# Montana HB 69: Revise hard rock and rock products mining fees Montana HB 69, Revise hard rock and rock products mining fees, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) House bill sponsored by Steve Gist (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-16 (Chapter Number Assigned); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB69-2025 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Montana HB 69 - State: Montana - Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) - Title: Revise hard rock and rock products mining fees - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2024-12-12 - Last action: 2025-05-16, Chapter Number Assigned - Sponsor: Steve Gist (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Environmental Protection, Mining and Minerals, State Finance, Revenue, State, Rule Making - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 4 (279 yes, 17 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 6 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Higher operating-permit fees for mines: cost, high. Beginning July 1, 2025, an operating permit application costs $5,000. If you mine mainly rock products, the application costs $500. A major amendment costs $5,000 ($500 for rock-products operators). A minor amendment or revision costs $100, paid with your next annual fee. The department can charge… - Mines pay annual fees by acreage: cost, high. Beginning July 1, 2025, mines that post a reclamation bond pay an annual fee based on bonded acres: $5,000 for 500+ acres, $3,000 for 100–499 acres, or $1,000 for under 100 acres. Mines that do not have to post a reclamation bond pay $100 each year. You also must pay any other fee listed in 82-4-34… - Exploration license fees increase for miners: cost, medium. Beginning July 1, 2025, getting an exploration license costs $2,000 for subsurface work or $1,000 for surface-only. Renewals filed within 30 days before expiration cost $400 (subsurface) or $100 (surface-only), plus any other fee in 82-4-342(2)(c) if it applies. Amendments cost $500 for subsurface… - Rock-products mines: phased fees and reviews: cost, medium. Beginning July 1, 2025, rock-products operators pay an annual fee equal to a percentage of the applicable fee: 25% for reports dated July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026; 50% for July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027; 75% for July 1, 2027–June 30, 2028; and 100% on or after July 1, 2028. Before getting a final operatin… - Small-miner exemption fee and deadline: cost, low. Small miners who use the exemption pay a $100 fee each year. If you miss the March 1 annual report deadline, you pay an extra $100 that year. This rule is in effect beginning July 1, 2025. - Where mining fees and fines go: mixed, low. The law creates a hard-rock mining permitting program account in the state special revenue fund. Fees paid under this program go into the new account. The Department of Environmental Quality uses the money to run and enforce the permit program. Fines and penalties still go to the environmental reha… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Steve Gist (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Barry Usher (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-22 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 49 | 1 | | | 2025-04-18 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 46 | 2 | | | 2025-01-27 | House | Do Pass | pass | 90 | 8 | | | 2025-01-24 | House | Do Pass | pass | 94 | 6 | | ## Actions (28) - 2025-05-16: Chapter Number Assigned (House) - 2025-05-12: Signed by Governor (House) - 2025-05-05: Transmitted to Governor (House) - 2025-05-02: Signed by President (Senate) - 2025-05-01: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2025-04-25: Returned from Enrolling (House) - 2025-04-22: Sent to Enrolling (House) - 2025-04-22: 3rd Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-18: 2nd Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-05: Committee Report (Senate) - 2025-04-04: Committee Executive Action (Senate) - 2025-03-21: Hearing (Senate) - 2025-03-20: Hearing (Senate) - 2025-02-11: Referred to Committee (Senate) - 2025-01-28: 1st Reading (Senate) - 2025-01-27: Transmitted to Senate (House) - 2025-01-27: 3rd Reading (House) - 2025-01-24: 2nd Reading (House) - 2025-01-20: Committee Report (House) - 2025-01-17: Committee Executive Action (House) - 2025-01-07: Fiscal Note Printed (House) - 2025-01-07: Fiscal Note Signed (House) - 2025-01-07: Fiscal Note Received (House) - 2025-01-06: Hearing (House) - 2025-01-06: 1st Reading (House) - 2024-12-20: Referred to Committee (House) - 2024-12-18: Fiscal Note Requested (House) - 2024-12-12: Introduced (House) ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2025-04-23: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=1918794c-4e88-416e-84f0-b64846a47ca5) - Introduced, 2024-12-12: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=50280730-99d8-44d4-ae25-7c854a5da448) ## Related bills - SB 437: Revise definition of sex in Montana law (signed) - HB 831: Increase elderly homeowner and renter income tax credit (vetoed) - HB 628: Revise early literacy targeted intervention laws (vetoed) - SB 410: Provide for Montana genomic security act (vetoed) - SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer (vetoed) - SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program (vetoed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=1918794c-4e88-416e-84f0-b64846a47ca5) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=50280730-99d8-44d4-ae25-7c854a5da448) ## Related - [SB 437: Revise definition of sex in Montana law](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB437-2025) - [HB 831: Increase elderly homeowner and renter income tax credit](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB831-2025) - [HB 628: Revise early literacy targeted intervention laws](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB628-2025) - [SB 410: Provide for Montana genomic security act](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB410-2025) - [SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB422-2025) - [SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB424-2025) - [Montana bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/montana/bills) - [Montana state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/montana) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB69-2025 (as of 2026-10-12).