Maine
What is the meal break rule for Maine?
For Maine, meal break rule is may be employed or permitted to work for no more than 6 consecutive hours at one time unless the employee is given the opportunity to take at least 30 consecutive minutes of rest time; statute or regulation is 26 M.R.S. § 601, recorded from its source on 2026-09-02.
may be employed or permitted to work for no more than 6 consecutive hours at one time unless the employee is given the opportunity to take at least 30 consecutive minutes of rest time, except in cases of emergency in which there is danger to property, life, public safety or public health. This rest time may be used by the employee as unpaid mealtime, but only if the employee is completely relieved of duty.
— legislature.maine.gov, retrieved 2026-09-02
- State
- Maine our reading
- Meal break rule
- may be employed or permitted to work for no more than 6 consecutive hours at one time unless the employee is given the opportunity to take at least 30 consecutive minutes of rest time verified
- Statute or regulation
- 26 M.R.S. § 601 our reading
Values marked our reading are our classification of what the source says — the source does not print them in those words. The quote below is the evidence for each one; judge it yourself.
Where each value comes from
This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it.
Meal break rule
may be employed or permitted to work for no more than 6 consecutive hours at one time unless the employee is given the opportunity to take at least 30 consecutive minutes of rest time, except in cases of emergency in which there is danger to property, life, public safety or public health. This rest time may be used by the employee as unpaid mealtime, but only if the employee is completely relieved of duty.
Statute or regulation
§601. Rest breaks
— all from legislature.maine.gov, retrieved 2026-09-02
Source
- legislature.maine.govhttps://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/26/title26sec601.html