Crypto holders face a July 29 Maine deadline as state manual conflicts on when abandoned funds trigger seizure

Maine's new virtual-currency unclaimed-property rules take effect July 29 with a five-year dormancy clock, while the State Treasurer's current reporting manual still shows three years. The mismatch leaves businesses that hold customer crypto without published transition instructions as the statute becomes effective.

Public Law Chapter 675, approved April 13, creates section 2067-A of Maine's Revised Unclaimed Property Act. The Legislature identifies July 29 as the general effective date for nonemergency laws passed during its 2026 Second Regular Session.

The new section presumes virtual currency abandoned five years after an apparent owner's last indication of interest. If a holder sends first-class mail during its regular course of business, the five-year period instead runs from the date that communication is returned as undeliverable.

The State Treasurer's 2026 Holder Reporting Manual, however, lists “VC02 Virtual Currency – Liquidated” with a three-year dormancy period. The manual reflects LD 1969 elsewhere by giving stored-value obligations a July 29 transition date, but it provides no parallel virtual-currency schedule.

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