desire to actually go outside when the temps are below freezing. We might not like it, but sometimes it’s simply unavoidable. When that happens, we’re faced with a dilemma.

REKINC1980 / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

We can either make breakfast and then head outside to clear the car of snow and get it warmed up for the commute or errands. Or, we can turn it on to warm up while we go back inside to continue our morning routine.

bkm_br / Flickr

But, idling your car might just get you into some unwanted trouble these days. We can all assume that allowing our cars to run without driving them isn’t great for the environment. And that may attract some unwanted attention from neighbors

ImageegamI / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

But in some towns, it could just get you a ticket.

pasa / Flickr

In a lot of states idling your car is illegal no matter what town you live in. In Maine, it’s only illegal for those in Bar Harbor. But that doesn’t mean it’s okay to do elsewhere. Commercial vehicles are prohibited from idling throughout Maine. And remember that commercial vehicles are not just trucks. They’re vans and other business-related vehicles.

Melinda Podor / Moment via Getty Images

How can you avoid facing fines? Just make sure to keep your idling to no more than 15 minutes in an hour.

Cappi Thompson / Moment via Getty Images

And, when you can, consider getting outside without your car. You’ll get some exercise and be able to appreciate all the wonderful things about Maine in the wintertime.

Mark Bonica / Flickr

Not sure what to do now? Just to be safe, consider spending more time outside without your car! You can learn more about the law and how long you are legally allowed to idle your car here.