Here is a question I received recently from a Maine condominium owner:
I came across your website and wonder if you can help our family answer a question about Maine law related to condos and smoking. We own a 2nd floor condo . . . and directly below us is a smoker. My mother has asthma and is having difficulty with the smoke rising into our condo unit. Can you advise if there are any Maine laws related to condos and smoking?
My response
Hello, and thanks for your question.
I cannot give specific legal advice to questions posed over the Internet, but here is some general comment:
There is nothing in the Maine condominium act which prohibits smoking in condominiums. Smoking is prohibited in public places in Maine, see http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/Statutes/22/title22sec1542.html
There have been cases in other states where condominium associations have attempted to prohibit smoking in condominium units where the smoke was spread to other units or the common areas, and I have in mind a case from Colorado where the association was upheld legally. The theory in such cases is that of the legal doctrine of nuisance.
If you want to proceed to try to stop the smoking, you might want to work through your condo board.
Joe Carleton