Montana § 77-1-125 Liability For Unauthorized Installation Or Construction Of Facility Or Structure On State Trust Land -- Penalty

Montana Statutes

§ 77-1-125 — Liability For Unauthorized Installation Or Construction Of Facility Or Structure On State Trust Land -- Penalty

Montana § 77-1-125

Title 77STATE LANDS

Ch. 1ADMINISTRATION OF STATE LANDS

Part 1General Provisions

This text of Montana § 77-1-125 (Liability For Unauthorized Installation Or Construction Of Facility Or Structure On State Trust Land -- Penalty) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Mont. Code Ann. § 77-1-125 (2026).

Text

77-1-125 . Liability for unauthorized installation or construction of facility or structure on state trust land -- penalty.

(1)A person, other than the lessee of the affected state trust land, may not, after September 30, 1997:

(a)install or construct a road, pipeline, ditch, utility line, fence, building, or other facility or structure on state trust land without obtaining an easement, lease, license, or other written permission of the department; or

(b)disturb state trust land in anticipation of the installation or construction of the facility or structure.

(2)A person who violates subsection (1) is liable to the department for a civil penalty in an amount determined by the board. The penalty may be an amount up to three times the full market value of the land disturbed or affected o

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77-1-125 . Liability for unauthorized installation or construction of facility or structure on state trust land -- penalty. (1) A person, other than the lessee of the affected state trust land, may not, after September 30, 1997:
(a) install or construct a road, pipeline, ditch, utility line, fence, building, or other facility or structure on state trust land without obtaining an easement, lease, license, or other written permission of the department; or
(b) disturb state trust land in anticipation of the installation or construction of the facility or structure.
(2) A person who violates subsection (1) is liable to the department for a civil penalty in an amount determined by the board. The penalty may be an amount up to three times the full market value of the land disturbed or affected or $500, whichever is greater.
(3) In addition to the penalty provided for in subsection (2), a person who installs or constructs a facility or structure on state trust land without permission is liable for any permanent damage to the state trust land and may be required to remove the facility or structure and to reclaim the disturbed land to the satisfaction of the department or to pay the department's cost of removal and reclamation.
(4) If the department allows the facility or structure to remain on state trust land, the department shall also require payment of full market value of any easement, lease, or license required for the facility or structure.
(5) The penalties provided in this section do not apply to the lessee of the affected state trust land. The remedies and penalties provided in a state trust easement, lease, or license and the statutes and regulations under which the easement, lease, or license was entered are the exclusive remedies and penalties that may be applied to a lessee.
(6) The penalties provided in this section do not apply to persons who have inadvertently installed or constructed pipelines or utility lines within 20 feet of the easement boundaries granted by the state.
(7) The penalties provided in this section do not apply to facilities or structures installed on lands acquired by the state through exchange or purchase that were authorized with the permission of the previous landowner or through authority granted by an appropriate government agency.