The new rules in Chapter XIII, Rules 126 and 127, and related amendments throughout Chapter XIII are effective July 29, 2016. They shall govern all proceedings in Family Division actions brought on and after July 29, 2016, and all further proceedings in actions then pending.
Rule 125.Effective Date
Adopted July 1, 2016 · Last verified July 8, 2026
In one sentenceRule 125 sets Chapter XIII's effective date and governs which cases the current Family Division rules apply to, extending coverage to every Family Division action filed on or after July 29, 2016, and to further proceedings in cases already pending on that date.
Full Text of Rule 125
Advisory Committee’s Notes & Reporter’s Notes
Advisory Note - July 2016
The changes were made to explain when the new rules and related amendments become effective and omit now unnecessary language regarding the original effective date of Chapter XIII.
Advisory Notes — June 2008
Rule 125 makes Chapter XIII effective on January 1, 2009. It indicates that the rules shall govern all proceedings in the Family Division brought on and after January 1, 2009, and also all further proceedings in actions then pending.
Plain-English Summary
The Family Division rules, along with Rules 126 and 127 and the related amendments across Chapter XIII, took effect July 29, 2016. They govern every Family Division action filed on or after that date, as well as all further proceedings in actions that were already pending.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Maine's current Family Division rules take effect?
July 29, 2016, the effective date Rule 125 sets for Chapter XIII, Rules 126 and 127, and related amendments.
Do the rules apply to Family Division cases that were already pending in 2016?
Yes. Rule 125 applies them to further proceedings in actions pending on the effective date, not only to newly filed cases.
Source & verification. The rule text and Advisory Committee’s Notes / Reporter’s
Notes are reproduced verbatim from the official Maine Rules of Civil Procedure (Me. R. Civ. P. 125), prescribed by the
Supreme Judicial Court of Maine (4 M.R.S. § 8, the Rules Enabling Act). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 8, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: effective date family division rules MaineRule 125 Chapter XIII Maine