Maine GPS Tracking Laws: Is It Legal to Put a Tracker on a Car? (2026)

Maybe you spotted an unfamiliar device tucked under your bumper. Maybe you are wondering whether you can legally slip a tracker onto someone else's car. In Maine, the answer comes down to one of the most direct stalking statutes in the country.

Maine never passed a standalone law about GPS devices on vehicles. Instead, its criminal stalking statute does the work, and it is one of the few in the nation that uses the word "tracks" right in the text.

This guide explains when GPS tracking is legal in Maine, when it becomes the crime of stalking, what employers can do, and what steps to take if you find a tracker on your car.

Is It Legal to Put a GPS Tracker on a Car in Maine?

The short answer: it is legal to put a GPS tracker on a vehicle you own or lease. It is a crime to repeatedly track another person without their consent in a way that causes them serious inconvenience, emotional distress, or fear.

Unlike California or Texas, Maine never passed a statute specifically about electronic tracking devices. The Legislature instead wrote a stalking law broad enough to cover GPS trackers, AirTags, phone location apps, and whatever monitoring technology comes next.

That makes Maine an honest middle ground. Sticking a tracker on someone's truck one time is not, standing alone, the crime of stalking, because stalking requires a course of conduct of two or more acts. The moment tracking becomes a pattern that distresses or frightens the person, you have committed that crime. And in real life, nobody installs a GPS tracker to check a location once.

A single placement is not automatically lawful, though. 33 MRS 2001 makes it a civil violation, with a fine of up to $500, to place a camera or electronic surveillance equipment that records images or data of any kind while unattended outside on the private property of another without the written consent of the landowner.

A tracker left on a car parked in someone's driveway plausibly falls inside that language, and the statute's only vehicle-related exception runs the other way: it protects a camera used to deter theft or vandalism of a motor vehicle that is temporarily parked, not a tracking device. Going onto the property to attach the device can also support a criminal trespass charge.

One more wrinkle. Maine's violation of privacy statute, 17-A MRS 511, covers hidden cameras and secret audio, not GPS devices. If a tracker also records sound or video, that separate law applies too. Our Maine recording laws guide covers those rules.

Maine's Stalking Law Says "Tracks" (17-A MRS 210-A)

Maine's stalking statute, 17-A MRS 210-A, is unusually explicit about location tracking. Most state stalking laws talk about following or surveilling. Maine's lists tracking by name.

The statute defines a course of conduct as two or more acts in which the actor, "by any action, method, device or means, directly or indirectly" engages in listed conduct, starting with acts where the actor "follows, monitors, tracks, observes, surveils or harasses a person." A GPS unit magnetized under a bumper, an AirTag dropped in a door pocket, and a location-sharing app installed without permission all fit comfortably inside that language.

To convict someone of stalking, a Maine prosecutor must prove three things. First, a course of conduct, which means two or more acts. Second, that the actor engaged in that conduct intentionally or knowingly, directed at or concerning a specific person. Third, that the conduct would cause a reasonable person to suffer serious inconvenience or emotional distress, to fear bodily injury or death for themselves or a close relation, or to fear damage to their property or harm to their animals.

The two-act requirement matters. Planting a tracker is one act. Checking its location feed, showing up where the victim goes, or retrieving and replacing the device are additional acts. Courts and prosecutors treat ongoing electronic monitoring as a continuing pattern, so a tracker that quietly reports a car's location for weeks supplies the course of conduct on its own.

The statute is also kept current: Public Law 2023, chapter 519 expanded the course-of-conduct definition to reach acts of gaining unauthorized access to a person's information.

