Have You Driven on One of the Maine Roads With No Speed Limit?

If there's one law almost everyone is willing to break at some point in their lifetime, it's exceeding the speed limit on a road. Sometimes it happens by accident, other times it's a calculated offense.

While the debate about what is a fair and practical speed limit on highways, main streets, and backroads continues to be a topic, another question comes into play here in Maine. How fast can you go on roads that have no speed limit posted whatsoever?

There is a Speed Limit On All Non-Private Roadways

Since so much of Maine is rural, there are plenty of roads in the state where you could drive miles without seeing a posted speed limit. It's fair to wonder whether or not that leaves you to your own personal decision-making on what would be a safe and suitable speed to travel. As it turns out, it doesn't.

Maine Has Default Limits

According to Maine.gov, on rural roads where there is no posted speed limit, the state has adopted a default speed limit of 45 miles per hour. In residential or commercial areas, the default speed limit is 25 miles per hour unless otherwise posted.

Additionally, any school zone in a town or municipality that does not have a posted speed limit, the default for the state of Maine is 15 miles per hour.

It Can Be Difficult to Police

The state of Maine willfully acknowledges that while those default speed limits are in place as a safety net, many roads in Maine are very rarely traveled by law enforcement looking for those exceeded default speed limits.