# Montana SB 178: Provide for temporary lease of water rights Montana SB 178, Provide for temporary lease of water rights, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) Senate bill sponsored by Sue Vinton (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-05 (Chapter Number Assigned); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB178-2025 - As of: 2026-10-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Montana SB 178 - State: Montana - Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) - Title: Provide for temporary lease of water rights - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-01-21 - Last action: 2025-05-05, Chapter Number Assigned - Sponsor: Sue Vinton (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Water, Rule Making - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 6 (354 yes, 45 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Temporary water leases with tight limits: mixed, medium. The law lets water‑right owners apply to lease a right for a short time. Your right must have been used within the last 5 years, and use can only occur during its period of diversion. A lease can run no more than 5 years in any 10‑year span and no more than 40 days in a year. You cannot lease more… - How to apply and track leases: mixed, low. To lease a water right, you must file a department form, pay a fee set by rule, and include the lessee, owners, right number, source, dates, flow and volume, proof of use in the last 5 years, a no‑adverse‑effect plan, the signed lease, and how the original use will stop. The department notifies nea… - Objections, hearings, and penalties: mixed, low. After authorization, people who would be harmed have 30 days to object on a department form. The department checks an objection within 5 business days; a valid objection suspends the lease and stops use. The owner can ask for a hearing within 15 days and must prove no adverse effect; the department… - Protections and limits on leased rights: mixed, low. The law treats department‑approved temporary leases as valid appropriations and as a beneficial use. A temporary lease or temporary change does not count as abandonment and cannot be used to prove abandonment. These temporary‑lease rules do not apply inside the Flathead Indian Reservation. ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Sue Vinton (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Barry Usher (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-17 | Senate | Do Pass | pass | 47 | 3 | | | 2025-04-16 | Senate | Do Pass | pass | 43 | 7 | | | 2025-04-11 | House | Do Concur | pass | 99 | 0 | | | 2025-04-10 | House | Do Concur | pass | 94 | 6 | | | 2025-02-14 | Senate | Do Pass | pass | 33 | 17 | | | 2025-02-13 | Senate | Do Pass | pass | 38 | 12 | | ## Actions (37) - 2025-05-05: Chapter Number Assigned (Senate) - 2025-05-01: Signed by Governor (Senate) - 2025-04-24: Transmitted to Governor (Senate) - 2025-04-24: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2025-04-24: Signed by President (Senate) - 2025-04-19: Returned from Enrolling (Senate) - 2025-04-17: Sent to Enrolling (Senate) - 2025-04-17: 3rd Reading House Amendments (Senate) - 2025-04-16: 2nd Reading House Amendments (Senate) - 2025-04-15: 2nd Reading Pass Consideration (Senate) - 2025-04-11: Returned to Senate with Amendments (House) - 2025-04-11: 3rd Reading (House) - 2025-04-10: 2nd Reading (House) - 2025-04-10: Revised Fiscal Note Printed (Senate) - 2025-04-10: Fiscal Note Unsigned (Senate) - 2025-04-09: Revised Fiscal Note Received (Senate) - 2025-04-08: Committee Report (House) - 2025-04-07: Committee Executive Action (House) - 2025-04-03: Revised Fiscal Note Requested (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Hearing (House) - 2025-03-17: Hearing Canceled (House) - 2025-03-17: Hearing (House) - 2025-02-17: 1st Reading (House) - 2025-02-17: Referred to Committee (House) - 2025-02-14: Transmitted to House (Senate) - 2025-02-14: 3rd Reading (Senate) - 2025-02-13: 2nd Reading (Senate) - 2025-02-11: Committee Report (Senate) - 2025-02-10: Committee Executive Action (Senate) - 2025-01-27: Fiscal Note Printed (Senate) - 2025-01-27: Fiscal Note Unsigned (Senate) - 2025-01-27: Fiscal Note Received (Senate) - 2025-01-23: Hearing (Senate) - 2025-01-21: Fiscal Note Requested (Senate) - 2025-01-21: Referred to Committee (Senate) - 2025-01-21: 1st Reading (Senate) - 2025-01-21: Introduced (Senate) ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2025-04-17: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=b5e6a74c-94d6-4d7c-80d4-a67c2f6c098c) - As Amended (Version 3), 2025-04-08: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=1236a151-e01f-42f3-a7b1-daaecaaa0f52) - As Amended (Version 2), 2025-02-11: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=76d2c63c-a6c4-4fd7-b5f7-cd818bd923fa) - Introduced, 2025-01-20: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=763c4452-f1e3-4e2d-89dd-90afa546b245) ## 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 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program (vetoed) - SB 188: Revising solar energy policy laws (vetoed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=b5e6a74c-94d6-4d7c-80d4-a67c2f6c098c) - [As Amended (Version 3) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=1236a151-e01f-42f3-a7b1-daaecaaa0f52) - [As Amended (Version 2) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=76d2c63c-a6c4-4fd7-b5f7-cd818bd923fa) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=763c4452-f1e3-4e2d-89dd-90afa546b245) ## 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 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB424-2025) - [SB 188: Revising solar energy policy laws](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB188-2025) - [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-SB178-2025 (as of 2026-10-19).