Who Can Legally Track a Vehicle in Maine

GPS tracking is lawful in Maine in several common situations:

• Your own vehicle. You may install a tracker on a car, truck, or motorcycle that you own or lease, including to deter theft or monitor a vehicle you lend out.
• Fleet and business vehicles. Companies can track vehicles the business owns. Delivery vans, service trucks, and rental cars routinely carry GPS units.
• Your minor children. A parent or legal guardian may track a vehicle their minor child drives. That authority ends when the child turns 18.
• With consent. An adult who agrees to share their location, such as through a family location app, has consented to the tracking.
• Law enforcement with a search warrant. Under 16 MRS 639, an officer may install and monitor a tracking device only in accordance with a valid search warrant issued by a duly authorized justice, judge or justice of the peace. The warrant allows installation within 14 days and monitoring for 30 days, extendable by another 30 days on a judicial finding of continuing probable cause. The United States Supreme Court held in United States v. Jones (2012) that attaching a GPS device to a vehicle is a Fourth Amendment search.

Joint ownership is the gray zone. Putting a tracker on a jointly titled car is not automatically illegal, but ownership is not a defense to stalking. If the tracking is part of a pattern that distresses or frightens an estranged spouse, 17-A MRS 210-A still applies, and family-court judges take secret tracking very seriously.

Can My Employer Track My Car in Maine?

Maine adopted its first employer surveillance law in January 2026. LD 61, An Act to Regulate Employer Surveillance to Protect Workers, enacted as Public Law 2025, chapter 524, takes effect in mid-2026.

Once in force, the law requires employers to tell job applicants during the hiring process that they use electronic surveillance and to give current employees written notice at least once each year. It also bars monitoring an employee's home, property, or personal vehicle unless the job requires it, and it lets employees refuse to install monitoring apps on their personal devices. The Maine Department of Labor enforces the law with civil penalties of $100 to $500 per violation.

The law carves out GPS and vehicle safety systems installed on employer-owned vehicles, so fleet tracking still comes down to ownership and consent. An employer can track its own vehicles, and most do. Courts generally accept tracking of company vehicles during work hours as a legitimate business practice, though continuing to monitor a take-home vehicle around the clock invites privacy claims.

Your personal car is different. An employer who hides a tracker on an employee's private vehicle without consent has no statutory safe harbor. Repeated covert tracking could fall within the stalking statute, and it exposes the employer to a civil invasion of privacy lawsuit. If location monitoring is a condition of your job, it should be disclosed in a policy you have seen and accepted.

AirTags and Item Trackers in Maine

Maine law does not distinguish between a hardwired GPS unit and a $25 Bluetooth tag. An AirTag, Tile, or Samsung SmartTag slipped into someone's car or bag is analyzed the same way under 17-A MRS 210-A: repeated nonconsensual tracking that causes distress or fear is stalking.

Apple and Google now push unknown-tracker alerts to both iPhone and Android devices, which is how many victims first discover they are being followed. Save screenshots of repeated alerts as evidence.

Cross-border conduct can also trigger federal law. The federal stalking statute, 18 U.S.C. 2261A, makes it a felony to use an electronic device or service to engage in a course of conduct that places a person in fear or causes substantial emotional distress, including tracking that crosses state lines.

Penalties for Illegal GPS Tracking in Maine

A stalking conviction also commonly brings probation conditions, no-contact orders, and firearm consequences.

Civil Options and Protection From Harassment Orders

You do not have to wait for a criminal prosecution to make tracking stop.

Maine's protection from harassment law, 5 MRS 4651 et seq., lets any person seek a civil court order against someone whose conduct amounts to harassment, which includes stalking under 17-A MRS 210-A. A judge can order the person to stop all contact and surveillance, and violating the order is itself a crime. For situations involving a current or former partner or household member, a protection from abuse order is the parallel tool. Our Maine restraining order guide walks through both processes.

Money damages are also on the table. Maine recognizes the common-law tort of intrusion upon seclusion, first recognized by the state's highest court in Estate of Berthiaume v. Pratt (Me. 1976) and restated in Nelson v. Maine Times (Me. 1977). Secretly tracking someone's movements may support an intrusion claim if the intrusion would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, although in Nelson the court said a complaint should at minimum allege a physical intrusion upon premises the plaintiff privately occupied for seclusion.

