Title 85, Title 85

(1) The water policy interim committee established in 5-5-231 shall meet as often as necessary, including during the interim between sessions, to perform the duties specified within this section. (2) On a continuing basis, the water policy interim committee may: (a) advise the le…

(1) The department may: (a) enter into agreements with federal, state, or local agencies necessary to carry out this chapter; (b) apply for, accept, administer, and expend funds, grants, gifts, and loans from the federal government or any other public or private source for the pu…

The department shall: (1) enforce and administer this chapter and rules adopted under 85-2-113, subject to the powers and duties of the supreme court under 3-7-204; (2) prescribe procedures, forms, and requirements for applications, permits, certificates, claims of existing right…

(1) The department may prescribe fees or service charges for any public service rendered by the department under this chapter, including fees for the filing of applications or for the issuance of permits and certificates, for rulemaking hearings under 85-2-319, for administrative…

(1) If the department ascertains, by a means reasonably considered sufficient by it, that a person is wasting water, using water unlawfully, preventing water from moving to another person having a prior right to use the water, or violating a provision of this chapter, it may peti…

Any employee or agent of the department authorized by the director may enter upon any land to carry out the purpose of this chapter, including but not limited to entry to make inspections the department considers necessary of proposed works, source of water, location of the propo…

(1) When requested by the department, the attorney general and the county attorneys within their respective counties shall perform legal services and conduct legal proceedings necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter. The department may also employ legal counsel to enf…

Upon payment of a fee established pursuant to 85-2-113, a county clerk and recorder of the county where the point of diversion or place of use is located or in which a transfer of water right occurred may require the department to provide a report of all water permits, certificat…

The Montana Administrative Procedure Act governs administrative proceedings conducted under parts 1 through 4 of this chapter, except that the common law and statutory rules of evidence shall apply only upon stipulation of all parties to a proceeding.

(1) Except as provided in 85-2-410(6), a person who violates or refuses or neglects to comply with the provisions of 85-2-114, any order of the department, or any rule of the department is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 per violation. Each day of violation consti…

Except as provided in 85-2-122 and 85-2-124, all fees and penalties collected under this chapter must be deposited in the water right appropriation account established in 85-2-318. Except for fines collected by a district court under 85-2-122, all penalties or fines imposed by an…

(1) Whenever the department determines that the filing of an application or a combination of applications for a permit or approval under this chapter requires the preparation of an environmental impact statement as prescribed by the Montana Environmental Policy Act and the applic…

(1) If a final decision of the department on an application for a permit or a change in appropriation right is appealed to district court, the district court may award the prevailing party reasonable costs and attorney fees. (2) The party obtaining injunctive relief in an action …

(1) All applications for the change of name of any watercourse or natural source of water supply, including natural streams, dry coulees, springs, lakes, rivers, or creeks which lie wholly within the limits of one county must be made to the district court of the county where the …

When a petition under 85-2-131 is filed in the district court, the court or the judge shall designate some newspaper of general circulation in the county that is most likely to give all interested parties notice of the proceedings and shall order that notice be published in that …

At the time set for hearing or at any time prior thereto, objections may be filed by any person who can, in such objections, show to the court or judge good reason against such change of name. The application and the objections must be heard at such time as the court or judge may…

If the change of name of a watercourse is ordered, a copy of the judgment, duly certified by the clerk of the court, must be filed with the county clerk and recorder of the county in which the watercourse or other natural source of water supply is situated, and the clerk of the c…

(1) There is a water leasing program administered by the department on behalf of the state of Montana. (2) The department may acquire rights to water needed for leasing under this program: (a) through appropriation of water in its own name; (b) by agreement with or purchase from …

(1) A person who owns a water right but cannot exercise the right because a natural obstruction on another person's property prevents the flow of the water shall, in writing, seek consent from the landowner to remove the natural obstruction. (2) The water right owner may remove t…

(1) Using the factors in subsection (2) as guidelines, the department, in consultation with other agencies and groups, shall identify chronically dewatered watercourses or portions of watercourses. (2) The factors the department shall consider when identifying chronically dewater…

(1) Article IX, section 3(3), of the Montana constitution declares that all surface, underground, flood, and atmospheric waters within the boundaries of the state are the property of the state for the use of its people and are subject to appropriation for beneficial uses as provi…

(1) The 2015 state water plan recognizes that improving Montana's water supply and distribution monitoring network improves the ability of water managers and water users to adjust to seasonal supply and demand imbalances as well as plan for longer-term imbalances associated with …

(1) The Montana supreme court shall within 10 days of the filing of the petition by the attorney general issue an order to file a statement of a claim of an existing water right in substantially the following form: "WATER RIGHTS ORDER FAILURE TO FILE A CLAIM AS REQUIRED BY LAW WI…

