Montana § 27-31-201 Order Setting Hearing Date -- Notice -- Safety

Montana Statutes

§ 27-31-201 — Order Setting Hearing Date -- Notice -- Safety

Montana § 27-31-201

Title 27CIVIL LIABILITY, REMEDIES, AND LIMITATIONS

Ch. 31CHANGE OF NAME

Part 2Procedure

This text of Montana § 27-31-201 (Order Setting Hearing Date -- Notice -- Safety) 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. § 27-31-201 (2026).

Text

27-31-201 . Order setting hearing date -- notice -- safety.

(1)When a petition setting out the matters contained in 27-31-101 or 27-31-102 is filed, the court or judge may appoint a time for hearing the petition. Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3), notice of the time and place of hearing the petition must be published for 4 successive weeks in some newspaper published in the county, if a newspaper is printed in the county. If a newspaper is not printed in the county, a copy of the notice must be posted in at least three public places in the county for 4 successive weeks.

(2)Publication is not required for a change of name of a minor under 27-31-101 if both parents and all legal guardians consent in writing.

(3)The court may allow a petition to proceed on a sealed-record basis

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27-31-201 . Order setting hearing date -- notice -- safety. (1) When a petition setting out the matters contained in 27-31-101 or 27-31-102 is filed, the court or judge may appoint a time for hearing the petition. Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3), notice of the time and place of hearing the petition must be published for 4 successive weeks in some newspaper published in the county, if a newspaper is printed in the county. If a newspaper is not printed in the county, a copy of the notice must be posted in at least three public places in the county for 4 successive weeks.
(2) Publication is not required for a change of name of a minor under 27-31-101 if both parents and all legal guardians consent in writing.
(3) The court may allow a petition to proceed on a sealed-record basis when probable cause is shown that the safety of the petitioner is at risk and the judge is satisfied that the petitioner is not attempting to avoid debt or to hide a criminal record. The request to proceed on a sealed-record basis must be set forth in the petition. All papers and records pertaining to the sealed-record petition must be kept as a permanent record of the court and withheld from inspection unless the judge denies the request to proceed on a sealed-record basis. Except as provided in subsections (4) and (5), a person, other than the petitioner, may not have access to the records except for good cause shown and on order of the judge of the court in which the petition was granted.
(4) When a petitioner is committed to or under the supervision of the department of corrections or is incarcerated in a state prison as defined in 53-30-101 , the petitioner shall serve the petition on the department. A court shall provide reasonable opportunity for the department to appear and provide a response to the petition. The department shall make all reasonable efforts to contact a victim as defined in 46-18-243 to obtain information relevant to the department's response to the petition.
(5) If the court grants a petition filed by a person committed to or under the supervision of the department of corrections or incarcerated in a state prison as defined in 53-30-101 , the court shall authorize the department of corrections and the department of justice to maintain and disseminate the petitioner's records in a manner that ensures performance of duties required by offender registration statutes, testing and collection of biological samples, victim notification, or other disclosures or notices required by law.

Legislative History

En. Sec. 2262, C. Civ. Proc. 1895; re-en. Sec. 7362, Rev. C. 1907; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 7, L. 1911; re-en. Sec. 9965, R.C.M. 1921; re-en. Sec. 9965, R.C.M. 1935; R.C.M. 1947, 93-100-3; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 233, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 169, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 278, L. 2021; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 354, L. 2025.