What to Do If You Find a Tracker on Your Car in Maine

1. Do not destroy it. The device is evidence, and it may carry fingerprints or a registered owner account.
2. Photograph everything. Capture the device in place, its serial numbers, and any tracker alerts on your phone.
3. Think safety first. Removing the tracker tells whoever placed it that you found it. If you fear them, talk to police before you act.
4. Call local police or the Maine State Police. Report it as suspected stalking and give them the device and your documentation.
5. Document the pattern. Because Maine requires two or more acts, a log of sightings, alerts, drive-bys, and messages is what turns one creepy device into a chargeable case.
6. Ask the court for protection. A protection from harassment or protection from abuse order can prohibit all tracking and contact.
7. Sweep the vehicle. A mechanic or counter-surveillance professional can check wheel wells, bumpers, the OBD-II port, and interior pockets for additional devices. Hidden cameras around your home raise separate issues covered in our surveillance camera laws guide.

For how Maine compares to states with standalone device statutes, see our hub on GPS Tracking Laws by State.

Sources

• 17-A MRS 210-A, Stalking (Maine Legislature)
• 17-A MRS 511, Violation of Privacy (Maine Legislature)
• 16 MRS 639, Tracking Devices and the Search Warrant Requirement (Maine Legislature)
• 33 MRS 2001, Unattended Cameras and Surveillance Equipment on Private Property (Maine Legislature)
• 5 MRS 4651, Protection From Harassment (Maine Legislature)
• LD 61, An Act to Regulate Employer Surveillance to Protect Workers, PL 2025 c. 524 (Maine Legislature)
• United States v. Jones, 565 U.S. 400 (2012) (Cornell Legal Information Institute)
• 18 U.S.C. 2261A, Stalking (Cornell Legal Information Institute)

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Laws change, and how they apply depends on your specific facts. If you are dealing with a stalking situation or a criminal charge, talk to a licensed Maine attorney, and call 911 if you are in immediate danger.

More Maine Laws

• Maine Dashcam Laws
• Maine Data Privacy Laws
• Maine Drone Laws
• Maine Employee Monitoring Laws
• Maine Recording Laws
• Maine Restraining Order Laws

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put a GPS tracker on my spouse's car in Maine?

Not safely. Secret tracking that becomes a pattern and causes distress is criminal stalking under 17-A MRS 210-A, and ownership of a jointly titled car is not a defense. Secret tracking can also support a protection order and hurt you badly in a divorce case.

Is placing a tracker one time a crime in Maine?

A single act is not by itself stalking, because the statute requires a course of conduct of two or more acts. It is not automatically legal either. Leaving equipment that records data unattended outside on another person's private property without the landowner's written consent is a civil violation under 33 MRS 2001, carrying a fine of up to $500, and going onto the property to attach it can support a criminal trespass charge. Ongoing monitoring through the device also supplies the additional stalking acts quickly, and civil liability for invasion of privacy does not require a pattern.

Is it legal to track my teenager's car in Maine?

Yes. A parent or legal guardian may use a GPS tracker on a vehicle driven by their minor child. Once the child turns 18, they are an adult and normal consent rules apply.

Can my employer GPS track me in Maine?

Employers can track vehicles the company owns, and Maine's new employer surveillance law, LD 61, exempts GPS on employer-owned vehicles. Starting in mid-2026 that law requires notice of electronic monitoring and bars surveillance of your personal vehicle unless your job requires it. Hiding a tracker on your personal car without consent can lead to stalking charges and a privacy lawsuit.

Are AirTags illegal in Maine?

Owning and using an AirTag to find your own keys or luggage is legal. Planting one on another person or their car and repeatedly tracking them without consent is treated the same as any GPS tracker and can be charged as stalking.

Do police need a warrant to put a GPS tracker on my car in Maine?

Yes, and specifically a search warrant. Maine law, 16 MRS 639, lets an officer install and monitor a tracking device only in accordance with a valid search warrant issued by a duly authorized justice, judge or justice of the peace, not a lesser court order. United States v. Jones held that attaching a GPS device to a vehicle is a Fourth Amendment search.

Can a private investigator legally use a GPS tracker in Maine?

Maine's stalking statute has no exemption for private investigators. A PI can track a vehicle with its owner's consent, but covertly tracking a third party's car carries the same stalking and civil privacy risks as anyone else.