To ensure that all persons who may claim an existing water right are notified of the requirement to file a claim of that right, the Montana supreme court shall give notice of the order as follows: (1) It shall cause the order, printed in not less than 10-point type, to be placed …

(1) The action for the adjudication of all existing water rights under Title 3, chapter 7, Title 85, chapter 2, part 7, and this part is commenced with the issuing of the order by the Montana supreme court to file a statement of a claim of an existing water right as provided in 8…

The water judge may consolidate all matters concerning the determination and interpretation of existing water rights within the water judge's division in any combination or groups of claims or matters for joint hearings or proceedings conducted by the water judge or water master …

All matters concerning the determination and interpretation of existing water rights shall be brought before or immediately transferred to the water judge in the proper water division unless witnesses have been sworn and testimony has been taken by a district court prior to the d…

While negotiations for the conclusion of a compact under part 7 are being pursued, all proceedings to generally adjudicate reserved Indian water rights and federal reserved water rights of those tribes and federal agencies that are negotiating are suspended. The obligation to fil…

(1) The water judges and the department, in performing their functions in the adjudication process, shall give priority to basins or subbasins designated each biennium by the legislature. Basins or subbasins must be designated according to the following criteria: (a) recurring wa…

(1) A person claiming an existing right, unless provided for under 85-2-222 or unless an earlier filing date is ordered as provided in 85-2-212, shall file with the department no later than June 30, 1983, a statement of claim for each water right asserted on a form provided by th…

(1) As used in this section, "exempt right" means those claims for existing rights for livestock and individual uses as opposed to municipal domestic uses based upon instream flow or ground water sources and claims for rights in the Powder River basin included in a declaration fi…

The department of fish, wildlife, and parks shall exclusively represent the public for purposes of establishing any prior and existing public recreational use in existing right determinations under this part, provided that the foregoing shall not exclude a federal governmental en…

(1) The statement of claim for each right arising under the laws of the state and for each right reserved under the laws of the United States that has been actually put to use must include substantially the following: (a) the name and mailing address of the claimant; (b) the name…

(1) Each claim filed under 85-2-221 must be accompanied by a filing fee in the amount of $40, subject to the following exceptions: (a) the total filing fees for all claims filed by one person in any one water court division may not exceed $480; and (b) a filing fee is not require…

The failure to file a claim of an existing right as required by 85-2-221(1) establishes a conclusive presumption of abandonment of that right.

(1) For purposes of adjudicating rights pursuant to this part, a claim of an existing right filed in accordance with 85-2-221 or an amended claim of existing right constitutes prima facie proof of its content until the issuance of a final decree. For purposes of administering wat…

(1) The purpose of this section is to ensure that a federal reserved water right with a priority date of July 1, 1973, or later is subject to the same process and adjudication as a federal reserved water right with a priority date before July 1, 1973. (2) Under authority granted …

(1) A water judge may issue a temporary preliminary decree prior to the issuance of a preliminary decree if the temporary preliminary decree is necessary for the orderly adjudication or administration of water rights. (2) (a) The water judge shall issue a preliminary decree. The …

(1) (a) The water judge shall send to the department a copy of a temporary preliminary decree, preliminary decree, or supplemental preliminary decree issued for a basin. (b) The water judge shall serve by mail a notice of availability of the temporary preliminary decree, prelimin…

(1) (a) For good cause shown and subject to the provisions of subsection (9), a hearing must be held before the water judge on any objection to a temporary preliminary decree, a preliminary decree, or a supplemental preliminary decree by: (i) the department; (ii) a person named i…

(1) The water judge shall, on the basis of the preliminary decree and any supplemental preliminary decree, on the basis of any hearing that may have been held, and on final resolution of all issue remarks, as defined in 85-2-250, enter a final decree affirming or modifying the pr…

(1) A person whose existing rights and priorities are determined in a final decree may appeal the determination only if: (a) the person requested a hearing and appeared and entered objections to the temporary preliminary decree or the preliminary decree; (b) the person's rights o…

When a final decree is entered, the water judge shall send a copy to the department. Except as provided in 85-2-306, the department shall on the basis of the final decree issue a certificate of water right to each person decreed an existing right. The original of the certificate …

(Temporary) Reopening and review of decrees. (1) After July 1, 1996, the water judges shall by order reopen and review, within the limits set forth by the procedures described in this section, all preliminary or final decrees: (a) that have been issued but have not been noticed t…

(1) The department, subject to the direction of the water judge, shall: (a) provide such information and assistance as may be required by the water judge to adjudicate claims of existing rights; (b) establish information and assistance programs to aid claimants in the filing of c…

(1) Because the state of Montana is the owner of all water in the state, pursuant to Article IX, section 3, of the Montana constitution, the legislature recognizes that it is in the state's best interest to ensure that valid issues raised as a result of claims examination in the …